DIANTH^EOIA OiESIA. 7 



marked with a series of dorsal diamonds of a darker 

 brownish-grey, and the sides of the same brownish- 

 grey, and the tubercular dots distinct as dark rings. 



The next and only subsequent opportunity for 

 studying this larva was generously afforded me by Mrs. 

 Hutchinson, of Leominster, who, knowing that D. 

 csesia (at that time a comparatively recent addition to 

 our list) was still one of my desiderata, very kindly 

 sent me, on July 23rd, 1869, some examples of larvae 

 which her son, Mr. Thomas Hutchinson, had recently 

 found on Silene maritima in the Isle of Man, in the 

 hope that I might find that species amongst them ; 

 nor, indeed, was this a forlorn hope, for on looking 

 over the larvae — mostly familiar enough — I detected 

 one which at once recalled to mind the D. csesia of 

 1867. This I kept apart, and carefully tended with 

 seeds of both Silene maritima and 8. inflata, and it 

 appeared to feed very well on both, without any 

 apparent preference. At its arrival it was about five- 

 eighths of an inch in length, by the 31st it had in- 

 creased to an inch, and by August 9th to one inch 

 and a quarter, perhaps even a little more when 

 thoroughly stretched out ; it continued to feed for a 

 day or two longer, and retired into the soil on the 

 13th for pupation. 



Having but this one, I did not interfere with it to 

 take notes of the pupa, lest I might by some accident 

 destroy the chance of breeding the perfect insect, and 

 so lose the opportunity for proving that the figures 

 taken of the larva were rightly named. Fortunately 

 the moth, a fine example, appeared on July 15th, 1870, 

 evidently later than its parents had flown in their 

 native haunts. 



In several of the Dianthdecise we are familiar with 

 variations of the chevron pattern, but from all 

 its congeners D. csesia is strikingly distinguished by 

 these diamond-shapes of freckles, as well as by the 

 absence of positive outlines in the subdorsal and 

 spiracular regions. The description given above of 



