80 
Observatioiis on the various Insects 
the above name. It was considered until recently an exceedingly 
rare insect in England, and we are indebted to Mr. Samuel 
Stevens for a knowledge of its economy. He was so obliging as 
to send me several of the caterpillars the third week in August, 
1844. They generally undergo their transformations in fenny 
places amongst reeds, the leaves of which they eat ; but having 
placed them in a cage with some fine oats coming into ear, I found 
they fed freely upon the leaves, notching the sides, and it is there- 
fore desirable to notice the fact and to record their habits. These 
caterpillars, like many others, only come out at night to feed ; 
and although full grown by the end of August, they remain in 
the shortened stems of the reeds through the winter, and the 
moths emerge from the pupae during the entire month of June. 
When the caterpillars have arrived at their greatest size, they are 
often 1^ inch long ; they are linear, not quite semicylindrical, 
smooth, of a flesh colour, the edges of the segments being of the 
deepest tint, and clouded with dull pale green : the head is pale 
brown, reticulated with deep brown, having two curved lines 
down the face, of the same colour ; the first thoracic segment is 
short and shining, with 3 whitish longitudinal lines which extend 
to the tail, and are edged with pale green; the 6 pectoral, 8 ab- 
dominal, and 2 anal feet are pale dirty green ; the spiracles are 
pitchy, with a light centre; the head and tail are slightly hairy. 
When disturbed they curl up and fall down, but can walk very 
nimbly. When prepared to change to chrysalides in the spring, 
they leave the reed stubble, conceal themselves just beneath the 
surface of the earth, or draw together a few dead leayes or rubbish 
with a loose web to enclose the pupa, which is brown. 
3. Leucania obsoleta is of a satiny texture : the female is of a 
dull pale ochreous colour; the antennae are bristle-shaped; the 
feelers form 2 short beaks ; the eyes are brown when dead ; the 
tongue is spiral, and about as long as the antennae; the superior 
wings are freckled with black ; the nervures appear whitish, and 
are margined with brown ; between them are brown streaks ter- 
minating in a black point at the base of the fringe, and there is a 
curved line of brown dots beyond the centre ; base of abdomen 
and inferior wings nearly while ; the latter, with the nervures and 
the exterior margin, smoky, with a line of black dots along the 
base of the fringe; expanse of wings 1^ inch. The male is 
smaller, and of a paler and clearer colour ; the nervures are not 
so strongly marked, and there is a smoky streak from the base to 
the centre; the under wings are white, a little freckled and 
ochreous at the exterior margin ; before the centre is a dark spot 
shining through from the under side, and beyond the middle is a 
lino of 4 or 5 similar dots. 
