AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 243 



holding its body much bent, and standing only on its prologs ; the moth is very rare ; it flies about thistles in 

 blossom, growing in hot dry places, in June and July, and has occurred in Battersea Fields, and several parts 

 of Kent. 



MICRA Gu^NEE. (ERASTRIA, p., Stephens, Curtis.) 

 The antonnro are short and filiform in both sexes ; the palpi are elevated, with the terminal joint distinct ; the 

 thorax and abdomen not crested ; the wings with deep cilia, acute at the tip, and with distinct lines. The 

 caterpillars have only 12 feet : they are thick and setigerous, with the extremities attenuated ; they feed on low 

 growing plants, and the chrysalides are inclosed in cocoons spun amongst leaves or moss. The perfect insects fly 

 during the day in dry and exposed situations. 



SPECIES 1.— MICRA IIAWORTHANA. Plate LIII., Fig. 89. 

 Synonymes. — Phylometra minuta, H:iwonh; (but not of Hiibncr, Treitschke, &c.) Stephens; Wood, Ind. Enl. pi. 17, fig. 423. 

 This species measures about i of an inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a creamy white, 

 varied with brown, lead-coloured, luteous, red and olivaceous tints, the basal portion being white, followed by a 

 broad bar arising from two spots, one before and the other beyond the middle of the costa, and which unite 

 behind the stigmata, being much darker behind than towards the costa ; the subapical striga is pale and deeply 

 angulated towards the anal angle, terminating towards the costa in a dark dot ; and the apical margin has a row 

 of small black dots resting upon an irregular olivaceous yellow cloud ; the hind wings ashy-white, with the 

 margin darker. This species has not been taken in this country for many years; few specimens only of it 

 occurring in cabinets, whence it has been regarded as a doubtful species. As there are, however, eight or nine 

 continental species of this group, this species may possibly be identical with one of them. It differs from 

 M. minuta of Iliibner, with which Haworth united it, as may be seen by comparing our figure witli that of 

 Hiibncr, copied in our plate 53, fig. 19. 



SPECIES 2.— MICRA OSTRINA. Plate LIII., Fig. 21. 



SvNONYMEs. Noctua ostriua, Ilubner ; Curtis, Brit. Ent. pi. 140 ; Slepliens ; Wood, Ind. Eut. pi. 17, fig. 41S. 



This species measures ^ inch in tlie expanse of the fore wings, which are slightly cinereous towards the base, 

 withaferrusinouslinein the middle; a dull, irregular, orange space across the middle, in which is a dusky circle, 

 and followed by a lilac fascia, darker externally, where is a much-dcntated, wliite striga, emitting black dashes, 

 directed inwardly ; the costa with four white dots ; the apical margin luteous, and the cilia long and pale ; tlie 

 hind wing whitish-ochre, with the margin dusky. Taken in June, 1825, in a dry lane near Bideford, Devon, 

 by the late Captain Blomer. Boisduval gives it as distinct from U. purptuina, and states that it appears in the 

 spring as well as the summer, and that the festival specimens vary considerably. 



PHYTOMETRA, Stephens (Haworth, sect. 3, pars). ANTHOPHILA, Ochsenheimer. 



Mr: Haworth, with great justice, separated the great group of Noctuideous moths into three sections or 



genera as.he named them ; 1st, Noctua, containing the great mass of the group ; 2nd, Phytometra,* or the day 



half-loopers, containing those species with a rather thick body ; the wings with indistinct stigmata, and the flight 



diurnal, as weU as vespertinal, and of which the caterpillars have only twelve feet : and, 3rd, Hemigeometra, the 



» Misnumbered by him 10 instead of 1 1. 



I i2 



