AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 



251 



distinction between them ; tlio labial palpi are very short, and differ from those of all the previously-described 

 genera of Noctuidoe in being thickly clothed with long diverging hairs ; the wings, when at rest, are horizontal ; 

 the hind ones brilliantly coloured ; the body and abdomen are slender. The caterpillars are slender, cylindrical, 

 sixteen-footcd, the two anterior pairs of the pro-legs being small. In their motions they closely resemble those of 

 the following family ; like them, also, when alarmed they drop from the twigs, suspending themselves by a 

 thread spun from the mouth. 



SPECIES 1.— BREPHA PARTHENIAS. Plate LVI., Fig. 5. 6. 



SvNONvME. — Phaltena Xocliia Parthenias, Linnasus; Ochsen- | iVoctea jViXAo, Hiibner. 

 heimer ; Haworth ; Donovan, 7, pi. 240, fig. 1 ; Harris, Aurelian, Bombyx vidua, ViKn. 'Vcn.; Fabr. 



pi. 35, fig. 1 ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 444. ' 



This species measures from 1 to 1-^ inch in the expansion of the fore wings, which are brown, with several 

 rather obsolete, ashy, or whitish strigae, variable in intensity, of which two towards the apex are more distinct, 

 arising from two paler marks on the costa ; and preceding these is a rather indistinct paler stigma, with a dusky 

 margin. The hind wings are dull orange, with the inner and apical margins (the latter dentated) and a 

 slender interrupted striga in the middle, black ; tlie male has the antennoe bipectinated, but those of the females 

 are simple. On the under side this species is distinguished by having the dull colour which suffiises the orange at 

 the base of the fore wings extending to the costal spot in the middle ; the tips are entirely l)lack, and the black 

 on the hind wings extends beyond the middle, from the inner margin. The caterpillar is yellowish-green, with 

 a dark grayish black line down each side ; it feeds on poplars and willows, and the moth appears at the end of 

 JMarch, flyinij about the blossoms of willows. It is not very uncommon in woods, being a widely-dispersed species. 



Brepu.\ i'uki.l.v (Esper ; Treitschkc ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pi. 17, fig. 445. Noctua spuria, 

 (Hiibner) is in the British Museum Collection supposed to be from Dr. Lettsom's cabinet, and of unknown 

 habitat. The male has pectinated antenna?, but the fore wings are nearly of an uniform brown, and the hind 

 win<TS arc luteous, with dark markings nearly as in the preceding species. 



SPECIES 2.— BREPHA NOTHA. Plate L\I., Fig. 7. 8, 9. 



SvNONYMFs. Hcmigeometra Xolha, Haworth; Ochssnheimer ; Curtis, Brit. Em., pi. 121; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent., pi. 445; 



Noctua Parthenias, Hubner. 



Tills species measures about li inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are dirty ferruginous, with the 



base dark, terminated by an in-egular, slender, black, transverse fascia ; beyond the middle is a pale ochreous 



bar, attenuated towards the hind margin, edged with a black curved line, and enclosing a small round black spot, 



with the middle whitish ; the apical portion with a slender, dentated, black line, terminating in a black dot on 



the costa ; the hind wings bright orange, with the inner margin, a dentated apical margin, and central, rather 



slender lunule of black ; the antenna; in both sexes are sim]de and nearly alike ; beneath, the fore wings are 



dull-coloured at the base of the orange, the tips pale, and the hind wings have the dark markings of the inner 



margin not extended beyond the middle. The caterpillar is green, with a yellow line down the back, and gray 



lateral stripes; it feeds on the birch, oak, &c., and the motii appears towards the beginning of March. It is 



than the preceding species, and is found in woods, hovering over the sallow blossoms. It has been taken 



the woods round London, also in Yorkshire and Essex (Entomologist, p. 374). 



rarer 

 in 



