LEP1D0PTERA . 
299 
Underwings feed on the leaves of various forest-trees. 
Many species infest oak and hickory. By careful search 
both the adults and larvae can be found resting on the 
trunks of these trees; but it needs sharp eyes to do it, as the 
colors of these insects are usually protective. 
Among;'the more common Noctuids that occur in our 
meadows and pastures, and that fly up before us as we walk 
through them, are-two species belonging to the genus Dr as- 
teria (Dras-te'ri-a). These may be called the Clover Looping- 
owlets ; for the larvae feed on the leaves of clover, and, as 
they have only three pairs of prolegs, they walk in a loop¬ 
ing manner like the Geometrids. 
One of these species is Drasteria 
erechtea (D. e-rech'te-a). This 
moth (Fig. 357) has dark or light 
drab-gray fore wings, which are 
marked by two large dark bands, 
as shown in the figure. These 
bands are always separate, dis- Fig. 357 .—Drasteria erechtea. 
tinct, and well defined towards the inner margin in the 
male; in the female the markings are much less dis¬ 
tinct. 
The other common species of this genus is Drasteria cras- 
siuscula (D. cras-si-us'cu-la). In this species the fore wings 
have either a distinct violaceous brown or a red shade, with 
the two large dark bands very variable, often shading 
into the ground-color on the outer edge or coalescing near 
the inner margin ; all the markings are equally distinct in 
both sexes. 
There is a group of Noctuids containing about a score 
of genera in which the species differ markedly in appearance 
from the majority of the members of the family. In this 
group the moths are of small or moderate size ; and some 
of them bear a strong resemblance to Tortricids. Many of 
the species are marked with bright colors, and especially 
with white. The two following species will serve to illus- 
