NOCTCTA SOBRINA. 47 



deep reddish or crimson-brown above as far as the 

 spiracles, below these and on the belly a lighter tint of 

 the same. The back is freckled with darker brown, 

 and with paler. The dorsal line is a double line of 

 dark brown, best seen at the beginning of a segment, 

 becoming fainter afterwards, enclosing a thread of the 

 ground colour which towards the middle of each seg- 

 ment shows pale whitish-cream colour for a short 

 distance, and after a short interval appears (on the 

 first segmental subdivision) as a roundish wider spot 

 of pale whitish-cream colour (quite isolated). This 

 spot varies a little in its form on each segment, 

 inclining a little towards ovate, or else squarish, less 

 distinct on the twelfth segment, and smaller on the 

 thoracic ones. The subdorsal line is similarly com- 

 posed of two rather interrupted dark brown lines con- 

 taining two or three pale cream-coloured small spots 

 or freckles ; the most distinct is opposite the largest 

 dorsal spot ; just beneath this on the side is a blackish- 

 brown blotch ; the spiracles are of the ground colour 

 margined with black. Below the spiracles is a ragged 

 freckly rather interrupted line of flesh colour and 

 another a little below as though they were the pale 

 edgings of a subspiracular stripe ; the belly is also 

 freckled with flesh colour ; the front legs are light- 

 brown, the others freckled with flesh colour, especially 

 the front of the anal pair. The tubercular dots are 

 blackish but not well visible, excepting on the two 

 last segments. The head is brown with blackish- 

 brown on the crown of each lobe. (W. B., 1874, 

 Note Book II, 99, 100, 104.) 



On the 17th of June, 1880, I purchased three full- 

 grown larvse from Mr. T. W. Salvage, then at Inner- 

 hadden, Kinloch-Rannoch, Perthshire, feeding on birch 

 and heather. The larva of the darkest variety was one 

 and one-eighth of an inch or a trifle more in length 

 when stretched out in walking, plump and cylindrical, 

 much rounded behind, tapering at the anal segment 

 and from the second to the head, which was the 



