﻿476 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  of 
  Hofmann's 
  DeutscTi. 
  Pterophorinen, 
  in 
  1895. 
  Even 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  little 
  

   known 
  abroad, 
  and 
  is 
  repeatedly 
  mixed 
  with 
  other 
  allies, 
  although 
  it 
  

   is 
  probably 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  characterised 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Oxyptilid 
  species. 
  

   So 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  British 
  species 
  are 
  concerned, 
  it 
  is 
  absolutely 
  different 
  

   from 
  all 
  the 
  others, 
  on 
  the 
  most 
  superficial 
  glance. 
  The 
  ground 
  colour 
  

   is 
  entirely 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  pilosellae 
  and 
  distam, 
  and, 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect, 
  it 
  most 
  closely 
  resembles 
  parvidactyla, 
  from 
  which, 
  however, 
  

   its 
  size 
  at 
  once 
  distinguishes 
  it, 
  apart 
  from 
  any 
  details 
  of 
  structure. 
  

   It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  somewhat 
  remarkable 
  to 
  find 
  Hofmann 
  still 
  comparing 
  

   heterodactyla 
  with 
  hieracii 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  parvidactyla 
  in 
  colour 
  {pp. 
  cit., 
  

   p. 
  116), 
  although 
  his 
  slender 
  material 
  was 
  evidently 
  the 
  cause, 
  for 
  the 
  

   one 
  marked 
  'character 
  of 
  our 
  finest 
  British 
  specimens 
  is 
  certainly 
  the 
  

   chocolate-brown 
  tint 
  which 
  it 
  shares 
  with 
  parvidactyla, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  

   mahogany-brown, 
  or 
  red-brown, 
  tint 
  of 
  hieracii. 
  He 
  writes 
  : 
  " 
  Of 
  the 
  

   size 
  and 
  coloration 
  of 
  0. 
  hieracii, 
  forewings 
  (9mm. 
  -10mm.) 
  dark 
  red- 
  

   brown, 
  marked 
  with 
  pure 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe, 
  from 
  

   the 
  anal 
  angle 
  to 
  halfway 
  up 
  the 
  margin, 
  or 
  even 
  beyond, 
  are 
  white 
  

   for 
  their 
  whole 
  length, 
  purest 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  tow 
  T 
  ards 
  the 
  apex 
  somewhat 
  

   running 
  into 
  yellowish 
  or 
  greyish 
  ; 
  above 
  this 
  white 
  portion 
  the 
  fringes 
  

   are 
  brownish, 
  and, 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe, 
  furnished, 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  

   with 
  a 
  black 
  spot, 
  bordered 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  with 
  white. 
  On 
  the 
  inner 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe, 
  beyond 
  the 
  outer 
  lobal 
  line, 
  the 
  fringes 
  are, 
  

   at 
  the 
  base, 
  twice 
  cut 
  by 
  fine 
  white 
  lines, 
  between 
  which 
  lie 
  deep 
  black 
  

   scales. 
  The 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  is 
  much 
  extended, 
  

   mostly 
  somewhat 
  further 
  along 
  the 
  costa 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  margin, 
  

   the 
  scales 
  themselves, 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  are 
  of 
  equal 
  length 
  ; 
  they 
  extend 
  on 
  

   the 
  costa 
  not 
  quite 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  apex, 
  which 
  exhibits 
  a 
  few 
  white 
  scales 
  at 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  fringe 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  margin, 
  the 
  black 
  scaling 
  is 
  

   interrupted 
  by 
  white 
  scales 
  shortly 
  before 
  the 
  apex, 
  so 
  that, 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  

   of 
  the 
  plumule, 
  just 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  margin, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  isolated 
  

   black 
  scale-tuft, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  ring 
  of 
  little 
  white 
  scales 
  ; 
  only 
  in 
  

   an 
  English 
  example 
  do 
  the 
  black 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  

   3rd 
  plumule 
  run, 
  without 
  interruption, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  apex. 
  The 
  palpi 
  are 
  

   very 
  slender, 
  the 
  second 
  joint 
  brown, 
  bordered 
  with 
  white, 
  or 
  spotted 
  

   with 
  brown 
  and 
  white, 
  the 
  third 
  joint 
  brown 
  with 
  a 
  white 
  apex. 
  

   This 
  description, 
  drawn 
  up 
  from 
  numerous 
  examples 
  from 
  the 
  Reutti 
  

   collection, 
  exactly 
  suits 
  also 
  the 
  four 
  original 
  English 
  examples, 
  which, 
  

   through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Oberamtsrichter 
  Eppelsheim 
  and 
  

   Oberlehrer 
  Stange, 
  I 
  received 
  for 
  inspection. 
  O. 
  teucrii 
  is 
  easily 
  to 
  be 
  

   separated 
  from 
  0. 
  didactylus 
  by 
  the 
  outer 
  marginal 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   lobe 
  being 
  furnished 
  with 
  a 
  broad, 
  white, 
  dash 
  [or 
  wash] 
  ."* 
  

  

  Egglaying. 
  — 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  yellowish 
  in 
  colour, 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  under- 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  Teucrium 
  scorodonia, 
  and 
  are 
  exceptionally 
  

   conspicuous, 
  in 
  some 
  lights, 
  although 
  agreeing 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  tint 
  of 
  

   the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  Teucrium 
  leaves. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  flat, 
  

   and 
  near 
  a 
  midrib, 
  although 
  others 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  depressions 
  

   of 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  ; 
  one 
  is 
  laid 
  on 
  end, 
  with 
  the 
  rather 
  wider 
  

   micropylar 
  end 
  forming 
  the 
  apex, 
  but 
  this 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  chance 
  

   position, 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  being 
  lodged 
  against 
  the 
  large 
  midrib. 
  Bacot 
  

   observes 
  that, 
  in 
  captivity, 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid 
  either 
  singly, 
  or 
  in 
  pairs, 
  in 
  

  

  * 
  Hofmann 
  describes 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fringe 
  in 
  didactylus 
  as 
  having 
  a 
  sharp, 
  

   white, 
  basal 
  line 
  (p. 
  114). 
  

  

  