NOCTUAS. 



281 



,le, owing to their being slightly ciliated : 

 e fore wings are nearly straight on the 

 pointed, but not acutely, at the tip, 

 d waved, but not scalloped, on the hind 

 ; their prevailing colour is rich ferrn- 

 ous In-own, varied with darker longitudinal 

 ,ks or stripes and transverse lines, which 

 mbinc in giving a somewhat reticulated 

 pearanco to the wing. The orbicular is 

 iv round, and usually of a fulvous colour, 

 t often indistinct; the reniform is usually 

 ite, and very distinct, but sometimes bright 

 vous ; it is divided at its lower extremity 

 to two portions, and the upper portion con- 

 ins an evident reniform mark, in outline 

 (responding with the exterior outline ; the 

 d wings are gray-brown with a paler 

 ge ; the head, palpi, antennae, and neck 

 rich reddish brown ; the thorax darker 

 wn, the body gray-brown, inclining to red 

 wards the extremity. 



"The CATERPILLAR is dull brown, the dor- 

 plate of the second segment dai'ker and 

 ming ; a row of brown dots on each side 

 the dorsal line (Treitfchke), on roots of vari- 

 ^ ses." Stainton't Manual, vol. i. p. 1 97. 

 I have found this pretty little MOTH on the 

 nng in the middle of the day in all English 

 L-alities where I have collected; it is very 

 >nd of seMling on flowers. Mr. Ilirchall says 

 is common, and widely distributed in Ire- 

 ind, and Mr. I >ouglas Robinson that it occurs 

 Kirkcudbrightshire, in Scotland. (The; 

 jientifie name is Ifydroecia nictitans.) 



Obs. 1. The very common variety of this 

 jsect represented in the second figure, and 

 iving no trace of white in the reniform, is 

 the Xuctiiti erythrostigma of Haworth (I.< />. 

 Brit., p. 210). My illustrious predecessor, 

 although comparing it with the more usual 

 variety with the white reniform, emphatically 

 pronounces it "distinct" as a species, a deci- 

 sion in which I am unable to concur. 



Oljs. 2. HydroRcia lucetis of Herrieh 

 Scha-ffer must also be referred to this species : 

 I entirely agree with M. (iuenee, who says, "1 

 confess that I am totally unable to point out 

 any character by which to distinguish Lucena 

 from Nict'dd.ns." 



472. Tho Buttcr-bur (Ilyfoacia, Petasilis). 



472. THE BUTTER-BUR. The palpi an- 

 curved upwards, but are very inconspicuous ; 

 the antennie are delicately ciliated in the 

 male : the fore wings are slightly arched on 

 the costa, rather pointed at the tip, very 

 slightly incurved below the tip, and have the 

 hind marginal outline waved but not scalloped; 

 their colour is gray-brown, suffused in recently 

 disclosed specimens with a purplish gloss or 

 reflections : there is a darker median band, in 

 which the paler reniform and orbicular are 

 very visible ; there is also a hind marginal 

 band, the interior border of which is irregular, 

 but mapped out by a slender gray line : the 

 wing- rays are thickly sprinkled, but not 

 entirely covered with pale gray scales: the 

 hind wings are pale dingy gray-brown, with a 

 crescentic discoidal spot, a median transverse 

 line, and a hind marginal shade rather darker : 

 the antennas are pale ; the head and thorax of 

 the same colour as the fore wings; the body 

 of the same colour as the hind wings. 



" The ( \ n;i: n U,A u is of a dull whitish colour 

 with black dots; the head and the dorsal 

 plates of the second and anal segments reddish 

 brown" (/''re ;/</') Slti'mlnifx Manual, vol. i. 

 p. 198. It feeds in the roots and flowering 

 stems of the butter-bur (Pehtxit''* rulijurin), 

 and when full fed leaves its food-plant and 

 forms a cocoon of earth glued together, and in 

 this changes to a CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in Octobei*. 

 It is likely to he found wherever the Ijutter- 

 bur (7V<7.v//c'.s vtil'jttriH) occurs, but at present 

 has only been captured in one Knglish county, 

 Lancashire ; in Scotland, near Ivlinburgh ; 

 in I'crth.-hire ; and at llowth, in Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is llydraxia Petatnlin.) 



Obs. -This species is the llydrfcna vind>fi<-i<i 



