224 BRITISH MOTHS 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XLIX, 



Insects. — Fig. I. CucuUia solidag:inis (the shepherd's purse). 2. The Caterpillar. 



'* Fig. 3. CucuUia asteris (the starwort). 4. The Caterpillar, in which some varieties have the pink tint replaced 



with grecD. 

 " Fig. 5. CucuUia absinthii (the wormwood). 



•' Fig. 6. CucuUia umhratica (the large pale shark). 7. The Caterpillar. 



" Fig. 8. CucuUia tiinaceti (the tansy shark). 9. The Caterpillar. 



" Fig. lO. CucuUia lactucx (the lettuce shark). 11, The Caterpillar. 



" Fig. 12. CucuUia lucifuga (the large dark shark). 13. The Caterpillar. 17. The Chrysalis. 



** Fig. 14. CucuUia chamomilla; (the chamomile shark). 15. The Caterpillar. 



** Fig. 16. CucuUia artemisia; (the gi'een silver spangle). 



Plants. — Fig. 18. Aster Tripolium (the Sea Star-wort.) 

 CucuUia solidaginis is from the specimen in the British Museum ; C. artcmisia; and C. asteris from specimens in the cabinet of Mr. Bentley. 

 The other fine species are from the cabinet of J. F. Stephens, Esq. It is extremely difficult to make out any characterislic distinctions in these 

 fine species, whilst the larvae sufficiently prove that they are distinct ; but until the larva? have all been found in Britain, I should doubt whether 

 we have more than one or two British species, varieties of which we have been tempted to consider the distinct continental species. The 

 distinctions of the species, as arranged in the cabinet of Mr. Stephens, appear to be as follows : — 



Umhratica has the front wings a paler gray than the others, with the tinting in front rather pale ocbreous than brown, while the hind wings 

 are very clear, with a suffused narrow border of light brown. 



In Tanaccti the gray is stronger, and the ocbreous tint becomes brown in the fore wines, and the hind wings have a broader and darker 

 border or shade at the edge. Lucifuga has still more bro\vn in the fore wings, and the hind wiugs are entirely dusky brown, with a narrow fringe 

 somewhat paler. 



Lactucse is very similar, hut having the fore wings relieved here and there with clearer gray, while the hind wings, though all brown, are 

 lighter near the body, and have a broadish pale fringe. 



ChamomillcE is smaller than the others, and much deeper in colour than any of them, with the marks on the fore wings more clouded and 

 indistinct : the hind wings, with the fringe, arc all deep full brown ; but the specimen appears to be a female, and some male, reputed speci- 

 mens of ChamomiUae, in the British Museum, are paler and clearer, but possessing the same general character. 



I should add, that these descriptions do not agree very well with those of continental authors : nor do the continental authors in this difficult 

 iustance agree very well with each other. 



The catei-pillar of Solidaginis is from the Transactions of the Ent.Soc, the others from Iliibner. H. N. H. 



SPECIES 6.— CUCULLIA SOLIDAGINIS. Plate XLIX., Fig. 1,2. 



SvNoNYMES. — CiieuUia solidaginis, Stephens, in Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., vol. 2, pi. 3, fig. 7. 

 CucuUia tkapsiphaga, Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 16, fig. 389 (not of Treitschke). 



This species measures about 1 J inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are entire along the apical margin, 

 and pale ashy-brown varied with whitish ash ; the costa marked at the tip with dark and whitish oblique streaks ; 

 the stigmata are very distinct, with a double blackish margin, the anterior one preceded by a slender duplicated 

 striga interrupted behind ; near the anal angle on the inner margin is a short slightly flexuous hoary streak, 

 edged with brown, and on the anal angle a brown patch with a short black dash, the apical margin with a 

 slender waved whitish line : hind wings dark brown, the base paler, the thoracic crest, and abdominal tufts dark 

 brown. The caterpillar is long, slender, naked, pale green, with a row of slender reddish lunules above the 

 spiracles, and a scries of diamond-shaped spots of red, down the back. It feeds on Solidago virgaurea, and has 

 occurred in Birch Wood, Kent, in September, the moth appearing in the following June, but it is very rare. 



SPECIES 7.— CUCULLIA ASTERIS. Plate XLIX., Fig. 3, 4. 



Synonyme. — Noctua asteris, Wien. Verz. ; Fabricius ; Esper; Treitschke; Hiibner ; Haworth ; Curtis, Brit. Ent., pi. 45 ; Duponchel ; 



Boisduval ; Stephens ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. IG, fig. 379. 



This species measures from I^ to 2 inches in the expanse of the fore wings, which are entire along the apical 



margin, with the costa deep chestnut, behind which is a brighter shade of brown, blending into a blue-gray, with 



