
224 BRITISH MOTHS 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XLIX. 
Insects. —Fig. 1. Cucullia solidaginis (the shepherd’s purse). 2. The Caterpillar. 
a Fig. 3. Cucullia asteris (the starwort). 4. The Caterpillar, in which some varieties have the pink tint replaced 
with green. 
Fig. 5. Cucullia absinthii (the wormwood ). 
e Fig. 6. Cucullia umbratica (the large pale shark). 7. The Caterpillar. 
Ee Fig. 8. Cucullia tanaceti (the tansy shark), 9. The Caterpillar. 
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as Fig. 10. Cucullia lactucze (the lettuce shark), 11. The Caterpillar. 
“ Fig. 12. Cucullia lucifuga (the large dark shark), 13. The Caterpillar. 17. The Chrysalis. 
= Fig. 14. Cucullia chamomille (the chamomile shark). 15. The Caterpillar. 
2s Fig. 16. Cucullia artemisie (the green silver spangle). 
Prants.—Fig. 18. Aster Tripolium (the Sea Star-wort.) 
Cucullia solidaginis is from the specimen in the British Museum ; C. artemisiw and C. asteris from specimens in the cabinet of Mr. Bentley. 
The other fine species are from the cabinet of J. F. Stephens, Esq. It is extremely difficult to make out any characteristic distinctions in these 
fine species, whilst the larva sufficiently prove that they are distinct ; but until] the larve: have all been found in Britain, I should doubt whether 
we have more than one or two British species, varieties of which we have been tempted to consider the distinct continental species. The 
distinctions of the species, as arranged in the cabinet of Mr. Stephens, appear to be as follows :— 
Umbratica has the front wings a paler gray than the others, with the tinting in front rather pale ochreous than brown, while the hind wings 
are very clear, with a suffused narrow border of light brown. 
In Tanaceti the gray is stronger, and the ochreous tint becomes brown in the fore wings, and the hind wings have a broader and darker 
border or shade at the edge. Lucifuga has still more brown in the fore wings, and the hind wings are entirely dusky brown, with a narrow fringe 
somewhat paler. 
Lactucz is very similar, but having the fore wings relieved here and there with clearer gray, while the hind wings, though all brown, are 
lighter near the body, and have a broadish pale fringe. 
Chamomill is smaller than the others, and much deeper in colour than any of them, with the marks on the fore wings more clouded and 
indistinct : the hind wings, with the fringe, are all deep full brown; but the specimen appears to be a female, and some male, reputed speci- 
mens of Chamomillz, in the British Museum, are paler and clearer, but possessing the same general character. 
I should add, that these descriptions do not agree very well with those of continental authors: nor do the continental authors in this difficult 
instance agree very well with each other. 
The caterpillar of Solidaginis is from the Transactions of the Ent. Soc., the others from Hiibner. H.N. H. 
SPECIES 6.—CUCULLIA SOLIDAGINIS. Puare XLIX., Fie. 1, 2. 
Synonymes.—Cueudllia solidaginis, Stephens, in Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., vol. 2, pl. 3, fig. 7. 
Cucullia thapsiphaga, Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 16, fig. 389 (not of Treitschke). 
This species measures about 13. inch in the expanse of the fore wings, which are entire along the apical margin, 
and pale ashy-brown varied with whitish ash ; the costa marked at the tip with dark and whitish oblique streaks ; 
the stigmata are very distinct, with a double blackish margin, the anterior one preceded by a slender duplicated 
striga interrupted behind; near the anal angle on the inner margin is a short slightly flexuous hoary streak, 
edged with brown, and on the anal angle a brown patch with a short black dash, the apical margin with a 
slender waved whitish line: hind wings dark brown, the base paler, the thoracic crest, and abdominal tufts dark 
brown. The caterpillar is long, slender, naked, pale green, with a row of slender reddish lunules above the 
spiracles, and a series of diamond-shaped spots of red, down the back. It feeds on Solidago virgaurea, and has 
occurred in Birch Wood, Kent, in Fate . os 
; , in September, the moth appearing in the following June, but it is very rare. 

SPECIES 7.—CUCULLIA ASTERIS. Prats XLIX., Fie. 3, 4. 
Synonyme.— Noctua asteris, Wien. Verz. ; Fabricius; Esper; Treitschke; Hiibner; Haworth; Curtis, Brit. Ent., pl. 45 ; 
Duponchel ; 
Boisduval ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Ent. pl. 16, fig. 379. 
p rom 13. to 9 Inc 1e n he expanse oO Wi oO W j j Oo a ica 
margin, with the costa deep chestnut, behind which is a brighter shade of brown, blending into a blue-gray, with 
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