NOCTUIDS. 73 
These moths frequent flowers in the evening, one of their fayor- 
ites being the phlox, upon the blossoms of which they alight. It is 
amusing to watch one of these moths standing almost upon its head 
Plusia simplex. 
as it thrusts its tongue into the flowers in its eagerness to procure 
the sweets. Plusia simplex is a common and well-known insect, ex- 
panding an inch and a quarter or more. The fore wings are brown, 
in some specimens pinkish-brown, darker near the centre, where 
there is a silvery spot whose shape can be seen in the illustration. 
The lower wings are dull yellow and margined with a broad band of 
brown. This insect is probably double-brooded, as I have taken 
it in June and again in September. 
Plusia putnami. 
A very pleasingly colored species is Plusta putnami. The head, 
forward part of the thorax, antenne and legs are reddish-pink, the 
tuft of hairs on the thorax being pinkish-brown. The abdomen is 
yellow with tufts of pink hairs on the sides. The fore wings are 
reddish-brown, deeper toward the outer margins, and adorned with 
patches of silver and golden colored scales. The lower wings are 
yellowish with a grayish band near the margins, and edged with 
pink, the whole making one of our most beautiful little moths. I 
have never found this species common, but have taker it with a 
