236 BRITISH MOTHS 



metallic markings; the hind ones bright-coloured, with a broad, dark, apical margin ; the eyes are naked. The 

 caterpillars elongated, submoniliforra, with the head small and capable of partial contraction within the first 

 segment ; the body with very distinct setigeroiis tubercles. They feed upon the flowers of low-growing herbs ; 

 and bury themselves undergroimd in order to pass the chrysalis state. 



SPECIES 1.— HELIOTHIS MARGINATA. Plate LIII., Fig. 1. 



vail 



SvNoNVME. — Nociiia marghiata, Fabricius ; Treitsclike ; Dono- 

 , 5, pi. 150, fig. 1 ; Hawortli ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 16, 



Noctua rut'da, WieD. Verz. ; Hubner (variety). 

 Noctua umbra^ Borkhausen. 



fi?. 408. I Noctua umbrayo, Espcr. 



This species measures about IJ? inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of an orange colour, varied 

 with reddish and brown markings ; and the strigjc arc nearly equidistant ; the basal one slightly curved ; 

 the second very much bidentated ; the third angulated outwards, and extending between the two ordinary 

 stigmata, which are distinguished only by their dusky, marginal lines ; the fourth striga is more oblique, and 

 beyond this the colour of the wing is deeper orange red, with the subapical striga formed of brown lunules ; the 

 extreme margin with a dark line ; the cilia bright purplish ; the hind wings clay-coloured, with the base, a 

 central lunule, and a marginal border, of dark brown. Noctua rutilago is a variety, with the basal portion of 

 the wing more saturated. The caterpillar feeds on Ononis spinosa, and is green, with reddish-brown shades, 

 with a dusky dorsal and pale lateral lines. The motli is not very rare, frequenting the woods in the south of 

 England, from Kent to Devonshire ; and it has also been taken by Mr. Paget at Lowestoft. 



SPECIES 2.— HELIOTHIS PELTIGERA. Plate LIII., Fig. 2,3. 



Synonvmes. — Nociita peltigera, \\'icii. Vei-z. ; Iliibncr ; Trcit- 

 schke; Stephens ; Wood, Ind. Ent, pi. 16, fig. 409. 

 Noctua scutigera^ Borkhausen. 

 Noctua florentina, Esper. 



Noctua barharaj Fabricius. 



Noctua straminea, Donovan, 2. pi. 61 (incorrectly represented 

 x\ith a row of nine silvery spots on each of the fore wings). 

 Phytometra straminea, Hawortli. 



This species measures about 1 > incli in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a straw-clay colour, with 

 the strigEe forming various sliglit cloudings ; the ordinary stigmata small, and almost obliterated ; the posterior 

 one scarcely more than a brown spot ; and between it and the apical margin is a double row of minute brown 

 lunules ; the apical margin witli a row of minute black dots ; a dusky patch towards the extremity of the costa ; 

 the hind wings whitish-clay, with a central lunule ; veins and border brown, the latter bearing a whitish spot on 

 tlie outside. This species is variable in the depth of its markings. 



The caterpillar is very similar to that of the preceding species, and the perfect insect is a rare, although a 

 very widely-dispersed species ; found from -June to August, and frequenting clover-fields, hovering over the 

 flowers in the sunshine 



SPECIES 3.— HELIOTHIS DIPSACE.4. Plate LIII., Fig. 4. 



SvNoNYMFs. — Phaftcna Noctua dipsncea, Linnaeus; Donovan, 10, pi. 327, tij.'. o; liiibner ; Haworth ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. 



pi. 16, fig. 410. 



This species measures 1^ inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a pale brown colour, with 



numerous small dusky dots scattered over the base and apical portion of the wing, indicating the place of the 



strigaj and anterior stigma; across the middle of the wing runs a dark, rich, brown bar, extending to the costa; 



the apical margin with a row of dark dots ; the hind wings whitish buiF, with a large patch in the centre 



(extending to the base on the outside) and a broad marginal band, in which is a pale spot, in the middle of the 



outer edge, of dark brown. Beneatli, the fore wings are nearly white, with two large black spots and a bar 



formed of confluent black dots. The caterpillar is red, with the head ash-coloured, .and interrupted white lines 



