ANn THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 



239 



broad greenish-wluto central bar (bearing a strong tooth in the middle from the base), and two small pale spots 

 on the margin. The perfect insect is found in clover-fields in June and August ; at the beginning of which latter 

 month I have taken it flying in the afternoon sunshine, near Wiesbaden. It is rather uncommon, but occurs in 

 Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire. 



SPECIES 2.-AC0NTIA AFRICA. Plate LIII., Fig. 12. 



Synonvjies — Noctua aprica, Ilubncr; Treitscbke ; Stephens; Wood, pi. 52. (ig. 1071. 

 Noctua albo-ater, Hawonli. 



Size of A. luctuosa ; fore wings white at the base, with two black costal spots ; apical portion bl.ackisl,, with 

 deeper chocolate-coloured shades ; the subapical striga slender, white, and very tortuous ; hind wings and body 

 white, the former with a slightly dusky margin ; cilia of fore wings broad, and spotted with brown and white ; 

 of the hind wings whitish. A single specimen, of which the habitat is unknown, was in the collection of 

 Mr. Tinley more than half a century ago. Boisduval gives the south of Italy as its locality, and Mr. H. Double- 

 day omits it from the list of British NoctuEe. 



SPECIES 8.— ACONTIA SOLARIS. Plate LIII., Fig. 13. 



SvNONYMts. — Noctua Solaris, Wicn. Vera. ; Hiibner ; Troitschke ; Noctua rupicola, Borkhauseii. 



Ood.irt J Stephens ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 410. 

 Noctua albicollis, Kabiicius. 



Fhalmna lucida, Hufuaglc. 



This species measures about I ] inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are white at the base, with a 

 black dot towards the costa, and terminated before the middle (jf the wing by a rather broad deeply an<Tulated 

 bar, followed on the costa by a large pale whitish patch, and a slender waved streak on the opposite part of the 

 inner margin ; the anal angle white, with several ashy-gray clouds or spots ; the apex rather of a leaden gray, 

 with a row of minute black dots ; the reniform stigma somewhat like the figure 8 ; cilia brown, that portion 

 next the anal angle white ; hind wings white, with a broad brown margin, cilia white. Several specimens taken 

 near Dover and London, about twenty years ago, in June. The caterpillar feeds on trefoil, dandelion, Sec. 

 The moth is very common near Paris, appearing in May and August. It flies in the hottest part of the day 

 in dry jdaces where Eryngium campestre grows. 



SPECIES 4.— ACONTIA CALORIS. Plate LIII., Fig. 14. 

 Synonyme. — Noctua Caloris, Hiibner; Treitschke; Curtis: Stephens; Wood, Ind. Eut. pi. 17, fiff. 417. 



This species measures about l^ inch in the expanse of the fore wings, the basal ]iortion of which is white, 

 with several bluish gray striga; ; the remainder of the wing varied with gray, blue, and brown, having a large white 

 patch on the costa (inclosing a small dark twig) ; about the middle of the wing is a dark dot behind the bilobed 

 gray outer stigma ; the submarginal striga is slender, ]);ile, and very much waved, es|iecially towards the anal 

 angle, the margin itself with a row of black dots ; the cilia brown in front, but with the hinder portion white ; 

 hind wings whitish, with a broad dusky margin. A single specimen from Plastead^s collection is now In 

 Mr. Curtis's cabinet, and is supposed to have been captured near London many years ago. Boisduval gives it as 

 a native of Greece ; and Mr. H. Doubleday omits it from the list of British Xocture. 



