230 BRITISH MOTHS 



Insects. — Fig. 9. Plusia fcstucje (the gold spot). 10. The Caterpillar. 



" Fig. 11. The Caterpillar of Plusia circumflexa. 



" Fig. 12. The Caterpillar of Plusia chrvsitis. 



Plants. — Fig. 13. Fcstuea fluitans (fescue-grass). 



*' Fig. 14. Aconitum napellus (monkshood). 



C. pcrspicillaris is from a beautiful dra-wing by Mr. Paget, kindly lent me hy Mr. H. Doubleday. P. illustiis, P. pcrcontationis, and 

 P. interrogationis, are from specimens in the cabinet of Mr. Bently. P. gamma and P. festucre are from, specimens furnished by Mr. H. 

 Ooiiblcday, and P. bimaculata is from the fine specimen in the cabinet of Mr. J. F. Stephens. The Caterpillars are from HUbner. — H. N. H. 



CLOANTHA, Boisduval. 

 This genus lias the antenncB filiform, and alike in both sexes ; the palpi are of the ordinary fomi, the terminal 

 joint being scarcely visible ; the head is cucullated, the thorax being crested ; the abdomen has the segments 

 tufted above ; the fore wings are prettily ornamented with somewhat radiating marks, and a single small round 

 stigma ; the caterpillars are striped ; they feed during the night upon the species of Hypericum, having a minute 

 head and the fore part of the body attenuated. 



SPECIES 1.— CLOANTHA PERSPICILLARIS. Plate LI., Fig. 1. 



SvNONvMEs. — Phal. Nociua perspicillaris, Linnaus ; Clerck, Icones, t. 2, f. 3 ; Ochseaheimer ; Ernst ; Boisduval ; Wood, Ind. Eat. pi, 54, 



fig. 45 ; Paget; Doubleday. 

 This species measures about 1 k inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a reddish colour, having a 

 broad, pale-yellowish fascia running from the base nearly to the apical margin, where it is united with two 

 pale, strongly dentated marks, one before the middle, and the other towards the anal angle ; the inner margin is 

 brown, with several blackish lines towards the base ; the hind wings are brown, with the base pale, and a minute 

 black spot. A beautiful specimen of this insect was taken several years ago in a garden in Yarmouth, at the end 

 of June. It had only just emerged from the clirysalis ; for when first observed, its wings were not expanded. 

 It is now in the collection of Mr. Paget, of that town. 



PLUSIA, OclISENHEIMER. 



This lovely group of insects is distinguished by its elevated palpi, with the terminal joint considerably elon- 

 gated ; the thorax has the collar rather elevated, the tippets with a strong bifid crest ; the abdomen is tufted 

 along the back of the anterior segments ; the fore wings near the apical margin more or less sinuated, the tip 

 acute, and the disk ornamented with splendid colours ; the caterpillars are much attenuated in front, with only 

 three pairs of prolegs, two pair ventral, and one pair anal ; they have the body slightly setigerous. The 

 chrysalides are enclosed in a slight silken cocoon. 



SPECIES 1. — PLUSIA ILLUSTRIS. Plate LI., Fig. 2, 3. 



Synonymes, — Noctua illustris, F.ibricius ; Oclisenlieimcr ; I (Alirostola i.) ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. IG, fig. 396. 

 Hiibner; HawortU j Curtis, Brit. Eut. pi. 731 ; Guen& ; Stcplicns iVoc^MO cujorea, Esper (female). 



Although figured by Sir. Curtis in illustration of the genus Plusia, the present insect is a very aberrant 



species from the true gold spangled types of the genus. It measures rather more than 1^ inch in the expanse of 



the fore wings, which are of a greenish-brown, and very glossy, with an oblique pale line, edged externally with 



black, extending from the inner margin near the base to the anterior stigma, which is oblique and elliptic, 



divided by a slender pale line into two parts, the outer stigma is succeeded by a rosy patch ; beyond the 



stigmata is a flesuous striga, rosy externally, and pale inwardly ; the subapical striga nearly straight and pale, 



