GEOMETERS. 



79 



182. The Circellate (Acidalia circellnta). 



182. THE CIRCELLATE. The antennae are 

 imple in both sexes ; all the wings are ample, 

 and of a pale gray colour, with a silky gloss ; 

 the fore wings have two narrow transverse 

 lines ; the first is bent towards the base of the 

 wing before it reaches the costa ; the second 

 is oblique and waved, and is situated beyond 

 the middle of the wing; between the two 

 transverse lines is a linear discoidal spot, in a 

 faint linear shade ; this linear shade is con- 

 tinued across the hind wings, and beyond this 

 is a very distinct, but irregular, dark line ; 

 there is a very small discoidal spot in the 

 centre of the wing ; round the hind margin of 

 all the wings is a series of very distinct black 

 spots. 



This delicate and beautiful little SIOTH 

 appears on the wing in June, and has only 

 been taken in one English locality that I am 

 aware of ; there is no Scotch or Irish locality 

 recorded. (The scientific name is Acidalia 

 circellata.} 



183. The Lace Border (Acldulia ornata). 



183. TEE LACE BOEDEK. All the wings are 

 silverj r white, with an exquisitely beautiful 

 broad border parallel to the hind margin : the 

 border consists of, first, a delicate, black, zig- 

 zag line : beyond this are two waved, broader, 

 and less distinct lines, somewhat smoke- 

 coloured,, but having a gloss like mother-of- 

 pearl ; the first of these broad lines includes 

 two brownish blotches, the first blotch rather 

 above the middle, the second on the inner 

 margin : these lines do not quite reach the 



costal margin ; the outer one is the shorter of 

 the two ; on the extreme hind 'margin of all 

 the wings is a series of short, blackish lines, 

 placed end to end, and beyond these the 

 fringe is alternately brown and white : be- 

 tween the border and the base of the fore 

 wings is a pale brown transverse line ; and 

 again, half-way between this and the base, is a 

 row of black dots, three, four, or five, arranged 

 transversely : the hind wings have a very 

 pale, central, transverse line, and a black dot 

 in the middle of it : the head, thorax, and 

 body are silvery white. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 in August, and is very abundant on chalky 

 soils in England, but has not been reported 

 from Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name 

 is Acidalia ornata.} 



184. The Mullein Wave (Acidalia promutata). 



184. THE MULLEIN WAVE. All the wings 

 gray, tinged with ochreous yellow, and sprinkled 

 all over with minute black specks : the fore 

 wings have four transverse markings, the first 

 of which is a tolerably distinct line near the 

 base : this line is often broken up and divided 

 into spots : the second is a very indistinct and 

 cloudy bar, having a black spot in the mid- 

 dle : the third is a zigzag, dark line parallel 

 with the hind border ; and the fourth is an 

 obscure and interrupted cloudy band : on the 

 extreme hind margin is a row of very distinct, 

 short, black lines placed end to end, and the 

 fringe is sprinkled with black dots : the hind 

 wings are veiy similar to the fore wings, and 

 the head, thorax, and body are of the same 

 colour as the wings. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 July, and has occurred rather freely in the 

 south-western counties of England, but I 

 think not in the eastern counties ; it is reported 

 from Radnorshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, and 

 Northumberland, but not from Scotland. As 

 regards Ireland Mr. Birchall reports it from 



