NOCTUAS. 



397 



; the body smoky-gray, paler at the 

 jase. 



The head o f th e c AT E K PI LLAK is al most e x actly 

 )f the same width as the second segment, very 

 looth and shining ; the body is smooth 

 md almost uniformly cylindrical, but tapers 

 lightly towards either extremity ; the colour 

 jf the head is green ; the second segment of 

 the body has a semicircular dorsal green plate, 

 remainder of this segment, as well as the 

 entire dorsal surface of the third and fourth 

 segments, being rosy red ; the dorsal area of 

 the remaining segment is apple-green, inter- 

 rupted by a narrow medio-dorsal stripe of a 

 pale brown, which deepens to a dark brown 

 at the interstices of the segments ; there is a 

 broad rosy lateral stripe, the lower border of 

 which is bounded by a narrow stripe of pure 

 white, and below this a narrow rosy stripe ; 

 the ventral surface is pale green, with the 

 legs and claspers concolorous. It feeds on 

 gromwell (Lithosperinum arvense), and several 

 Dther plants, more especially in woods. The 

 SGGS are laid in October, and the young CATER- 

 PILLARS hybernate very small, and feeding 

 xin in the spring, are full-fed at the end of 

 Lpril, when they spin rather slight cocoons 

 just under the surface of the earth. The 

 cocoon is composed of silk and grains of earth. 

 ie CHRYSALIS is dark red-brown and very 

 shining, the wing-cases being of yellowish- 

 jreen colour ; and the extremity of the body 

 furnished with two long and closely ap- 

 proximate spines. 



The MOTH appeal's on the wing in Septem- 

 ber; some specimens, taken about the middle 

 of September, and kindly brought me by the 

 iev. P. H. Jennings, were quite worn, and 

 appeared to have been out some time. It 

 seems to be abundant in Devonshire, in which 

 county Mr. Eeading records Plymouth, Whit- 

 sands, Stadden Heights, Devonport, Torquay, 

 Teignmouth and Alphington as localities. It 

 also occurs in the New Forest, and Isle of Wight, 

 Brighton, Lewes, Darent Wood in Kent, Cam- 

 bridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, 

 and Cheshire ; and Mr. Birchall, since the 

 publication of his list, has taken it in Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Epunda lutulenta.) 



628. The Black Rustic (Epunda niyra). 



628. THE BLACK RUSTIC. The palpi are 

 slightly porrected, and rather blunt at the 

 tip ; the antennce are rather long, slightly 

 thickened in the male, simple and slender in 

 the female : the fore wings are slightly arched 

 towards the tip, and slightly scalloped on the 

 hind-margin ; their colour is rich dark sepia- 

 brown, slightly clouded ; the discoidal spots 

 are indicated, and there is a transverse series 

 of whitish scales on the exterior border of the 

 reniform ; with this exception, both spots are 

 of the same colour as the general area of the 

 wing: the hind wings are silvery white in 

 the male, with a slightly clouded hind mar- 

 gin in the female ; the hind wings are con- 

 spicuously clouded with smoke-colour, except 

 at the base : the antennae, head, and thorax 

 ai'e almost pure black ; the body smoke-colour, 

 but paler on the sides at the base. 



In .No. 7 of the EntomologistT&r. Hammond 

 gives a short description of the CATERPILLAR. 

 When full-grown they were about an inch 

 and a half in length, cylindrical, of nearly 

 uniform thickness, with the head rounded 

 and but little smaller than the second seg- 

 ment ; the anal segment was tapering. 



Mr. Buckler subsequently described four 

 varieties in the Entomoloyistti Jfonthty Maga- 

 zine, as follows : 



Yar. 1. The ground-colour is a brilliant 

 pale yellow-green, sometimes a very bright 

 grass-green, others of a bright olive-green, 

 deepest in tint at the extremities, and often 



