AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 163 



indicating the commencement of the ordinary strigje, which are pale and edged with dusky lines, and very much 

 undulated and curved ; the base of the fore wings is pale in front, being marked with a black streak ; tlie 

 stigmata arc pale greyish-brown, edged with black lines ; the anterior one placed rather obliquely, and not so 

 closely to the outer one as in some of the species; the supplemental stigma is immediately behind the basal one, 

 and indicated only by a black, oval, oblique ring ; the fourth striga is pale, with the W-like angulation very 

 strongly marked, and witli arrow-headed dark spots within ; the hind wings are brown, rather darker along the 

 outer edge. This is a rather abundant and widely dispersed species. 



SPECIES 4.— HADENA GENISTA. Plate XXXIIL, Fig. 4. 



Noctua revtilinea, Haworth. 



Fh. Noel, dives, Douovan 10, pi. 352, f. 1 ; ncc Hawortb. 



Synonymes. — Noctua genislw^ UorUhaiist-n ; lliibncr ; Trcitsclikc 

 Boisduval ; Stephens. 



Noclua W. Latinum, Boikhauscu ; Esper. 



This beautiful species measures 1-- inch in the e.vpanso of its fore wings, which are of a delicate silken 

 ashy-grey colour, having a dark brown longitudinal dash along tlio base, terminating in the middle of three deep 

 scallops edged externally with black, representing the second ordinary striga, the basal striga being obsolete. 

 The middle of the wing is brown, the sj)ace immediately behind the stigmata being very dark, within which the 

 black edging of the supplemental stigma may be traced ; the stigmata are very pale brown, edged with a blackish 

 line, the anterior one being nearly round ; the apical j)ortion of the wing is brown, with the fourth striga very 

 slender and not very distinct, but exhibiting the strongly angulated W-like mark preceded by two blackish arrow- 

 heads in the middle ; the hind wings are pale brown, with the edges rather darker. 



This is by no means a rare species, being ratlier widely dispersed in the south of England. It occurs in May. 



SPECIES 5.— HADENA CONTIGUA. Pl.itb XXXIIL, Fig. o, 6. 



Synonymfs. — Noctua contifjua, Wieii. Vcrz. ; Ocliseuhciuu'r ; Noctua Ari(B, Esper. 



Treitsclikc ; Iliibner; Steplieus ; Woad, pi. 12, fig. 23S. Noctua dives^ Hawortb ; (uec Donovan). 



Noctua Sparta, Borkhaiisen. 



This insect, which is the ' handsome brocade' of our collectors, has its fore wings generally expanding rather 

 more than an inch and a half, and beautifully mottled with grey, brown, buff, and ashy tints, sometimes tinged 

 with purplish and the pale parts with yellow ; at the base of the wing is a short black dash, in front of which 

 are two dark transverse lines indicating the basal striga, wliich is rather broad ; beyond these the wings are gray 

 as far as the second striga, composed of three deep scallops edged with two dark lines ; the anterior stigma is 

 whitish and obliquely placed, the oblique pale colour, extending backwards, and edged by the dark brown 

 supplemental stigma, which has its hinder edge terminated by a black transverse line. The second stigma is 

 contiguous to the basal one, and of a large size and kidney-like form ; beyond this the colours are pale, but 

 prettily varied, in which is perceived the third curved striga formed of small arches ; the posterior striga is pale 

 and similar to that of the preceding species, the W-like mark bearing several long arrow-like black marks within ; 

 the hind wings are pale whitish-brown, with the margin rather darker, and a slight striga beyond the middle. 



The caterpillar feeds upon Vaccinium myrtillus, Spartium scoparlum, various species of Genista, and Jacobsea 

 Senecio. It appears in August and September, being at first yellowish-green, v/ith yellow incisions, and darker 

 yellowish-green spots and pale lines on the sides. After the last change of skin it is of a much darker colour, 

 being reddish or reddish-brown, with darker marks and a pale lateral line, as represented in our figure. The 

 perfect insect is found at the end of May and in June, especially on the trunks of trees, but it is by no means of 

 common occurrence. 



Y 2 



