
AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 119 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIV. 
Insrcts.—Fig. 1. Agrotis subgothica (the gothic dart), 
i Fig. 2. Agrotis pascuea. 
aA Fig. 3. Agrotis nebulosa, a female. 
os Fig. 4. Agrotis cursoria, a female. 
Fig. 5. Agrotis Tritici (the white line dart). 6. The supposed variety called sagittifera. 
= Fig. 7. Agrotis cuncigera (the wedge-barred dart). 8. The Cumberland variety called venosa. 
$f Fig. 9. Agrotis aquilina. 
a Fig. 10. Agrotis nigricans (the garden dart). 11. The variety called obeliscata. 12. The variety called dubia. 
rs Fig. 13. Agrotis exclamationis (the heart and dart). 14. The Caterpillar. 
3 Fig. 15. An undescribed species in the cabinet of Mr, Marshall. 
Prants.—Fig. 16. Bellis perennis (the common Daisy). 
. . a T+. , . wie U . 
A. subgothica is from Mr. Stephens’s figure. A. nebulosa is from the British Museum. A. pascuea and fig. 15 are from the cabinet of 
Mr. Marshall. A. exclamationis from a specimen sent me by Mr. Doubleday; and all the others from the cabinet of Mr. Bentley. The 
caterpillar of Exclamationis is from Hiibner. H. N. H. 
SPECIES 11.—AGROTIS TRITICI. Pxrare XXIV, Fie. 5. 
Synonymes. — Phalena Noct. Tritici, Linneus; Godart ; Noctua albilinea, Haworth. 
Treitschke ; Boisduval ; Stephens. Variety 2—Noctua vitta, Hiibner (Boisduval gives this as a var. 
Noctua fictilis, Hiibner. of aquilina). 
V arieties.—Noctua eruta, Hiibner. Noctua lineolata, Haworth ; Stephens (Agr. 1.). 
Noctua pratincola, Hiibner. Noctua pupillata, Stephens (Agr. p.). 
Noctua recussa, Hiibner?? (Boisduval gives this as a distinct Noctua ocellina, Wien. V.; Hubner, Tr. Steph. (Agr. oc.) 
species). Bombyx phytheuma, Esper. 
We have here one of the most difficult, because most inconstant, of all the Noctuids, no two specimens being 
exactly alike, whence so many of the varieties have been regarded as distinct species, as noticed in the syno- 
nymes given above. It measures about 14 inch in the expansion of the fore wings, which in the more typical states 
are of an ashy brown, slightly tinged with reddish, the costa marked with several dark dots towards the tip ; 
within the costa is a longitudinal paler streak, running nearly to the tip of the wing ; the base itself being also 
paler, with several very indistinct dusky markings, the ordinary transverse strige before and beyond the stigmata 
being almost obsolete ; the two ordinary stigmata are pale, margined with a dark line; the supplemental stigma 
is dusky, margined with black: there is a row of elongated dark wedge-shaped marks nearly along the apical 
margin which is darker, and a marginal row of dark dots; the hind wings are whitish, with the margin dusky. 
I avail myself of Mr. Bentley’s article upon this genus in the Entomologist, (p. 256), by introducing short 
descriptions of some of the more striking varieties of this species which have been regarded as distinct species by 
various authors ; observing only that Mr. Bentley (whose practical knowledge of this difficult group of insects 
is unequalled in this or any other country) has described numerous other varieties filling up the intervals between 
the several types mentioned below. The sixth variety described by Mr. Bentley, is the N. lineolata of Haworth, 
which has (perhaps incorrectly) been regarded as the Noctua vitta, of Hiibner :—“‘ Anterior wings reddish 
brown, with a white streak upon the costa extending from the base beyond the middle; the central nervure of 
the wings is white, between the stigmata is a quadrate black spot, the teliform stigma small and black ; near it 
is a pale transverse striga ; on the posterior margin is a row of wedge-shaped spots and a white waved striga : 
. . ° ° - e 2 
posterior wings cinereous with dusky margins. 
The ninth variety described by Mr. Bentley corresponds with the N. pupillata of Haworth. “ Anterior 
the first at the base, the second before the anterior stigma, the 
wings brownish, with four transverse strige ; 
third behind the posterior, and the fourth near the hinder margin ; 
the space between the second and third strige rather pale ; stigmata pale, anterior ocellated.” 
the costa is spotted with dusky and white, 

