AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 163 
indicating the commencement of the ordinary strigee, which are pale and edged with dusky lines, and very much 
undulated and curved ; the base of the fore wings-is pale in front, being marked with a black streak; the 
stigmata are pale greyish-brown, edged with black lines; the anterior one placed rather obliquely, and not so 
closely to the outer one as in some of the species; the supplemental stigma is immediately behind the basal one, 
and indicated only by a black, oval, oblique ring; the fourth striga is pale, with the W-like angulation very 
strongly marked, and with arrow-headed dark spots within ; the hind wings are brown, rather darker along the 
outer edge. This is a rather abundant and widely dispersed species, 

SPECIES 4.—HADENA GENIST. Prare XXXIII., Fre. 4. 
Synonymes.—Vociua genisi@, Borkhausen; Hiibner ; Treitschke ; Noctua rectilinea, Haworth. 
Boisduval ; Stephens. Ph. Noct. dives, Donovan 10, pl. 352, f. 1; nec Haworth. 
Noctua W. Latinum, Borkhauseu ; Esper. 
This beautiful species measures 13 inch in the expanse of its fore wings, which are of a delicate silken 
ashy-grey colour, having a dark brown longitudinal dash along the base, terminating in the middle of three deep 
scallops edged externally with black, representing the second ordinary striga, the basal striga being obsolete. 
The middle of the wing is brown, the space immediately behind the stigmata being very dark, within which the 
black edging of the supplemental stigma may be traced ; the stigmata are very pale brown, edged with a blackish 
line, the anterior one being nearly round ; the apical portion of the wing is brown, with the fourth striga very 
slender and not very distinct, but exhibiting the strongly angulated W-like mark preceded by two blackish arrow- 
heads in the middle; the hind wings are pale brown, with the edges rather darker. 
This is by no means a rare species, being rather widely dispersed in the south of England. It occurs in May. 
SPECIES 5.—HADENA CONTIGUA. Puare XXXIIL., Fie. 5, 6. 
Synonymes.—Woetua contigua, Wien. Verz.; Ochsenheimer ; Noctua Aria, Esper. 
Treitschke ; Hiibner; Stephens; Wood, pl. 12, fig. 238. Woctua dives, Haworth; (nec Donovan). 
Noctua Spartii, Borkhausen. 
This insect, which is the ‘ handsome brocade’ of our collectors, has its fore wings generally expanding rather 
more than an inch and a half, and beautifully mottled with grey, brown, buff, and ashy tints, sometimes tinged 
with purplish and the pale parts with yellow; at the base of the wing is a short black dash, in front of which 
are two dark transverse lines indicating the basal striga, which is rather broad; beyond these the wings are gray 
as far as the second striga, composed of three deep scallops edged with two dark lines; the anterior stigma is 
whitish and obliquely placed, the oblique pale colour, extending backwards, and edged by the dark brown 
supplemental stigma, which has its hinder edge terminated by a black transverse line. The second stigma is 
contiguous to the basal one, and of a large size and kidney-like form; beyond this the colours are pale, but 
prettily varied, in which is perceived the third curved striga formed of small arches ; the posterior striga is pale 
and similar to that of the preceding species, the W-like mark bearing several long arrow-like black marks within ; 
the hind wings are pale whitish-brown, with the margin rather darker, and a slight striga beyond the middle. 
The caterpillar feeds upon Vaccinium myrtillus, Spartium scoparium, various species of Genista, and Jacobeea 
Senecio. It appears in August and September, being at first yellowish-green, with yellow incisions, and darker 
yellowish-green spots and pale lines on the sides. After the last change of skin it is of a much darker colour, 
being reddish or reddish-brown, with darker marks and a pale lateral line, as represented in our figure. The 
perfect insect is found at the end of May and in June, especially on the trunks of trees, but it is by no means of 
common occurrence. 

