172 OLIGIA. Btj W. Warren. 



drab, marked only by the long teeth of outer line: submarginal line rarely darker shaded internally; hind- 

 wing greyish fuscous. Ural Mts.„ Russia, W. and E. Turkestan, Kashmir. Quite distinct from secalis L. 



■■ ;. P. struvei Ragusa (40 h). Forewing redbrown in $, black brown mixed with fulvous in the $; the 



basal and outer areas covered with bluish white scales, except along costa; reniform stigma with a large 

 white spot in outer side, more bluish white in o; thorax in <$ wholly rufous, in $ only the thoracic tufts, 

 the shoulders and patagia being black brown. Sicily, Austria, the Engadine, Switzerland, and the higher Alps. 



10. Genus: Oligia Hbn. 



Tongue present; frons smooth; palpi upturned, the second segment moderately scaled, the third 

 short, smooth; antennae of <J ciliated, with short fascicles; thorax with crests before and behind; dorsum 

 slightly crested at base; forewing with apex rounded, the termen smooth. Larva in stems of Gramineaceae 

 hybernating quite small and feeding up in spring; pupating in a slight cocoon. Type 0. strigilis CI. 



The genus is restricted to species of small size, but it must be admitted that there is no strong 

 line of demarcation between them and the smaller species of the preceding genus. 



strif/ilis. 0. strigilis CI. (= meretricula Bkh., invisa Walk.). Forewing brownish grey, reddish grey, reddish 



brown, or blackish; the space betw*een outer and submarginal lines often white or grej r , or luteous, or 

 rufous or concolorous with ground colour; the 3 stigmata ringed with black, either paler than the ground 

 or lost in the dark suffusion; inner and outer lines blackish, conversely edged with paler and dentate- 

 lunulate, the pale edging of outer line generally more conspicuous, whitish, below the middle; terminal area 

 dark, forming two blotches one on each fold; a dark costal blotch before submarginal line; a slight black 

 dash from base below 7 cell, and another above inner margin near base; hindwing dark or light fuscous; the 



praedun- type form has the outer band whitish and the ground colour reddish grey or reddish brown; — praedun- 

 cula Hbn. (40 i) has the ground colour brownish and the outer area grey; — latruncula Hbn. (40 i) has 

 aerata. the pale outer band grey or luteous; of this the extreme form is aerata Esp. (40 i), with a more or less 

 rufous tint, showing especially in the outer pale band; in these forms the stigmata are usually paler than 

 the ground and a black streak on submedian fold is generally present between inner and outer lines, 

 when the blackish suffusion covers the basal and median areas except the lower half of inner line on inner 



fasciata. margin and obscures the stigmata, the white outer band being left intact, we get ab. fasciata Tutt 

 suflumata. (40 i); a rarer form of this, ab. sufiumata ab. nov. (40 i), suffused with smoky blackish, has the white 



aelhiops. areas still further reduced ; — in aethiops Haw. (40 i) the white band is quite overrun by fuscous, with 



virgata. only a thin white outer line on inner margin, or the whole wing is deep black; — virgata Tutt (40 i) has 



the median area fulvous brown, the outer band whitish or lilac grey, with the praesubmarginal shade 



rufous; — the unicolorous form, in which the outer area is grey mixed with brown, and the median area 



intermedia, brown, with the outer line finely pale, is the ab. intermedia Hormuz. (40 i); — while a still darker, almost 



unicolorous form, without any pale scales, dull purplish fuscous in tint with the median area russet, is 



unicolor. unicolor Tutt (40 i); a dull grey unicolorous form, with the lines, the outlines of stigmata, and the teeth 



terrea. of outer line finely black, taken in the neighbourhood of Tring, Herts., may be named ab. terrea ab. nov. 



(40 k) ; all these forms are liable to run more or less into each other. — Larva dirty white or yellowish, 



redder on dorsum, with the lines all paler; head and plate dull brown; feeding in stems of grasses. — 



Found throughout Europe; also in Armenia, Asia Minor, Kurdistan, Persia, and Turkestan. 



aula 

 latruncula. 



fasciuncula. O. fasciuncula Haw. (= rubeuncula Donz., erratricula Rnibr. nee Hbn.) (40 k). Forewing bright 



rufous, the median and terminal areas deeper; the inner and outer lines white, especially the outer on 



iiiihi. inner margin; stigmata slightly paler; hindwing blackish fuscous, the fringe whitish; — ab. cana Stgr. is 



much paler, especially the basal and outer areas, the coloration more olive drab, without any rufous tint; 



pallida. — pallida Tutt is an extreme form of this, with the median area hoary as well as the basal and outer 



suffusa. — suffusa Tutt, from Armagh, Ireland, is greyish black, with all markings faint, somewhat resembling 



brunneata. aethiops Haw.; a Scotch form, ab. brunneata (— ab. 1. Hnips.) is browner, especially the lower half of 



median area. — Larva dull flesh-colour; the lines pale greyish ochreous; head and thoracic plate pale 



brown; on Aira caespitosa and other grasses, feeding in the stems. Recorded only from Western Europe, 



Britain, Denmark, Holland, N. France, and Spain. This much restricted area of distribution affords a 



strong reason for nut considering this species a form of strigilis. 



lilerosa. O. literosa Haw. (= erratricula Hbn., suffuruncula Tr.) (40 k). Forewing violet grey, with a partial 



rosy brown flush; the costa, cell, and median area dark fuscous, the costa often remaining pale; inner and 

 outer lines dark, conversely edged with pale, the inner strongly outcurved below middle, closely approxi- 

 mated to the erect lower half of outer line; a black bar from line to line along submedian fold; claviform 

 stigma obsolete, or minute; orbicular grey, with pale annulus and black outline; reniform large, its inner 



