AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. | 137 
close to the apex, the stigmata being also encircled with a pale line; the cilia is ashy-coloured ; the hind wings 
are more dusky, the cilia being slightly reddish, Found, but very rarely, in the neighbourhood of London. 
Mr. Stephens states that it closely resembles some of the varieties of O. sparsa, whilst Mr. Doubleday considers 
it as a variety of the following. 
ee ee Se ES 
SPECIES 7.—O. (THNIOCAMPA) STABILIS. Prats XXVIII. Fie. 1., & PLATE XXIX. Fie. 20. 
Synonymes.— WVoctua stabilis, Wien. Verz.; Hiibner ; Treitschke; 
Stephens ; Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 10, fig. 177. 
Noctua Cerasi, Fabricius ; Haworth ; Albin, pl. 75, fig. a—e. 
Noctua juncta, Haworth; Albin, pl. 76, fig. e—h (variety). 
Noctua rufannulata, Haworth (variety), 
rn . t . 2 _» a! ‘ - B . 
This very common insect varies from lj to 14 inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a brownish- 
7 
eo red colour, having a greyish tinge; the strigee at the base of the wing obsolete; the stigmata very large, and 
almost, and sometimes quite, touching each other, encircled with a whitish-buff line, the anterior one having an 
oval supplemental stigma behind it, also edged with a pale line, the hinder portion of which is, however, less 
conspicuous ; beyond the outer stigma is a row of minute black dots placed on the veins; and beyond this, an 
oblique, nearly straight, pale striga, through which run the veins which form very fine lines ; close to the margin 
of the wing itself is also a row of minute black dots; the hind wings are brunncous grey, and shining. The 
antenne of the males are far more strongly bipectinated in this species than in O. sparsa, instabilis, &c. 
The varieties are very numerous ; that named N. juncta by Haworth has the wings reddish grey, with the 
rings surrounding the stigmata united, and a pale subapical striga (Mr. Haworth, however, mentions that the 
antennze are less pectinated in this than in the type). The N. rufannulata of Haworth has the wings reddish 
brown, with a subapical red striga margined externally with pale, and the stigmata separate and margined with 
red. In other varieties the ordinary strigee are more distinct, and in some specimens there is a dark broad bar 
between the stigmata. 
The caterpillar is yellowish, with three greenish-yellow longitudinal lines ; it feeds on the willow, as well as 
on the oak, elm, cherry, &c. ; and the moth appears in March and April, and is very abundant. 
SPECIES 8.—O. (TZENIOCAMPA) MINIOSA. Puratre XXVIII., Fie. 2, 3. 
Synonymes.— Noctua miniosa, Wien. Verz. ; Fabr.; Borkhausen; Hiibner ; Ochs.; Treitschke; Haworth; Stephens ; Wood, Ind. 
Ent. pl. 10, fig. 178. Bombyx rubicosa, Esper. 
This species measures from 1+ to 14 inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are pale rufescent or cinereous, 
with a slender red striga near the base, followed by another broad bar of the same colour, broadest towards 
the costa, which, however, it does not reach. It includes the ordinary stigmata, and is margined both anteriorly 
and posteriorly by a pale striga edged with dusky. Between this and the apical margin (especially in the 
females) is a striga formed of red dots upon a pale-buff slightly-waved striga ; the cilia is rufous-ashy. The hind 
wings are rosy white, with a dark lunule (more distinct in the female), and an interrupted brown stripe beyond 
the middle ; the margin itself marked with a row of reddish lunules, the cilia dark rosy. There is some difference 
in the tone both of the ground colour of the wings and of the strigz of this handsome species. The antenne of 
the males are strongly pectinated. 
The caterpillar is black, with a yellow line on each side ; it feeds on the oak and birch in the summer, and 
the moth appears in March, but is rare. 
SPECIES 9.—O. (THXNIOCAMPA) CRUDA. Puate XXVII., Fie. 11., & Puare XXIX., Fie. 12. 
Synonymes.—Woctua cruda, Wien. Verz. ; Treitschke ; Stephens ; Noctua pulverulenta, Esper ; Borkhausen. 
Wood, Ind. Ent. pl 10, fig. 179 Bombyx nanus, Haworth; Albin, pl. 74, fig. a—e. 
3 . 4 i. . »* a 
Noctua ambigua, Hiibner; Duponchel ; Boisduval. 
id s ° 2 e; L . > és 
This dull-coloured insect is one of the smallest in the genus, measuring from 1 to 1+} inch in the expanse of 
1 iy 

