176 TORTRICINA. 



is maculated with fuscous, with a paler ochreous cloud below ; near 

 the base, towards the dorsal margin, is a conspicuous roundish tuft, 

 composed of black, iron-grey, and rich ferruginous scales (variable 

 in different specimens) ; below it the margin is broadly marked and 

 variegated with the same colours. Before the middle of the costa 

 commences the dark portion of the wing, bordered inwardly with an 

 undulating irregular edge ; this dark or ferruginous portion is some- 

 times uniform in colour, but most frequently with a paler fascia from 

 the costa to the anal angle ; and in general there are near the apex 

 one or two dark brown or blackish spots. Apical scales dark grey, 

 with the bases straw-colour and the tips whitish. Cilia pale ferru- 

 ginous merging into grey, with white bases at the anal angle. Pos- 

 terior wings very pale grey, darkest at the apex, where it inclines to 

 fuscous. Marginal scales pale fuscous, with straw-coloured bases. 

 Cilia shining, very pale grey, whitish towards the anal angle. Ab- 

 domen fuscous, darkest towards the apex, the caudal tuft drab. <$ 

 Exp. al. 7-8 lin. Anterior wings, apparently with the basal half, 

 more suffused or clouded with grey. 



A very variable species, as its name implies ; the ground-colour 

 of the anterior wings ranging from nearly white to nearly black ; 

 sometimes they are one-half of their surface white, the other 

 black. 



The nearly white variety is the P. albana of Westwood, as 

 figured in Westwood and Humphrey s' ' British Moths and their 

 Transformations/ vol. ii. pi. 95. fig. 17. 



The black or nearly black one is the P. cirrana of Curtis. 



Var. P. aspersana has the basal half of the wing cream-colour 

 or pale ochreous, and the apical umbreous. 



Var. P. Borana differs from the type in having the ground- 

 colour of the anterior wings pale ochreous instead of white; 

 in this form it resembles P. permutana, but is not so richly 

 coloured. 



The imago appears in July and August, and is very common 

 in hedges, woods, and gardens throughout the country ; it occurs 

 also in Scotland and in the vicinity of Dublin. 



The larva feeds on the Rose, Bramble, and Whitethorn, and is 

 full-grown in June. 



Genus IV. PARAMESIA, STEPHENS. 



Palpi longer than the head, stout, porrected horizontally, densely 

 clothed with short scales, appressed. Basal joint stout, drooping, 

 pyriform, truncate ; apical very slender, cylindrical, as long as the 

 basal ; middle ascending, very stout beyond the centre, curved, four 

 times as long as the apical. Maxilla? slender, scarcely so long as the 



