443 



BRITISH MOTHS 



simple : the fore wings are nearly straight on 

 the costa and pointed at the tip ; their colour 

 is almost white, with a median oblique pale 

 brown band which is exteriorly bordered with 

 white, and a broad hind-marginal band of the 

 same pale hue, and intersected throughout by 

 a narrow waved white line ; there is a black 

 dot just within this white line near its costal 

 extremity, and a second near the apical angle ; 

 the fringe is delicately pale brown : the hind 

 wings are white, slightly cloudy at the base, 

 and have a pale brown hind margin : the 

 palpi, head, thorax, and body are almost 

 white. 



The CATERPILLAR is said by Stainton to feed 

 on the stems of thistle. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June : it 

 was first taken in England, says Mr. Reading, 

 at Teignmouth, in Devonshire, by Dr. Jordan, 

 who secured a specimen when flying about a 

 lamp. In 1858 Dr. Battersby found a good 

 habitat for this species at Torquay, where he 

 obtained examples. (The scientific name is 

 Micra jwva.) 



Obs. 1. The figure is from a specimen 

 kindly lent me by Mr. Bond. 



Obs. 2. The following paragraph is copied 

 from the Entomologists' Annual for 1859. It 

 is written by Dr. Battersby, of Torquay : " My 

 daughter having found a specimen of Micra 

 ostrina in June, I was induced to go with my 

 children the two followingmornings and make 

 a close search along the coast wherever the 

 cliffs are accessible, and having a good many 

 little eyes at work we were fortunate enough 

 to meet with five more ; they occurred at 

 three places in an extent of about three miles, 

 and were met with half-way down the cliffs 

 to the water's edge. We found Micra parva 

 only in one place, and saw but two specimens, 

 both of which were captui-ed ; they as well as 

 Oatrina lay very close among the grass and 

 brambles, and when disturbed did not fly 

 more than a yard or two, Ostrina settling on 

 the ground, and Parva on plants : this was 

 the only difference I observed in their habits ; 

 indeed, until I was able to examine both cai'e- 

 fully at home, I considered that I had merely 

 taken the two sexes of Ostrina. We searched 



the cliffs with great care for nearly a week 

 afterwards, but without seeing a trace of 

 more." From the figure which accompanies 

 the notice in the Annual, I should have sup- 

 posed this insect to be the female of Ostrina. 

 I observe that M. Guence regards Micra par en 

 as a distinct species, but whether Dr. Batters- 

 by's insect belongs to that species or not, 

 we have no evidence. I incline to refer both 

 insects to the Phytometra minuta of Haworth, 

 p. 265, No. 30. 



693. The Orange Underwing (Brephos Parthenias). 



693. THE ORANGE UNDERWING. The palpi 

 are concealed in a beak-like tuft of hairy 

 scales ; the antennre of the male are thickened 

 and serrated, not pectinated : the wings are 

 ample, the costal margin of the fore wings 

 being straight almost to the tip, and then 

 slightly curved ; their colour is reddish-brown, 

 thickly sprinkled with paler scales; about 

 the middle of the costa there is a more or less 

 conspicuous pale blotch, which serves as the 

 commencement of a very indistinct transverse 

 pale median bar ; this bar generally includes 

 the reniform ; half-way between the bar and 

 the base of the wing are two pale marks on 

 the costa : the hind wings are deep rich 

 orange with a large smoky-gray patch occu- 

 pying the inner margin, and projecting a sharp 

 angle into the very middle of the wing, where 

 it joins the dark discoidal spot : the head, 

 thorax, and body are black-brown and very 

 slender. 



The CATERPILLAR has a smooth semi-por- 

 rected head, scarcely narrower than the second 



