214 
THE SUBSTITUTE. 
larva is more eartby, more shining, 
and more concealed tliau all the 
others. The perfect insect has the 
anterior tibiae spiny, the frontal 
tuft prolonged, the palpi raised to 
its level and forming with it a sort 
of beak ; their second joint very 
securiform ; the posterior wings 
broader- and more folded than the 
others. Janthina is more velvety, 
with the wings and even the tho- 
rax scaly, the collar always of two 
colours, the front rounded and 
little projecting, the palpi almost 
straight; the second joint unico- 
lorous, simply squared at the top ; 
the anterior tibiae not spiny : it 
flies during the day with extreme 
vivacity. Fimbria is more elon- 
gate than any other; the palpi 
short; the second joint swollen 
exteriorly ; it has only spines on 
the middle and hinder tibiae; its 
abdomen is shorter, more de- 
pressed, more hollow ; its posterior 
wings, as velvety as the anterior, 
have a border of a disproportionate 
breadth. Interjecta comes from a 
larva almost similar to one of the 
Leucanice in colour and marking, 
devoid of the cuneiform spots. 
The perfect insect has all the 
tibiae entirely without spines. 
Finally, orbonuy subsequa, and 
consequa, form a principal group, 
of which the chief characters are, 
that the larva; are very attenuated 
anteriorly ; the palpi with the 
second joint unicolorous, securi- 
fonn, with the outer angle sharp, 
the third joint hardly visible and 
truncate, and all the tibi® spiny. 
From this we see how genera 
which are the most homogeneous 
and the least disputed are liable 
to be split up if we examine their 
characters one by one, and this 
example is well fitted to induce us 
to be indulgent to those who de- 
clare they only proceed in Ento- 
mology with the glass and dis- 
secting-knife iu hand, and who 
only declaim unce;isingly against 
the vagueness and slight degree 
of permanence of our characters 
from the want of having experi- 
mented with their own, which 
would fare no better if compared 
with more general observations. 
The genus Tripheena occurs 
throughout Europe, but I know of 
no exotic species. The larvae are 
nearly allied to those of Nocltta, 
and do not require a particular de- 
scription ; they are hatched in the 
autumn, and as they feed on a mul- 
titude of low plants, they find some- 
thing to eat throughout the winter, 
and are full fed in the beginning 
of spring. One of them (pronuba) 
is a veritable pest for our gardens ; 
it attacks almost all vegetables, 
devouring in preference the heart, 
and as it is very voracious the 
havoc it makes is great ; garden- 
ers commonly find its chrysalis 
when digging the borders, along 
with that of Agrolis exclamationis, 
which is hardly less injuidous: 
this is almost the only means of 
destroying a few, for the two spe- 
cies live too well concealed to 
render the search a useful employ- 
ment of time in a horticultnral 
point of view. 
The perfect insects have, like 
the Agrotis, the habit of crossing 
the anterior wings one upon the 
other, which gives them a very 
elongated form ; in general they 
have great muscular force, and fly 
with vigour when disturbed, but 
this flight is of short duration. 
Janthina flies from live to six in 
