﻿PLATYPTILIA 
  GONODACTYLA. 
  203 
  

  

  we 
  find 
  specimens 
  with 
  scarcely 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  fascia 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  

   hindmargin, 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  characteristic 
  costal 
  spot 
  is 
  ill- 
  

   developed. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  considerable 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  falcate 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings, 
  some 
  being 
  very 
  pointed 
  

   compared 
  with 
  others. 
  South 
  notes 
  (Ent., 
  xv., 
  p. 
  32) 
  that 
  some 
  

   examples 
  that 
  he 
  bred 
  from 
  the 
  larval 
  stage, 
  in 
  north 
  Devon, 
  were 
  

   very 
  pale, 
  and 
  had 
  quite 
  a 
  bleached 
  appearance 
  when 
  compared 
  with 
  

   other 
  specimens 
  captured 
  in 
  Kent 
  and 
  elsewhere. 
  The 
  following 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  chief 
  forms 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (1) 
  Greyish-white, 
  with 
  ill-defined 
  markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  pallida-obsoleta, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Greyish-white, 
  with 
  well-defined 
  markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  pallida, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Greyish-ochreous 
  or 
  greyish-brown, 
  with 
  ill-defined 
  markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  typica- 
  

   obsoleta, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (4) 
  Greyish-ochreous 
  or 
  greyish-brown, 
  with 
  well-developed 
  markings 
  = 
  gono- 
  

   dactyla, 
  SchifL 
  

  

  (5) 
  Slaty-grey, 
  the 
  costal 
  and 
  inner 
  marginal 
  areas 
  ochreous, 
  the 
  darker 
  

   markings 
  richly 
  reddish 
  = 
  ab. 
  clara, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  (6) 
  Unicolorous 
  brownish, 
  the 
  markings 
  largely 
  absorbed 
  in 
  ground 
  colour 
  = 
  

   ab. 
  obscura, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  Bankes 
  says 
  that 
  " 
  although 
  the 
  species 
  gets 
  quickly 
  worn, 
  thereby 
  

   becoming 
  paler, 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  fresh 
  specimens 
  shows 
  considerable 
  

   variation 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  wings. 
  In 
  the 
  palest 
  

   individuals 
  this 
  is 
  conspicuously 
  white, 
  only 
  very 
  partially 
  and 
  lightly 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  brownish, 
  whereas, 
  in 
  the 
  darkest, 
  it 
  is 
  distinctly 
  brown 
  

   or 
  greyish-brown, 
  partially 
  flecked 
  with 
  whitish 
  scales." 
  Barrett 
  

   observes 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  variable 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  white 
  

   or 
  brown 
  ground 
  colour. 
  Jordan 
  notes 
  the 
  autumnal 
  specimens, 
  taken 
  

   in 
  Scandinavia, 
  to 
  be, 
  like 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  Britain, 
  more 
  dusky 
  than 
  

   those 
  caught 
  in 
  summer. 
  The 
  best 
  example 
  we 
  have 
  of 
  ab. 
  obscura 
  

   was 
  captured 
  by 
  Dalglish 
  at 
  Giffnock, 
  June 
  14th, 
  1894. 
  

  

  Egglaying. 
  — 
  The 
  early 
  summer 
  moths 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  deeply 
  among 
  

   the 
  tomentum 
  or 
  fluff 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  stems 
  ; 
  

   they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  pushed 
  so 
  far 
  within 
  the 
  woolly 
  coat 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  one 
  

   the 
  impression 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  laid 
  internally. 
  [In 
  confinement, 
  many 
  

   were 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  muslin 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  plant, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  imagines 
  

   were 
  enclosed, 
  was 
  covered 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  pushed 
  quite 
  through 
  the 
  tiny 
  

   holes 
  in 
  the 
  muslin, 
  and 
  so 
  had 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  laid 
  from 
  

   (as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  reality 
  of 
  being 
  laid 
  on) 
  the 
  outside.] 
  (Tutt). 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   found 
  fairly 
  plentifully 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  leaves 
  of 
  TussilagQ 
  farfara, 
  

   growing 
  on 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  waste 
  land 
  at 
  Upper 
  Clapton, 
  on 
  July 
  2nd, 
  1899; 
  

   five 
  eggs 
  were 
  on 
  one 
  nearly 
  fully-expanded 
  leaf; 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  laid 
  

   close 
  to, 
  and 
  the 
  others 
  well 
  away 
  from, 
  veins; 
  all, 
  however, 
  were 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  woolly 
  texture 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  (Bacot). 
  Eggs 
  received 
  

   on 
  June 
  12th, 
  1904, 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Sich, 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  

   a 
  leaf 
  of 
  Tussilatjo 
  farfara, 
  a 
  little 
  sunk 
  in 
  the 
  fluff 
  of 
  the 
  tomentum 
  ; 
  

   they 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  flat 
  side, 
  and 
  have 
  already 
  a 
  slight 
  hollow 
  on 
  the 
  

   top 
  from 
  desiccation 
  (Chapman). 
  In 
  1904, 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  noticed 
  

   on 
  May 
  31st 
  (four) 
  ; 
  thirteen 
  more 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  by 
  June 
  3rd, 
  1904. 
  

   The 
  ova 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  foodplant, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  hidden 
  by 
  the 
  tomentose 
  hairs 
  of 
  the 
  leaf. 
  In 
  confinement, 
  the 
  

   moths 
  always 
  chose 
  this 
  situation, 
  which 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  natural 
  

   one, 
  for 
  the 
  summer 
  brood 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  for, 
  on 
  June 
  8th, 
  1 
  searched 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  wild 
  coltsfoot 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  at 
  Chiswick, 
  and 
  soon 
  found 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   this 
  situation 
  (Sich). 
  No 
  observation 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  as 
  

   to 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  autumnal 
  imagines 
  are 
  laid. 
  

  

  