THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOEOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID \N ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH MOTHS. WITH LIFE-SIZE FIGURES FEOM NATURE OF EACH SPECIES, AND OF THE MORE STRIKING VARIETIES; ALSO, FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF BOTH THE PERFECT INSECT AND THE CATERPILLAR, TOGETHER WITH DATES OF APPEARANCE, AND LOCALITIES WHERE FOUND. BY EDWARD NEWMAN, F.L.S. F.Z.S. ETC. LONDON : ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY. MDCC( LXXIV. A-.. "When I behold an Insect constructing a habitation for itself, or a nest for its young, I am filled with veneration and respect ; for I feel I am gazing at a work, whereof the Divine Work- master is concealed behind a screen." BONNET. PREFACE. IT has for very many years been a favourite project of my own to publish a History of British Butterflies and Moths, illustrated with woodcuts of each species, uniformly with Van Voorst's series of Birds, Eeptiles, Fishes, Starfishes, Stalk-eyed Crustacea, and Ferns. The success of these works in a mercantile point of view has been beyond question ; and this fact involves another and more important conclusion, that an extensive public has found them both serviceable and agreeable. Seeing this, and believing I could furnish materials for a similar work on our native Lepidoptera, I determined on such an undertaking as soon as those materials were complete. When I commenced the work it was intended to include the Deltoids, Pyrales, Veneers, and Plumes ; and thus, with my own " British Butterflies" Mr. "Wilkinson's " Tortriccs" and Mr. Stainton's " Tinea" to form a descriptive list of all the British Lepidoptera : but it was found impossible to make -effective representations in wood, of insects so minute as the majority of those contained in the four families I have mentioned ; and extremely difficult to fix any scale by which to represent them of a uniformly increased size : the difficulty, indeed, seemed so great that the project has been abandoned for the present. It is, however, still under consideration to publish an illustrated Natural History of the British Butterflies uniformly with this of the British Moths, representing each species exactly life-size, and giving studiously accurate figures of a great number of varieties : for this rather extensive work the text is already in a forward state ; but many months will of necessity be occupied in drawing and engraving the illustrations ; so that a year, at least, will elapse before this intended work can be completed in such a manner as shall do credit to the artists as well as to the author : as soon as any plan for this second undertaking is definitely settled, full particulars will be advertised through the usual channels. Both these projects the Moths accomplished, and the Butterflies in preparation are, so far as my information extends, entirely original and unique ; and we are all aware that the carrying out of any new project must of necessity be somewhat imperfect. The originality and isolation of the undertaking appear in my determination to write all my descriptions both of the perfect insect and of the caterpillar from the objects themselves, and not to compile them from previously published sources. In this I have in great measure, but not wholly, succeeded : a few caterpillars have still eluded my most anxious search ; and I have therefore adopted, and always with the fullest acknowledgment, previously published descriptions. This desire for originality certainly influenced my great predecessor Haworth, and he succeeded to admiration in carrying it out so far as the perfect insects are concerned, although he clothed his descriptions in a language that has greatly restricted their utility. But I think he has not described a single caterpillar ; even in the case of the Death's-IIead Hawk- MS 5838? IV PEEFACE. Moth, which he not only possessed but admired, he has preferred quoting the familiar Latin description written by Fabricius. Even of such copied descriptions we find very few throughout his great work : in the majority of instances he makes no more allusion to the caterpillar and chrysalis than as if they had no existence. It may seem presumptuous in me to pen anything approaching to a criticism on so great a master of the science as Haworth unquestionably was ; but although the feeling of courtesy and deference to so high an authority might suggest the propriety of suppressing all allusion to the omission, still the omission itself would remain ; and it would be evident that, while Sepp, Hiibner, and other continental entomologists were describing or figuring the caterpillars of British Lepidcptera with the most painstaking accuracy, Haworth contented himself with saying that while his " descriptions of every species and variety of the perfect insect were entirely new wrought and from British specimens, his descriptions of larva and pupce have been principally taken from the ' Hhrfomologia Systcmatica ' of Fabricius, because his own notes on those two points were not so full as he could wish, and were chiefly made before he had conceived an idea of submitting them to the inspection of the public eye." It thus appears that the idea of publishing original descriptions of caterpillars and chrysalids had