44 NOLA CENTONALIS. 



NOLA CENTONALIS. 



Plate XLIII, fig. 6. 



On August 21st, 1879, I received twelve eggs of 

 this species from Mr. Tugwell, who had been staying 

 at Deal, where he found the species and saved two 

 females for eggs. 



The food- plant of the larva not then known, but 

 the principal plants the moths were found on or near 

 were dwarf plants of Hippophae rhamnoides, Salix 

 argentea, Senecio jacobcea, Pimpinella saxifraga, Lotus 

 comiculatus, Thymus serpyllum, and of grasses Arundo 

 arenaria (Marram), Agrostis — ?, Air a — ?, Triticum 

 — ? , and one or two Juncacece. Once a moth 

 was taken by Mr. Tugwell on Freshwater Down, 

 where Thymus serpyllum grows very freely. 



The eggs were laid on and adhering to a paper box 

 singly and in groups of two or three or four in a 

 cluster. In shape the egg is circular, somewhat flat- 

 tened in character, and having a depression above. 

 It is very strongly ribbed and most minutely reticu- 

 lated ; the shell is glistening and of a pale, creamy- 

 white colour. Unfortunately these eggs proved in- 

 fertile. 



Mr. Tugwell informed me that the fertile eggs 

 showed on the fourth or fifth day a central pale grey 

 or round spot, which increased in intensity till the 

 hatching, and the other parts of the egg became less 

 white. 



On September 16th Mr. Tugwell sent me six young 

 larvae feeding on Trifolium procumbens and Lotus 

 corniculatus ; they were little more than a tenth of an 

 inch in length, rather stout in proportion, deep flesh- 

 colour, the head shining reddish-brown, marked on 

 each lobe with darker brown, a darkish brown plate 

 on the second segment ; the body with subdorsal, 



