534 BRITSH LEPIDOPTERA. 



of the terminal segments to a point ; its length (dorsally measured) 

 is nearly T \ T inch. The actual point, however, carries two spines 

 directed laterally, almost anchor-like, basally it is smooth and has 

 a number of short stiff brown bristles, beyond it is rough and 

 wrinkled, and dorsally and along its lateral edges carries numerous 

 fine hooks, these stand stiffly outwards, and, with an abrupt bend 

 backwards, terminate in a sharp point; 10 or n may be counted 

 in profile along the margin (Chapman). 



Variation in the pupal perjod. — The pupal stage in Britain, 

 northern Germany, and the districts inhabited by the species at a 

 higher latitude than these countries, lasts from July-August to 

 May-June. In central France and southern Germany a certain 

 number of pupae give their imagines in August, so that the pupal 

 period for these lasts only some 4 — 6 weeks, from late June to 

 late July and early August, and for the descendants of these 

 moths from October to May-June. 



Foodplants. — Scabiosa succisa (Doubleday), Knautia arvensis, 

 Lychnis dioica (Paux), L. sylvestris (Donckier), Symphoricarpus 

 lineoca?pa (Lambillion). 



Habits and habitat. — Ridings and open glades in woods, rough 

 fields and open meadows, near woods, rough overgrown ground in 

 marshes and fens, bogs, and low-lying hollows appear to be the favourite 

 haunts of this species in Britain, although gardens in some districts are 

 by no means neglected. It also affects damp openings in woods in 

 Herefordshire, but occurs on the open hillsides at Dunoon (Chap- 

 man) ; the hills around Digne (Tutt), the swampy meadows 

 at Brunnen (A. J. Jones), and the mountain slopes above Evolena 

 (Tutt), suggest a variation of habitat on the Continent that would 

 betoken a wide choice. The imagines are largely attracted to 

 flowers ; they favour those of Salvia officinalis in the Haute- 

 Garonne (Caradja), Ajuga reptans in the Namur district (Lambillion), 

 Cardamine pratensis in Nassau (Rossler), Lychnis viscaria in Lap- 

 land (Zetterstedt), flowers of Salvia pratensis and honeysuckle in 

 the dept. du Nord (Paux), whilst Zeller says it comes generally 

 to the meadow flowers at Bergiin. In Ireland, it is recorded as 

 flying over Lychnis at Clonbrock (Dillon), at scabious flowers at 

 Enniskillen (Partridge), at bugle flowers at Portlaw (Flemyng), 

 over flowers of stock at Poyntzpass (Johnson), flying at flowers 

 of Menyanthes t/ifoliata in bogs near Athenry at the beginning 

 of June (Lawless), &c. In Scotland, it is recorded between 

 Bunawe and Oban on May 26th, 1859, when many newly- 

 emerged imagines were seen at flowers jtbf Lotus coruiculatus, 

 over which, during bright sunshine, they delighted to hover, 

 occasionally inserting their trunks to sip the nectar while on the 

 wing (Ent. Wk. Lnl., vi., p. 182) ; at the blossom of purple 

 lilac at Temple, in Midlothian (Evans), plentiful at rhododendron 

 blossom, most abundant from 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Corsemalzie 

 (Gordon), sparingly over the moist ground in the low-lying part 

 of Glen Lochay, the imagines hovering over Ledicularis flowers 

 (Morton), &c. In Wales, it is recorded as common in meadows 

 near Swansea in early May, 1893, flying to the flowers of Ajuga 

 and Pedicularis (Holland) ; over flowers of Orobus tuberosus at 

 Newtown (Tetley), &c. Nash records two specimens in cop. taken 