been entertained by Mr. Haworth, but was advisedly abandoned : also that he had made notes of the preparatory states of the Lepidoptera, but never published them. Subsequent British authors have adopted a very similar course, but have taken some pains to import European figures and European descriptions into their works. Curtis and Humphreys have given excellent copies of continental originals, and Mr. Stainton has extracted brief notices of caterpillars from the works of Sepp, Hiibner, Boisduval, Duponchel, Freyer, Guenee, and others ; but the difficulty of associating the perfect insects with the caterpillars which produced them, has been found insuperable from the extraordinary discrepancy formerly existing between our own insular, and the accepted continental specific names. A familiar illustration of this occurs in the instance of Limenitis Sibylla. Every English entomologist has accompanied the perfect butterfly with the caterpillar of another species, simply from this discrepancy of names : I could point out hundreds of similar instances, but I am treading on very tender ground, and will forbear. Still, although I will give no recent examples of this extraordinary and apathetic negligence, I may cite the opinion of an entomologist with whom I had never exchanged a sentiment, but who by his own observations had arrived at conclusions exactly similar to my own. He writes thus : " Now that entomologists are becoming more numerous in England each year, and consequently the literature having the study of insects for its object is in propor- tionate demand, it is, I think, a matter to be deplored that books intended for instruction in, and introduction to, the study of Entomology should be most con- spicuously open to the charge of carelessness, either in the writing or revision ; or, where this fault cannot fairly be charged, a worse may be urged, namely, that the descriptions of the caterpillars I am speaking now more particularly of the Lqti- PREFACE. doptcra should not be original, but borrowed from foreign writers, many of whom (if the caterpillars they describe are identical with those for which the several descriptions are used by the English writers), I am afraid, allowed their vivid imaginations to supply the place of sober fact." A. B. Farn in the " Entomologist" for April, 1869. Now this is the exact truth expressed in the mildest and most inoffensive form. The writer goes on to adduce the necessary proofs of his assertions, but I will not repeat them, because the assertions themselves cannot be called in question, and need no corroboration. I have long since entertained the same views, and have long since seen the necessity for reform. Ten years ago I commenced, in the monthly numbers of the Zoologist, the task of describing our English caterpillars from nature ; and in the same year the Rev. H. Harpur Crewe commenced his descriptions of those of the genus Eapithecia. In both cases isolated descriptions appeared as we could find or procure the objects. This pro- ceeding found little favour in the eyes of our brethren ; but I have persevered, and, through the kind assistance of a few friends, have been enabled to produce minute descriptions of most of our English caterpillars from the objects themselves, without any reference to prior definitions, most of which I found so vague, and named in so different a manner from our own, that it was impossible to utilize them. All my own descriptions, and, by his express permission, those by Mr. Crewe, are now transferred to these pages, as well as a few others, written also from the objects themselves, by the Rev. John Hellius, of Exeter, and Mr. Buckler, of Emsworth, gentlemen to whose industry we are all greatly indebted for much valuable information in this depart- ment of Natural History. And here, at the risk of exposing myself to the charge of irrelevant digression, I cannot forbear to notice Mr. Stainton's beautiful and most useful " Natural History of the Tin^ina." This invaluable work, commenced in 1855 and continued almost up to the present time, really leaves nothing to be desired, and acts as a severe reproach on the student of the larger species, the life history of which may be studied with so much greater facility. The classification of Lcpidoptcra has always been unsatisfactory : as in Hymenoptcra and Dipt era the most ready and obvious character for making a first division into two groups, is the difference in which the union of the thoracical and abdominal segments is accomplished. An insect is composed of thirteen segments, or rings, one of which is the head, four constitute the chest (in science thorax), and nine the body (in science abdomen}. In a very great number of insects the first segment or ring of the abdo- men is slender, forming a petiole or peduncle, which gives the insect the appear- ance of being almost cut in two : a mere thread being left, which connects the two halves together : a wasp exhibits this structure in perfection. In other insects the thorax and body are continuous, as represented in all the figures in this work. In Lepidoptera these two characters are very obvious. Butterflies (in science Lepidoptera pednnculata] have the thorax and abdomen connected by a mere peduncle : Moths (in science Lepidoptera sessilivcntrcx) have no obvious division into thorax