the Lepidoptera of St. Helena. 339 
Italy, and Syria, in all probability it was originally natura¬ 
lized. 
The specimens of this moth from St. Helena recede from 
the examples of Botys cedipodalis which are in the British 
Museum in the much less acute tip of the fore wings, in their 
much paler colour, and also in having no dark hind-marginal 
border. Professor Zeller, who has kindly examined one of 
my St.-Helena specimens, remarks that it exactly agrees with 
his Botys rnficostalis from Palestine. 
Genus 26. Meyna, Hiibn. 
Meyna polygonalis , Hiibn. 
Meyna rusticalis , Melliss, Saint Hel. 190 (1875). 
Although probably only introduced into the island (for it 
occurs in Europe and is a common moth at Madeira), this 
Meyna is one of the most conspicuous of the St.-Helena 
Pyralkke. It is abundant in the intermediate and lofty dis¬ 
tricts, particularly the former, while the bright orange of its 
underwings makes it quite a feature on the open grassy slopes, 
where it more especially resides. About Plantation and Oak- 
bank I observed it often in great profusion ; but I did not 
meet with it, so far as I can now recall, at a very low elevation, 
though at Cleugh’s Plain it was common enough ; and I ima¬ 
gine therefore that it must be looked upon (whether natura¬ 
lized or not) as belonging essentially to the intermediate 
altitudes. 
The caterpillar of this moth is slightly over an inch in 
length and of an elongate fusiform shape, somewhat narrow 
in comparison with its length. The head is globular, but rather 
flattened in front. The segmental folds are distinct, though 
not conspicuously so, and with white longish erect hairs 
throughout the subdorsal region. The head is black, emit¬ 
ting a few short white hairs ; the second segment is small 
and black, with three pale lines, the central one of which is 
continued throughout the segment (the others hardly ex¬ 
tending to the middle) and adjoins a much broader dorsal 
stripe or space, which ornaments the rest of the segments to 
the anal angle (on which it appears as small spots). There 
is a narrow, yellowish-white, spiracle-line, adjoining the upper 
side of which is a row of bright yellow blotches. The space 
between the latter and the dorsal stripe is black, with three 
brighter black warts, each of which emits one of the white 
longish hairs which ornaments the sides. 
Meyna polygonalis seems to have been much confused 
with M. diver sails, Hiibn. The figures in the eighth volume 
24* 
