230 TORTRICINA. 



4. nigricana, Fabr. Alls anticis olivaceo-fuliginosis, squamis ochra- 

 ceis vel cinereis irroratis ; costa strigis fuscis albidis caeruleoque 

 obliquis ; macula ocellari subplumbea, punctis atris ; posticis 

 brunneis ustulatis. d Exp. al. 6^7 lin. 



Head dusky olive-brown. Face drab. Eyes black. Palpi longer 

 than the head, dark drab at the apex, whitish between, otherwise 

 pale grey. Antennae dark fuscous. Thorax and patagia glossy, dark 

 olive-drab, the latter paler at the apex. Anterior wings glossy, 

 dusky drab, with an olive tinge, merging into pale umber-brown at 

 the apex, thickly irrorated with ochreous, or ochreous-grey scales. 

 The costa with geminated streaks, two before the middle, dusky, the 

 remainder cream- colour ; of these latter, the first and third are pro- 

 duced into lustrous blue lines directed to the apical margin, which 

 the third one attains below the apical spot. The ocelloid patch is 

 distinct, edged anteriorly and posteriorly with lustrous patches of 

 scales, sometimes silvery, at others coppery, and not unfrequently of 

 a pale violet-colour ; the space between concolorous with the wing, 

 and marked with black spots. Apical scales umber, with ochreous or 

 grey tips, interrupted (and sometimes also the cilia) below the apex. 

 Cilia very glossy, drab. Posterior wings : in colour ranging from 

 fuscous to umber, palest at the base. Marginal scales of the same 

 colour as the wing, with paler bases. Cilia pale straw-colour at the 

 apex, the remainder white. Abdomen umber, with the edges of the 

 segments grey. $ Exp. al. 6^-7 lin. 



Not very plentiful in cabinets ; slightly variable in size and in 

 colour. Closely allied to the succeeding species E. proximana, 

 which it very much resembles, but is larger, and is further 

 distinguishable by its uniformly darker colour. 



The imago appears in June, and is generally distributed 

 throughout the country, but is not met with commonly. 



The larva feeds on the growing and unripe seeds of the Pea 

 (Pisum sativum), is full grown about the middle of July, and 

 from 5 to 5| lines long. It is sluggish, fleshy, of a yellowish 

 white colour. The head pale hazel, with the sutures dark brown. 

 The shield luteous, with a number of minute markings towards 

 the base ; those nearest the latter are somewhat triangular, but 

 undefined, and pale hazel. The spots are large, oval, and 

 greenish drab. The anal segment with numerous black punc- 

 tures. The colouring appears to vary in character ; in some in- 

 stances the shield is much more suffused with brown, and the 

 punctures on the anal segment assuming the appearance of a 

 granulated patch. When full grown, it spins a strong cocoon of 

 a parchmenty consistence, formed of a pinkish drab-coloured silk. 

 These larvae are exceedingly difficult to rear. 



