and commonly flies into houses at night after lamps are lighted.
The chrysalis is usually found enveloped in a web and concealed
under stones, or attached to the underside of green leaves of plants.
I t inhabits also Abyssinia, S. Africa, and Madagascar.
Fam. OpAiusidte.
Achaea, Hiibn.
A . m e l i c e r t a , Drury.—A very large, dark brown-and-white
Moth, sometimes called the Peach Moth from its habit of perforating
ripe peaches. I t is one of the largest found in the Island, but
not very abundant, and is generally seen on the low land in
Jamestown, sometimes flying about during the daytime. Its larva
is found on trees and plants in the Botanical Gardens. I t is a
looper caterpillar, about two inches in length, with six legs at
the head, eight a little further back than midbody, and two at the
end. I t is of a flesh-colour, finely marked and speckled with black,
the underside being lighter than the back. The body is smooth ; the
head black and white in colour, and very hard and hairy. I t has
two hard spikes, forming a reddish bifid sort of tail. In the middle
of the foremost loop, on the back, is an oblong black spot with three
white spots along its margin. The front legs are hard and shiny,
the others are soft and divided into two at the foot. When changing,
it encloses itself in leaves united together with web, and produces
a rather stout mahogany-coloured chrysalis, about an inch and a
quarter in length, which at first is coated with a flesh-coloured
bloom.
Ophiodes, Guen.
O. h o t t e n t o t t a , Gudn.—A large Moth about the size of the
last-mentioned, but yellowish in colour. I t is very rare, and I
only met with some fragments of -the wings amoDgst the grass
near Oaklands, until I was leaving the Island, when a friend
gave me two larva? or large brown caterpillars; these I kept in a box
through their several changes, and obtained specimens of the moths.
The caterpillar and chrysalis both resemble those last described.
Fam. Acidalidm,
Acidalia, Treit.
*A . s e p a r a t a , Walk.—This exceedingly pretty, little grey Moth,
with beautifully-marked wings, frequently flies into houses at night,
and alights on the walls or ceiling of a room. I t appears to
inhabit the high land, and I have often seen it at The Hermitage.
Mr. Walker gives the following description of i t :—“ Female hoary,
minutely speckled with black. Head with a narrow black band
between the eyes. Palpi black, obliquely ascending, not rising to
the height of the vertex; third joint extremely minute. Abdomen
above tinged with brown, except along the hind border of each, segment.
Wings mostly tinged with brown; each with a black dot in
the disk and with an exterior undulating oblique white line which
is partly and broadly bordered with blackish-brown on the inner
side ; marginal lunules black. Underside cinereous; a very broad
space along the exterior border shaded with brown and including a
hoary undulating line. Bength of the body four and a halt lines;
expansion of the forewings eleven lines.”
*A . a t l a n t i c a , Walk.-—An equally beautiful but somewhat
smaller species than the last, with similar habits. The following is
the description by Mr. W a l k e r Male and female hoary, minutely
speckled with black. Head black, except the vertex, which is white.
Antenna? of the male testaceous, thickly setose. Wings with a black
dot in each disk; four zigzag oblique and undulating brown lines;
first line near the base; second close to the outer side of the dot,
more faint than the others ; third and fourth parallel and near to
each other, at half the distance between the dot and the exterior
border; marginal lunules black. Underside with similar but less
distinct markings. F & t. IB. white ; the space between the third and
fourth lines brown, and thus forming a band which is bordered with
black on the inner side. Length of the body three and a half to
four lines-; expansion of the forewings ten to eleven lines.”
Fam. Fidonida.
Sterrha, Hiibn.
S . s a c r a r i a , Linn.— This very pretty, pale-vellow or almost
white Moth, with brown bands across the wings, is not very abundant
; but on a damp sunny day I have seen it in considerable
numbers flying about amongst the short grass near Cleugh’s Plain.
I t inhabits also South Europe, North Africa, West Africa, South
Africa, and Hindostán.