1890] THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



(3) . " Ground colour bright green, with no stripes, the abdominal 

 incisions slightly paler, the wing-cases of the same green colour, but 

 no longitudinal striae. The spiracles whitish. 



(4) . " Ground colour unicolorous pink, with whitish wing-cases. 

 The spiracles very indistinct. 



These were described when the pupa-cases were well set. All the 

 above varieties assume a dark appearance just before emergence." 

 The pupae of the early brood may be found in May and the early 

 part of June in the web they spin among the pappus of the capitula 

 of T.farfava, while those of the second brood are abundant in the 

 webs, this species makes on the underside of the leaves of the same 

 plant. I found a large number of pupae near my house and in my 

 own garden this autumn (1889) between August 25th and the end of 

 September. 



Time of Appearance. — This species occur first in June, often 

 continuing on the wing until the first week in July. The second 

 brood occurs throughout August, September and October, often ap- 

 pearing quite fresh late in the latter month. The second brood is not 

 confined to Britain, for in the " Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," 

 Vol. XXIV., p. 130, Dr. Jordan writing from Christiania says : — 

 " To-day and yesterday, September 6th and 7th, I took six specimens 

 of Platyptilus gonodactyhis amongst coltsfoot. This insect is well 

 known to be double-brooded, and that this is a second brood seems 

 proved by my having in a former year taken the same plume in 

 Christiania in June. The autumn specimens, like those caught in 

 England, are rather more dusky, than those caught in the summer." 

 Christiania, September 7th, 1887. Stainton in the " Manual," II., p. 

 441 gives "June" only, not knowing then there was a second brood. 



Habitat. — The species appears to be the most widely distributed 

 in Britain of all our " plume " moths, and appears to occur every- 

 where provided that its food plant Tussilago farfara occurs. I have 

 found it abundant on the marshes on the banks of the Medway, it is 

 equally abundant on almost every waste piece of ground in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London. It occurs freely in the neighbourhood of 

 Glasgow and I presume in other suitable Scotch localities. In Ireland 

 at Dublin, Sligo, &c, in the Midlands at Burton-on-Trent, and I 

 have very little doubt in every part of the British Islands, its range 

 being restricted only by the range of its food plant. I have 

 records of its abundance in Folkestone, Portland, Swanage and other 