and abdomen, VI PREFACE. these parts forming a continuous trunk. The Hymenoptera sessiliventres are the saw- flies, the Hymenoptera pedmiculata are all the rest. The Dipt era sessilirentrcs are the crane-flies and gnats ; the Diptera pedunculata are all the rest. Those who have made entomology their study will know that these divisions are unequal, in each instance one group being much more comprehensive than the other. This is the case in British Lepidoptera, in which the Sessile-bodied Lepidoptera, or Moths, outnumber ths Pedunculated Lepidoptera, or Butterflies, as thirty to one; indeed, the number of moths inhabiting Britain has been ascertained to be more than eighteen hundred and fifty, and, when collectors have the assistance of popular works, it may reasonably be expected to reach two thousand ; for it is most evident that nothing promotes the discovery of new objects so effectually as a reliable and faithful guide to a knowledge of those which have been already ascertained. These two thousand moths were arranged by the illustrious Linnceus under two heads, Sphinx and Phalcena; and the equally illustrious Latreille adopted these divisions, merely altering the names, and calling the former Crepuscularia and the latter Nocturna. Boisduval subsequently united these two groups under the name of Hetcroccra, implying the diversity of form in their antennco, and at the same time gave the name of Club-horned (in science Rhopalocerd} to the Butterflies. There is, how- ever, no real or natural distinction to be found between Sphinges and Phalcence, and therefore entomologists are now agreed in entirely abandoning groups which they cannot distinguish much less define, the only difference being in the name ; the terms Noctiirna, Ileterocera, Sessiliventres, and Moths, being always applied to the same group of insects, and all these terms including both the Linnean genera, Sphinx and Phalcena. The divison of the larger moths is still very incomplete, and must be considered as requiring improvement. The great groups now stand as Nocturnes, Geometers, Cuspidates, and Noctuas : three of these groups appear to be well defined and natural ; the first, Nocturnes, is heterogeneous and far too comprehensive. So far back as the year 1832 I ventured to propose a further subdivision of the Nocturnes, the merits of which division, if merits there be, were entirely forestalled by Messrs. Denis and Schiffenniiller, two Austrian officers who, in 1776, published an anonymous work on the Lepidoptera found in the neighbourhood of Vienna, and who employed the differences of the caterpillar in subdividing this difficult group, adopting as their motto, " One eye to the caterpillar and another to the perfect insect." Their divisions are, however, mainly dependant on the caterpillar and are strictly natural. Notwithstanding these and other improvements made from time to time, as our knowledge of the preparatory states has progressed, no entomologist competent to form an opinion will venture to say that we have arrived at anything approaching perfection in our arrangements. Although a century has been spent in our search after truth in this matter, we are still nothing more than students, and when we attempt to teach, as in the present instance, we are, alas ! too apt to cay what must be again unsaid, too apt. to write what must be again unwritten. Let us work and hope. PREFACE. Vll An imperative but most agreeable duty remains that of thanking those kind friends who have rendered me such important services during the progress of this work. And first Mr. Doubleday, through whose hands every sheet and every column has passed. Many omissions have thus been supplied and many errors expunged. An almost perfect blank has hitherto existed as to the times of appearance of our Lcpidoptcm in the perfect state, and my own experience was insufficient to supply this blank. Although for many years I was an assiduous collector of insects, I never gave that especial attention to Lepidoptcra which they have received at the hands of my friend. The collections of Diptera, Hijmenoptem, Coleoptera, and Ncuroptera under my care, attest the fact that my attention has been equally divided amongst all classes of insects, and it is next to impossible to acquire anything approaching a perfect know- ledge of the times of appearance of every species. Mr. Doubleday has abundantly made up for my shortcomings in this respect, and has supplied me with information which, in many instances, has never before appeared in print. Then again the Eupithecice, and the Lcucaniche have undergone a complete revision at his hands ; he has found it necessary to alter a few names, generic as well as specific, and to institute a few new combinations. The idea that at any given period we can assert that we have reached the ultimatum of knowledge appears to me utterly untenable ; and I feel assured that the assiduity of future labourers in this delightful field, will lead to the addition of many facts I have omitted, and the emendation of many errors I have allowed to pass. Were it not so were there no Excelsior the study would lose one of its principal charms. The slight inconvenience caused by altering a name, or amending a descrip- tion, is abundantly compensated by the advantage of substituting truth for error. In expressing these