180 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



hind wings are white. It is about the same 

 size as Leucania palle'ns. 



Another of the " wainscot" moths occurrs 

 in July among the reeds in marshy places, 

 such as the Cambridgeshire fens. This is 

 Leucania phragmitidis. It is the same size as 

 the common Wainscot and has neither spots 

 nor markings on its ochreous wings, faintly 

 tinted with olive. Senta ulvce and N. despecta 

 are other fen insects. 



Nonagria despecta is rather a small sized 

 moth for a noctua, the largest specimens 

 being less than an inch in expanse of wings, 

 the forewings are rather narrow and rounded, 

 pale reddish ochreous in colour, dusted 

 with grey and such faint markings that they 

 are seen with difficulty, the hind wings are 

 whitish and the body long and slender. 



Among the many insects to be sugared 

 for in July mention may be made of the 

 greyish brown Mamestra abjecta, recognisable 

 by the two white dots at the edge of the 

 reniform stigma and the very indistinct 

 " subterminal line," and the blackish brown 

 Agrotis sancia, with dark grey reniform 

 stigmata, and scarcely perceptible claviform 

 stigmata. 



Ercmobiaochroleuca, Heliothis dipsacea, Plusia 

 bvactea and the Crimson-underwing moths 

 (Catocella promissa) and sponsa are among 

 the other noctuse occurring in July. 



Eremobia ochroleuca has pale ochreous 

 subdentate fore wings blotched with darker. 

 The markings are so confused that it is 

 difficult to describe them, but there is a 

 brownish band between the elbowed line 

 and the subterminal line, and this band is 

 intersected by a black streak opposite the 

 reniform stigma. When in repose the 

 wings form a very inclined roof, as is the 

 case with the Hadenidse in general. The 

 abdomen is crested. In size it is about the 

 same as the common Hadena dentina, 

 Heliothis dipsacea has the forewings rather 

 acute at the tip. In colour it is greenish 

 ochreous grey with two dark bands meeting 



at the inner margin, and one of which 

 passing across the centre includes the dark 

 grey reniform stigma. The hind wings are 

 whitish and have a broad black central 

 lunule ; the dark border has no transverse 

 black line before it, as is the case in Heliothis 

 scutosa, and furthermore contains a distinct 

 whitish blotch. In size it is about an inch 

 and a quarter in expanse of wings, the thorax 

 is rather stout and the abdomen smooth. 

 -The moths in the family to which it belongs 

 are mostly day fliers, and are on the wing 

 in the hottest sunshine. 



Plusia bractea is about the size of the 

 common Plusia gamma. The forewings are 

 purplish brown with a large golden brown 

 blotch, containing a smaller one of a silvery 

 hue at its upper edge. This dark golden 

 coloured blotch commences at the middle 

 of the inner margin and reaches half across 

 the/wing. The antennae are long and slender, 

 and the thorax has a widely spread forked 

 crest ; the abdomen is also crested. 



Both the crimson underwing moths are 

 much smaller in size than the more generally 

 distributed Red Underwing) Catocola nupta), 

 and this in itself is sufficient to distinguish 

 them from that species. The following 

 characters ought to enable the young 

 entomologist to separate the "promised 

 one" from the " spouse" : — 



Catocola promissa is the smaller species of 

 the two ; the fore wings are whitish grey 

 with a very distinct "inner line" and they 

 have the orbicular stigma totally absent. 

 The hind wings are crimson, bordered with 

 black, and have a thin rather waved black 

 band across the centre. The wings expand 

 from two inches one line to two inches three 

 lines. Catocala sponsa is as much as a 

 quarter of an inch larger than the preceding, 

 the expanse of wings being from two inches 

 four lines to two inches seven lines. The 

 fore wings are yellowish grey with an ill 

 defined orbicular stigma included in a 

 pale central blotch, The hind wings are 



