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  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  which 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  discover 
  reliable 
  characters, 
  when 
  one 
  cannot 
  

   compare 
  the 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae, 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  that, 
  for 
  these 
  

   southern 
  Pterophorids, 
  considered 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  impression 
  to 
  be 
  different 
  

   species, 
  a 
  confirmation 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  It 
  may, 
  of 
  course, 
  prove 
  

   later 
  that 
  P. 
  distans 
  and 
  P. 
  laetus 
  are 
  only 
  the 
  different 
  generations 
  of 
  the 
  

   southern 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  to 
  which 
  species 
  I 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  inclined 
  to 
  refer 
  

   these 
  examples 
  after 
  a 
  somewhat 
  careful 
  examination. 
  What 
  gives 
  

   this 
  supposition 
  a 
  greater 
  degree 
  of 
  probability 
  is 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  

   a 
  female 
  taken 
  by 
  Low, 
  near 
  Macri, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May, 
  agrees 
  in 
  all 
  

   characters 
  most 
  exactly 
  with 
  my 
  Silesian 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  and, 
  as 
  such, 
  not 
  to 
  

   be 
  disputed, 
  and 
  that, 
  of 
  a 
  pair 
  taken 
  near 
  Kellemisch 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   May 
  (the 
  male, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  plain, 
  and 
  the 
  female 
  on 
  the 
  moun- 
  

   tains), 
  the 
  male 
  must 
  be 
  placed 
  with 
  P. 
  laetus, 
  the 
  female 
  with 
  P. 
  

   distans. 
  P. 
  distans 
  is 
  considerably 
  larger 
  than 
  P. 
  tristis. 
  The 
  colora- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  a 
  somewhat 
  more 
  yellow 
  admixture, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  

   be 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  pleasant 
  yellowish-grey 
  brown. 
  The 
  markings 
  are 
  exactly 
  

   the 
  same. 
  The 
  white 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  costal 
  fringes 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  of 
  

   the 
  forewings 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  broad 
  as 
  in 
  P. 
  tristis 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  the 
  

   space 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  to 
  the 
  hindmost 
  transverse 
  line, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  

   white 
  costal 
  line 
  runs, 
  is 
  notably 
  paler 
  and 
  narrower. 
  The 
  chief 
  

   difference, 
  however, 
  is 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  

   plumule 
  of 
  the 
  hindwing 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  smaller, 
  more 
  diffusely 
  formed, 
  and 
  

   decidedly 
  somewhat 
  nearer 
  the 
  base, 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  narrower, 
  it 
  is 
  notably 
  

   more 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  than 
  in 
  P. 
  tristis. 
  At 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  this 
  

   plumule 
  the 
  female 
  only 
  has 
  a 
  black 
  scale 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  wing 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   male 
  it 
  is 
  entirely 
  wanting. 
  The 
  male 
  I 
  took 
  near 
  Syracuse, 
  on 
  May 
  

   7th, 
  in 
  a 
  grassy 
  dell 
  on 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  Neapolis. 
  The 
  female 
  

   came, 
  as 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  from 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  (Zeller, 
  Isis, 
  

   1847, 
  pp. 
  902-3). 
  

  

  Imago. 
  — 
  14 
  , 
  7mm.-203mm. 
  Anterior 
  wings 
  rusty-brown 
  or 
  pale 
  

   ochreous 
  in 
  colour, 
  the 
  costa 
  rather 
  darker, 
  except 
  towards 
  apex, 
  which 
  

   is 
  nearly 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  very 
  linear 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  margin, 
  and 
  

   scarcely 
  excised; 
  three 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  abbreviated 
  fasciae 
  cross 
  the 
  wings 
  

   transversely, 
  viz., 
  a 
  small 
  whitish 
  blotch 
  extended 
  into 
  a 
  crescentic 
  

   shade 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cleft 
  ; 
  two 
  transverse 
  whitish 
  lobal 
  lines, 
  the 
  inner 
  

   wider 
  and 
  somewhat 
  lunular 
  (the 
  points 
  turned 
  outwards) 
  ; 
  the 
  outer 
  

   narrow, 
  more 
  parallel 
  with 
  hindmargin, 
  and 
  inconspicuous 
  on 
  lower 
  

   lobe 
  ; 
  the 
  wing-apex 
  sometimes 
  edged 
  with 
  whitish 
  cilia 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   outer 
  lobal 
  line 
  ; 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  white 
  scales 
  on 
  costa 
  towards 
  base 
  ; 
  

   a 
  faint 
  white 
  scaling 
  forming 
  an 
  inconspicuous 
  longitudinal 
  discal 
  

   streak 
  ; 
  the 
  fringes 
  in 
  the 
  cleft 
  very 
  dark 
  grey, 
  paler 
  where 
  the 
  lobal 
  

   lines 
  cross, 
  cilia 
  with 
  white 
  bases 
  towards 
  outer 
  edge 
  on 
  upperside 
  of 
  

   cleft, 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  black 
  scales 
  throughout, 
  but 
  especially 
  on 
  upper 
  

   edge 
  ; 
  fringes 
  of 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  margins 
  of 
  wings 
  dark 
  grey, 
  rather 
  

   paler 
  where 
  the 
  lobal 
  lines 
  end, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  darker 
  between 
  these. 
  

   Posterior 
  wings 
  bright, 
  shiny, 
  coppery-brown, 
  fringes 
  dark 
  grey 
  (glossy 
  

   like 
  the 
  plumules 
  in 
  some 
  lights) 
  ; 
  the 
  scale-tuft 
  on 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  ill- 
  

   developed, 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  short 
  parallel 
  black 
  scales 
  set 
  close 
  together, 
  

   rather 
  beyond 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  plumule 
  ; 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  black 
  scales 
  

   between 
  the 
  patch 
  and 
  base, 
  also 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  isolated 
  ones 
  towards 
  

   apex. 
  

  

  Sexual 
  dimorphism. 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  marked 
  sexual 
  difference 
  

   in 
  size 
  or 
  wing-markings 
  seen 
  in 
  Oxyptilus 
  \rilosellae, 
  both 
  sexes 
  being 
  

  

  