AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 219 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIV. 



Inspcts — Fig. 1. Agrotis subgothica (the gotliic dait). 

 " Fig. 2. Agrotis pascuea. 



" Fig. 3. Agrotis nebulosa, a fiMualc. 



" Fig. 4. Agi'otis cursoria, a female. 



" Fig. 5. Agrotis Tritici (tlic wliitc line dart). G. The supposed v.uiety called sagittifera. 



Fig. 7. Agrotis cuneigcra (tlie wedgo-barrcd dart). 8. The Cumberland variety called venosa. 

 '* Fig. 9. Agrotis aquiliiia. 



" Fig. 10. Agrotis nigricans (the garden dart). II. The variety called obeliscata. 12. The variety called dul.ia. 



" Fig. 13. Agrotis exclamationis (the heart and dart). 14. Tlie Caterpillar. 



" Fig. 15. An nndescribed species in the cabinet of Mr. Marshall. 



Pl«nts — Fig. IC. Bellis pcrcnnis (the common Paisy). 

 A. subgothica is from Mr. Stephens's figure. A. nebulosa is from the British Museum. A. pascuea and fig. 15 are from the cabinet of 

 Mr. Marshall. A. exclamationis from a specimen sent inc by Mr. Doubleday; and all the others from the cabinet of Mr. Bentley. The 

 caterpillar of Exclamationis is from Hiibner. H. X. 11. 



SPECIES 11.— AGROTIS TRITICI. Plate XXIV, Fio. 6. 



Synonvmes. — Phttlana Noct. Tritici, Linna'us ; fiodart ; 

 Treitschke ; Boisduval ; Stephens. 



Noctua ficiilis^ Hiibner. 



Varieties. — Noctua eruta, Hiibner. 



Noclua pratincola, Hiibner. 



Noctua recussa, Hiibner ? .•' (Boisduval gives this as a distinct 

 species). 



Noctita albilinea^ Hawortli. 



Variety "i — Noctua vitta, Hiibner (Boisduval gives this as a var. 

 of aquilina). 



Noctua litieolata, Ilaworlh ; Stephens (Agr. 1.). 



Noctua pupillata, Stephens (Agr. p.). 



Noctua ocellina, Wien. V.; Hiibner, Tr. Stcph. (Agr. oc.) 



Bombyx phythcuma, Esper. 



We have here one of the most difficult, because most inconstant, of all tlie Noctuicte, no two specimens being 

 exactlj' alike, whence so many of the varieties have been regarded as distinct species, as noticed in the syno- 

 nymes given above. It measures about 1 i inch in the expansion of the fore wings, which in the more typical states 

 are of an ashy brown, slightly tinged with reddish, the costa marked with several dark dots towards the tip ; 

 within the costa is a longitudinal paler streak, running nearly to the tip of the wing ; the base itself being also 

 paler, with several very indistinct dusky markings, the ordinary transverse strigaj before and beyond the stigmata 

 being almost obsolete ; the two ordinary stigmata are pale, margined with a dark line ; the supplemental stigma 

 is dusky, margined with black : there is a row of elongated dark wedge-shaped marks nearly along the apical 

 margin which is darker, and a marginal row of dark dots ; the hind wings are whitish, with the margin dusky. 



I avail myself of Mr. Bentley's article upon this genus in the Entomologist, (p. 25(i), by introducing short 

 descriptions of some of the more striking varieties of this species which have been regarded as distinct species by 

 various authors ; observing only that Jlr. Bentley (whoso practical knowledge of this difficult group of insects 

 is unequalled in this or any other country) has described numerous other varieties filling up the intervals between 

 the several types mentioned below. The sixth variety described by Mr. Bentley, is the N. lineolata of Hawortli, 

 which has (perhaps incorrectly) been regarded as the Noctua vitta, of Hiibner : — " Anterior wings reddish 

 brown, with a white streak upon the costa extending from the base beyond the middle ; the central nervure of 

 the wings is white, between the stigmata is a quadrate black spot, the teliform stigma .small and black ; near it 

 is a pale transverse striga ; on the posterior margin is a row of wedge-shaped spots and a white waved striga : 

 posterior wings cinereous with dusky margins." 



The ninth variety described by Mr. Bentley corresponds with the N. pupillata of Haworth. " Anterior 

 wings brownish, with four transverse strig» ; the first at the base, the second before the anterior stigma, the 

 third behind the posterior, and the fourth near the hinder margin ; the costa is spotted with dusky and white, 

 the space between the second and third strigse rather pale ; stigmata pale, anterior ocellated." 



