144 BRITISH MOTHS 



CARADRINA, Ochsenheimer. 

 The species of this group, as restricted by Stephens, may bo known by the slendorness of their bodies, 

 glossiness of their entire wings, marked with distinct stigmata, the antennas simple in both sexes ; the jialpi have 

 tlie terminal joint distinct, but very short; but what more particularly distinguishes the species, is the habit of 

 the caterpillars, which are mostly short, depressed above with small heads ; each end of the body being 

 attenuated and often rugose, with numerous small black tubercles, from each of which is emitted a short stiff 

 bristle, often directed backwards. They hide themselves by day, and feed by night upon low herbs. They 

 descend beneath the surface of the earth to undergo their transformations. 



Nocttia hlanda, Ochsenheimer, nee Hubner. 



Noctua Alsines, (variety.) Wood, Ind. Enl. pi. 11, fig. 195. 



Caradrina implexa *, Stepliens (variety) ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 

 11, fig. 199. 



Noctua Icevis, Haworth ? (varieti); Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. II, 

 fig. 200. 



Noctua sordida^ Haworth (variety). 



SPECIES 1.— CARADRIN.\ PLANTAGINIS. Plate XXIX., Fio. 11. 



SvNONY.MEs. — Noctua Pla?itagiiii^, Iliibner; Dnponcbel : Bois- 

 duval. 



Noctua amliigua $ Fabrieius .' Treitsclike .^ Wien.Verz. ? 



Caradrina ambigua, Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 10, fig. 196. 



Noctua Xanthographa, Haworlh. 



Noctua redacta, Haworth (v.ariety) ; Wood, Ind. Ent. p]. II, 

 fig. 197. 



Noctua egens, Hawoitli (variety). 



Guided by the great practical knowledge of Mr. Bentley, we here reduce all the supposed species indicated in 

 the synonymes given above to one extremely variable species, a step which nothing short of the direct observations 

 which that gentleman has published, would have induced us to adopt ; inasmuch as Boisduval acknowledges four 

 of these species, and Stephens in his catalogue indicates that there are at least two distinct species, namely, 

 arabigua and Alsines. As there is a doubt as to the former of these species, we have follovred Boisduval in 

 employing the name Plantaginis in its stead. This species is distinguished from the others in the genus by 

 having the body stout and the thorax broad ; the colour of the fore wings (which generally expand about 1^ 

 inch) is very variable, but generally of a greyish-brown tint, with the two basal strigfe not very distinct, and 

 formed of dark dots; the stigmata distinct, with a striga between them rather darker than the ground colour of 

 the wings and rather small and distinct, the basal one round, and the other kidney-shaped, with a slender pale 

 margin ; beyond this stigma is a curved pale striga, marked internally with black dots ; and beyond this a 

 pale angulated striga running outside a dusky stripe ; the margin itself with black dots ; the hind wings whitish, 

 with a dusky margin. Such is a description of the typical individuals. We extract the following characters 

 of the chief varieties of this species from BIr. Bentley 's article on the genus, recently published in the Entomologist. 



The variety redacta is smaller than the last, with the stigmata and markings more indistinct. 



Alsines has the anterior wings fuscous, with two transverse striga; ; posterior stigma large, and distinctly 

 margined with white. 



Implexa has the anterior wings rusty, or yellowish, with four fuscous, transverse striga> ; the posterior striga . 

 rather more undulated. 



Lwvis t resembles Alsines, but the stigma is scarcely visible. 



Sordida is rusty, or reddish, with two transverse fuscous strigse approximating towards the inner margin ; 

 ]>osterior margin clothed with black. These and various other varieties described by Mr. Bentley, which have 



* Mr. Curtis states that the Noctua imple.va of Hiibner is an Apamaea. 



t Mr. Curtis states that he possesses Plasted's specimen of Noctua hcvis, Hiibu., described by Hawortli ; and that it is certainly not a variety 

 of AUines, being closely allied to Segctia ncglecta ; neither is it Wood's figure 200. It was taken in July, near Darenth Wood. 



