THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



107 



In Penthina ochroleucana which we find in rose gardens in the South of 

 England, the basal patch is dark dull brown, and excepting that it is paler 

 between tins and the central fascia, the brown colour extends over fully two- 

 thirds of the wing, when it gives place to pale ochreous. In the abundant 

 Penthina cynosbana which we may see everywhere about hawthorn hedges 

 and sloe bushes, the contrast between the basal two-thirds and the rest of the 

 wing is very decided ; the former being brownish black and the latter white. 

 It is the same in Penthina pruniana which is also abundant about sloe 

 bushes. In the latter species the extreme tip of the wing is dark grey, which 

 is not the case in cynosbana. These three species vary somewhat in size, 

 ochroleucana is rather less than ten lines in expanse cynosbana averages 

 eight or nine lines and pruniana about seven. 



In Sideria achatana, another hawthorn-loving species, the basal patch is 

 dark brown, and the ground colour of the fore-wings pale grey, the central 

 fascia is only apparent on the costal and inner margins, on the former of 

 which it is represented by a small quadrilateral patch and on the latter by a 

 triangular one, both dark brown in colour. The costal spot is lengthened 

 out into an oblique fascia. The size of achatana is about the same as that of 

 pruniana. In Spilonota roborana the basal patch is brown and prolonged 

 along the costal margin in the form of a streak extending to the middle of it. 

 Beyond the middle the costa is white speckled with grey and the tip of the 

 wing is reddish brown. A leaden-grey ocellus is present in this species, the 

 outer edge of which is dark brown. The palpi are longer than the head and 

 brown in colour, the fore -wings are more than twice as long as broad. It is 

 about the same size as cynosbana. 



Those who collected acorns last autumn for the purpose of breeding Car- 

 pocapsa splendana therefrom will, if they have been fortunate, now be re- 

 warded by seeing the pretty little moths emerge. Eor the benefit of those who 

 do not know this species, but may perchance meet with the imagines about 

 oak-trees it will perhaps be as well to say that it is a whitish-grey moth 

 about the size of pruniana, the basal patch is a darker grey and decidedly 

 augulated at the outer edge, and the costal is streaked throughout its entire 

 length with grey of a darker shade than the ground colour of the wing. The 

 ocellus is edged with silver and is enclosed in a large blackish-brown blotch. 



Some tortrices have no particular markings on their fore-wings as for 

 instance the marsh loving Clepsis rusticana. In this species the basal patch, 

 central fascia, ocellus and costal spot are all absent. The colour of the fore- 

 wings is grey with a glossy or shining appearance and there is a large num- 

 ber of short streaks of an ochreous colour. In size it expands about half-an- 

 inch. The female is yellower in colour and has narrower forewings. 



