242 BRITISH MOTHS 



with the middle livid, forming a large pale oblong patcli, placed obliquely, and branching from the middle of the 

 pale costal margin, and sometimes emitting a twig towards the posterior margin ; an oblique plain white stripe 

 runs nearly parallel with the apical margin, but does not extend to the costa, bearing a slender marginal brown 

 or livid line ; hind wings brown, with brownish cilia. The caterpillar is green, with a pale line on each side. It 

 feeds on Carices ; and the motli is taken in June, August, and September, in the marshes and fens of Hunting- 

 donshire, Norfolk, Hampshire, and Devonshire, whore it is not uncommon. 



Synonvmes. — Pi/ralis .ffanAiana, Fabricius; Ilaworth; Stcplicus; 

 Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 421. 

 Noctua Olivea, Hiibncr. 



SPECIES 2.— HYDRELIA BANKIANA. Plate LIII., Fig. 17. 



Erastria argeritula^ Borkhausen ; Esper; Oclisenbeimer; Curtis; 

 Gu^nee ; Doubleday. 



Tortrix olivana, Wien ; Verz (teste Fabr. Mant. ins. 2, 224). 



This species measures about ■ of an inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of an olive-green colour, 

 with a small white costal spot at the base, two white fascias, one crossing the wing obliquely before the middle, 

 and the second extending from the middle of the costa to the anal angle, and elbowed inwardly in tlie middle ; 

 on the extremity of the costa is a small pale oblique lineola, and the apical margin is white ; hind wings whitish- 

 gray, irrorated with olive scales. The caterpillar is green, with a white line on each side. The perfect insect 

 appears about the beginning of July. Originally described in 1775,* by Fabricius, in the Syst. Entomol. p. 645, 

 as a native of this country ; but BIr. Swainson alone possessed a specimen, until about 1825, when Mr. Haworth 

 captured a considerable number at the end of June, amongst reeds and rushes in a boggy situation in Norfolk. 



AGROPHILA GuENKE, (Boisduval, pars.) 

 The antcnnm are of moderate length and setaceous in both sexes ; the palpi rather short, compressed, with the 

 terminal j(jint but slightly distinct, and conical ; the abdomen not tufted ; the wings rather oblong ; the spiral 

 tongue long ; tlic caterpillars with iml'/ 12 feet, rather thickened in fi'ont ; the head small ; the chrysalides are 

 inclosed in cocoons of earth and silk buried at a little depth under ground ; the habits of the typical species both 

 in the larva and perfect state, as well as the structure of the latter, render its separation necessary from the other 

 Agrophilaj of Boisduval, which M. Guenee has formed into the genus Hydrelia adopted above. There is a second 

 species from the East of Europe entering into the same genus as our British species, A. sulphuralis. 



SPECIES 1.— AGROPHILA SULPHURALIS. Plate LIII., Fig. 10. 



Synonymf.s, — PhattEua Pyralts siilphuTalls, Linna?ns; Panzer, j Hawortb. 

 F. I. G. 8, 18; Donovan, vol. 10, pi. 339, fig. 1 ; Stephens; Wood, Bonby.v liiguliris, F.iluicius. 



Ind. Enc. pi. 17, fig. 419. Noctua arahici^ Boikbausen- 



Nootua Su/phurea, Wien; Verz; Hiibner ; Ocbsenbeimer ; ' Pi/ralis (rahealis, X'iIMqis. 



This pretty species is rather less than 1 incli in the expanse of the fore wings, which are sulphur-coloured, with 

 9 black spots and two thick bars of white, of which three spots are upon the costa, two on the disc, preceding the 

 bar, which runs from the base parallel with the hind margin, which is also black, extending nearly to the anal 

 angle, when it is bent into an oblique bar, which runs nearly to the apex of the costa ; the apical margin has four 

 black spots ; these are sometimes confluent, forming an irregular subapical bar ; the strigaj and the other spots are 

 also sometimes more or less confluent together ; the oblique part of the black bar is silvery in fine .specimens. 

 The cilia are black and white ; the hind wings brown. The caterpillar is grass green, spotted with white, and 

 with a dark dorsal line and yellow lateral streaks. It feeds on the small convolvulus growing in dry places, 



* The naoie given to this species by Fabricius must therefore prevail, from its long priority over tliat of Btirkhausen. 



