AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. I39 



pale rufescent-buff or stone colour to briglit fulvous red, varied with grey bliailes. In some specimens the 

 ordinary strig.T and other markings are almost obsolete ; whilst in others they are distinct, consisting of a small 

 blackish dot near the base of the wing, followed by an oblique striga formed of pale scallops, edaed with 

 blackish but becoming obsolete towards the costa, which is, however, marked with two dots indicatintr its place. 

 This is succeeded by the anterior stigma, which is very small, and forms an oblique blackish short line ; the 

 other stigma is much larger, but rather narrower and oblique in the opposite direction ; to its inner ed-re is 

 united a curved striga formed of small dark scallops, terminating in a black dot on the costa half-way below 

 the stigmata ; another black stigmal dot is placed in front of the second stigma, beyond which is a sliohtly- 

 curved pale striga edged before and behind witli dusky scallops, followed by another submarginal, j.ale, very 

 indistinct striga, indicated by black dots and by a black jiatch on the costa; the extreme margin of the win" is 

 also marked with a row of black dots. iSueli is the variety represented in our figure 0". Our figure 4 represents 

 another variety, in which most of these markings may be traced, appearing, however, only in a grey shade upon 

 the red-brown ground colour of the w^ing ; whilst our figure 5 represents another beautiful variety, in which 

 the ground colour is bright red-brown, with nearly all the markings obliterated, except those of tlie costa and 

 the stigmata. 



There are likewise a great nimiber of other varieties, as indicated in the synonymes ; but all these are obtained 

 from similar larva;, which are green, with a whitish or reddish lateral streak and pale dots : they feed on 

 the Centaurea Scabiosa and Ranunculus bulbosus ; and the moth appears in September and October, and m.ay be 

 taken on the flowers of the ivy, like most of the species of this division of this genus (Douclas in 

 Entomol. p. <)()). 



SPECIES 13.— ORTIIOSIA HUMILIS. Plate XXVII., Fio. 7, 8. 



Synonymes — Noctiia humilis, Fabiicius ; Roisduval ; Iliilincr; I Noctua /unosa, Hawortli ; SlepUens ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 1(1, 

 Trcitschkc ; DupuiielK-l. | fig. 183; Curtis, Brit. Ent. pi. 237. 



This handsome but variable species measures from 1^ to 1^ inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are 



slightly acuminate at the tip, and of an ochre brown, varying to ashy brown, with the costa and veins whitish ; 



near the base of the wing is a pale bent striga, edged with dusky or reddish brown ; the two ordinary stigmata 



are distinct and rather small, dark-coloured, and encircled by a pale whitish line ; a dusky striga runs from the 



hind part of the posterior stigma obliquely to the posterior margin of the wing, and is followed by a curved 



pale striga edged with dusky both before and behind ; beyond which is a row of dusky dots, those next the 



costa being the most elongated ; and the margin is marked with a row of small dark spots : the cilia is spotted 



■with brown. The hind wings are shining, of a yellowish or brownish white, speckled with black, with a brown 



lunule in the middle, and an interrupted row of brown spots near the margin, which is, moreover, spotted with 



brown ; the cilia ochre-coloured. Numerous varieties occur, both in the tint of the ground-colour of the wings, 



and in the strength of the markings, some of which are occasionally obsolete. The moth is not by any means 



rare, being found in the woods round London, and in various other parts of the kingdom, in September, 



frequenting the flowers of the i\-y. 



SPECIES 14.— ORTHOSL\ LOTA. Plate XXVIII., Fig. 9. 



SvNONYME.— PAa/. Bomb. Lota, Linn.; Fabr. ; Tieitschkc ; Hiibner ; Hawortli ; Boisduval ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent,, pi. 10, fi?. 184. 



This species varies from 1^ to U inch iu the expansion of the fore wings, which are of an ashy brown colour, 



-with several black dots on the costa, connected with pale ones indicating the origin of the ordinary striga^, 



•which are very obscure ; a very conspicuous black dot on the hinder stigma, which, as well as the anterior, is 



T 2 



