102 BRITISH MOTHS 



are palo asliy yellow ; the body is clay-coloured, except the base of the abdomen, which is more ashy. The 

 under side of the fore wings is marked with an ashy patch on the disc. Very rare, supposed by Mr. Stephens 

 to have been taken cither at Birch or Darenth Woods. Oehsenheinier and Boisduval give Austria as its only 

 known European habitat. 



SPECIES 6.— LITHOSIA COMPLANA. Plate XX., Fig. 12, 13. 



Synonymes, — Phalwna (Noct.) complana, Linn.; Fabr. ; Ochs.; | plate 70 ; fij;. c — li ; Wooil, 1ml. Ent. pi. 8, f. 100. 

 God. ; liilv. ; Hawortli j Leach, Zool. Misc. 1, pi. 49, fig. 3 ; Albin, 1 Bombi/.v plnmbcola, HUbner ; Bomb. pi. 24, lig. 100 (male). 



This is the commonest species of the genus, and measures from an inch to sixteen lines in the expanse of the 

 fore wings, which are of a pale ashy dove-colour, with a silky gloss, the fore margin having a stripe of buflf, 

 which terminates at the tip of the wing in a point ; the hind wings are pale ashy buff ; the head and front of 

 the thorax are also buff, and the remainder of the body ashy ; the fore wings beneath are ashy, with the costa 

 and apex rather broadly buff. The caterpillar is black, with short hairs, and with two yellow dorsal stripes, 

 spotted with red and white, and a slender red line, on each side above the feet. The cocoon is brownish, and the 

 chrysalis red-brown. The larva feeds upon the oak, fir, ash, poplar, and other trees in Slay and June, and the 

 moth (which appears to be widely distributed, and very abundant in woody places) flies in July. 



SPECIES 7.— LITHOSIA DEPRESSA. Plate XX., Fig. 14. 



Synonymes. — Noctua depressa, Esper; Ochsenheimer ; Boisduval ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 8, fig. 101. 

 Bombyx ochreola, HUbner; Curtis; (L. o). 



This species is nearly related to the preceding, but is rather longer, measuring 1 ij inch in the expanse of the 

 fore wings, which are very narrow, and of a silvery ashy colour, with a clay-coloured fore margin of equal width 

 throughout, and not terminating in a point as in L. complana ; the hind wings ashy at the base, but gradually 

 shaded off to the edge, which is clear yellowish ; the head and front of the thorax clay-coloured, and the 

 remainder of the body ashy. Found by Mr. Stephens at Ripley, and also taken (but very rarely) at Darenth 

 Wood, Kent. 



SPECIES 8.— LITHOSIA HELVOLA. Plate XX., Fig. 15. 



A''oc/«a r/r/)/rtK«, Esper; Borkhauseii ; Schrank. 

 Noctua covijilana, female, Esper. 



Synonymes. — Bombyx Helvola, Iliibncr; Stephens ; Wood, Ind. 

 Ent. pi. 8, fig. 98. 



Lithosia Helvoia, Ochsenheimer ; Boisduval. 



This species varies from nine to fourteen lines in expanse of the fore wings, which are of a livid or dove- 

 coloured hue ; the extremity of the fore margin clay-coloured, and the hind margin ashy grey, and the hind 

 wings are light buff, shaded off to brown along the outer margin ; the head and thorax in front are clay-coloured ; 

 the fore wings beneath are dusky, witli the edges clay-coloured. Found near Brockenhurst in the New Forest, 

 and in Norbury Park, Surrey, in great plenty, by Mr. Walton. 



SPECIES 9 — LITHOSIA MUSCERDA. Plate XX., Fig. K!. 



Synonymes. — Bombyx Muscerda, HUbner; Ocbscnh. ; Curtis, 

 IWt. Ent., pi. 36; Wood, Ind. Ent., plate 8, fig. 104. 

 Noctua pudorinOj Esper, 



Noctua ciuerina, Esper. 

 Tinea perlella, Fahr. ; Rossi. 

 Lithosia perla, Fabr. 



The expansion of the wings of this species is ] } inch. The general colour of the insect is a brownish hue, 

 tinged with fleshy buff, the fore margin being pale-straw coloured, with about five small black spots placed 

 irregularly towards the middle of the wing ; the hind wings paler ashy-grey. This very rare species has been 

 found at the end of June in Horning marshes, Norfolk. 



