AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 159 
streaks and a considerably dentated pale strigss edged with darker brown preceding the anterior stigma, which is 
oval and very obliquely placed, edged with a black line, as is also the posterior stigma, which is broadly ear- 
shaped : behind these is a dark patch terminated before and behind by an angulated pale line, being portion of the 
strige preceding and following the stigmata, the hinder of these strigze being considerably undulated, the veins being 
in this part of the wing marked with black dots, between which run several acute black longitudinal streaks, 
arising upon a very irregular dentated and undulated whitish subapical striga, part of which resembles the letter 
W ; the margin of the wing is marked with a series of triangular dark dots, followed by a slender wavy whitish 
line at the base of the cilia, which is dotted with brown. The hind wings have a slight central lunule, a broad 
dark border, in which is a pale marginal streak towards the anal angle; the thorax is transversely and longitudi- 
nally streaked with dark brown. Varieties occur in the intensity of the ground colour and markings of the wings. 
The caterpillar is ashy-coloured, with elevated black specks and a black head and tail; it is found under stones, 
and at the root of grass. The perfect insect appears in June and July, and is a very abundant species. 

SPECIES 4.—XYLOPHASIA RUREA. Prate XXXII., Fie. 4. 
Synonymes.—WVoctua rurea, Fabr.; Steph. Dl.; Treitschke ; Noctua puiris, Hiibner. 
Godart; Wood, Ind. Ent. Xylina borealis, Curtis, B. E. 256, without description 
Noctua hepatica, Haworth; Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 11, fig. 229 | (variety ?). 
(but not of Linnzus). 
This species measures from 13 to 1} inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a dingy buffish 
colour, much mottled with grey and reddish brown, especially towards the costa. The stigmata are almost 
obsolete, the space between them being more deeply coloured. There is a dark longitudinal striga towards the base 
of the wings, behind and beyond the stigmata a row of minute dots on the veins, which are more distinctly 
marked with black at the tip, and there is a somewhat conical patch of red brown at the anal angle and towards 
the middle of the apical margin, which is, moreover, marked with a double row of small black lunules ; the hind 
wings are uniform greyish brown with luteous cilia. All the wings on the under side have a dark central lunule, 
from which, in the hind wings, proceeds a dark line towards the base of the wings, and the main veins are marked 
with a dark dot beyond the middle of the wings. Varieties occur with the ground colour of the fore wings 
bright ochre red with the stigmata distinct. This is a common species, which appears at the middle of the 
summer. As Mr. Curtis gives the putris of Hiibner as probably identical with his Xylina borealis, and as 
Boisduval gives putris as a variety of Rurea, Mr. Curtis’s insect is probably a variety of this species, which is 
probably also the case with X. combusta and characterea. 
SPECIES 5.—XYLOPHASIA COMBUSTA. Purare XXXII., Fie, 5. 
Synonymes.—WVoctua combusia, Hiibner; Haworth; Steph. UL. ; Noctua alopecurus, Esper. 
Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 11, fig. 230. Noctua luculenta, Esper. 
This species measures nearly 12. inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are of a dull rusty-brown colour 
with several pale and darker marks along the costa, and several whitish spots at the tip; the stigmata are ill 
| defined, but edged with a paler luteous margin, especially the outer one ; the veins are dark, with minute luteous 
scales scattered upon them, the veins at the tip of the wings being blackish ; there is a dash of darker brown along 
the inner edge of the wing at the base, and a triangular patch at the anal angle; the abdomen and hind wings are 
nearly uniform dusky-brown, the latter marked beneath as in the preceding species, of which this is probably an 
extreme variety. Found in June, in the woods of Kent and Surrey. 



