6344 



Insects. 



are yellow, var. i. Sometimes only both the stigmata are yellow. There 

 are also varieties with the wings entirely black, the stigmata alone 

 yellow, var. k. ; or with quite white stigmata, var. I. : in the latter 

 case there are some little spots in the vicinity of the stigmata also 

 whitish. The fore w f ings are perfectly black only in a single specimen 

 from the North, var. m. ; in a female they bear a yellow toothed line 

 on the outer margin. In one female from the North they are dark 

 with a brassy gloss, but the stigmata and lines are pale. The form 

 and size of the somewhat-rounded stigma vary greatly ; it is seldom 

 exactly circular, often elongated oval, often very small, and, in a 

 single instance, it runs into the reniform stigma. Lastly, although it 

 appears so different in form and size, its outer side is always evenly 

 curved, and only in very small specimens is this difficult to 

 recognise. 



The hinder wings are gray, paler towards the base ; frequently a 

 distinct darker lunate spot is visible at the end of the median cell, 

 and often a distinctly marked undulating line somewhat behind the 

 middle of the wing ; on the under side this is very distinct, as also is 

 the lunate spot. In dark varieties the under side of the hind wings is 

 either entirely dark or only rather dark on the outer margin, while the 

 rest of the wing is entirely pale, with a black lunate spot. On the 

 under side of the fore wings an undulating line like that on the hinder 

 wings is generally distinctly placed, but it is at times entirely wanting ; 

 behind it and the outer margin the colour is sometimes much lighter. 

 On the under side of all the wings before the cilia is a connected row 

 of very rudimentary lunate spots. The cilia of the hinder wings are, 

 with very little exception, light, mostly yellow or gray at the base. 

 On the fore wings they vary much, and are gray, white, brown, 

 black or mixed, but never regularly dappled with light or dark 

 colour. 



On the 16th of June I first found a newly-disclosed male sitting on 

 the grass, but the end of the same month was the chief time for the 

 appearance of this species. Their flight in the evening was very 

 swift, but later in July, they also frequently flew in the day-time, often 

 in the hottest sunshine, and settled on various flowers, giving pre- 

 ference to Thymus Serpyllum, Silene maritima and Armeria maritima. 

 In August they still flew about singly ; on the 15th of July the last 

 female appeared from the pupae collected by us. 



The history of the early states of this moth is as interesting as in- 

 structive, because it shows that not only pupa? but also larva? of one 

 and the same species can remain as such for two or perhaps more 