opinions to a very candid friend, he at once enquired, " How do we know that even these amendments are final ? What security have we that amendments themselves will not require emendation?" I answered, "There is certainly no such security ; and I desire none : I have no more power to affix limits to knowledge than to arrest the growth of an oak ; and I regard with no feelings of apprehension the advent of some future Doubleday who may detect errors in the labours of him who is happily still amongst us." To Mr. Bond my especial thanks are also due : with a liberality equal to Mr. Doubleday's he has placed the free use of his immense collection at my disposal ; he has repeatedly invited me to select specimens, even when unique, for the purpose of figuring ; and by this means I have been enabled to give accurate representations which it would have been otherwise quite impossible to obtain. To Mr. Birchall I am indebted for the loan of some of his choicest specimens ; and for the expression of his opinions on questions of great interest and importance ; more particularly in the genus Dianthceda, with which, in a state of Nature, he has a more practical acquaintance than any other British entomologist : the distance of his fine collection from London has been the only bar to my availing myself far more Vlll PREFACE. largely of its treasures, for Mr. Birchall has evinced throughout the work a desire to afford the most cordial co-operation. Mr. Wellman, Mr. Fenn, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Machin, and others have most kindly lent me specimens to figure when requested ; and I believe I have in no instance omitted to acknowledge in its proper place the assistance I have thus received : should any such omission be discovered, I trust that it will be forgiven, for it can have no other cause than mere inadvertence. To Mr. Thomas Huckett, formerly an assistant in my office, I was indebted fdr an unceasing supply of those caterpillars which I described month after month in the pages of the Zoologist. I cannot overstate the value of his zeal and energy; they were only equalled by his intimate knowledge of the species he procured. From Mr. Wright also I have often received the same kind of help in this investigation of caterpillars ; and I may truly say I have never met with an entomologist who managed them with greater skill or more unquestionable success. To M. Guenee's volumes on Geometers and Noctuas I am under the greatest obligation ; without free access to these fountains of Moth lore, my labours would have been very imperfect. In conclusion, let me remind my younger friends and fellow-students in this interesting science, that individual exertion will never suffice for the formation of even a moderately good collection. Let them assiduously help one another : let them offer their duplicates and make known their wants through the Entomologist, which is published by Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. for this especial purpose ; but let them avoid bargain-making. If an entomologist gives liberally he will be sure to meet with a .liberal return. And now, after a most agreeable companionship of so many months, I must take leave of my subscribers, trusting to meet them hereafter in the monthly issues of the British Butterflies. Until then, I wish them every happiness and every success in a pursuit which, unlike many of our human avocations, has no alloy. EDWARD NEWMAN. YORK GROVE, PECKHAM. 1 June, 1869 THE ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH MOTHS LY EDWARD NEWMAN, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &G LONDON: \V. TWT.BIUF.. 337, STEAM n. LONDON: PKIHTED BY HANKKN AND CO., DR NOCTURNI, THE 1. The Eyed Hawk-Moth (Smerh.tkus ocellatm). 2. The Poplar Hawk-Moth (Smerinthus Populi). 3. The Lime Hawk-Moth (Smerinthm Tiliai). 4. The Death's-Head Hawk-Moth (AcherontiaAtro- pos). 5. The Convolvulus Hawk-Moth (Sphinx Convolvuli). 6. The Privet Hawk-Moth (Sphinx Ligustri). 7. The Spurge Hawk-Moth (Deilephila Euphorbia}. 8. The Bedstraw Hawk-Moth (Deilephila Galii). 9. The Striped Hawk-moth (Deilephila livornica). 10. The Silver-striped Hawk-Moth (Clico-ocnmpn Ce- lerid). 11. The Small Elephant Hawk-Moth (Chrr.rocampa Porcdlus], 12. The Elephant Hawk- Moth (Chmrocampa Elpenor}. 13. The Oleander Hawk-Moth (C/icerccmnpa Nerii). 14. The Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth (Macroglossa stellataruni). 15. The Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth (Macro- glossa fuciform is] . 16. The Narrow-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth (Macro- glossa boinbyliformis}. THE Moths may be known from Butterflies by four characters that are very simple and easy to understand. In the first place, they fly by night instead of by day ; in the second place, their bodies are not nipped in at the middle or waist, like those of butterflies ; in the third place, their feelers, or antennae, have no knobs at the cud like those of butter- flies ; and, in the fourth and last place, when a moth is at rest, its wings arc either laid on its body or folded round its sides, whilst those of a butterfly stand up straight, quite upright, and back to back. Having thus a method by which we can distinguish a Moth from a Butteifly, we must try to find how to make divisions among the Moths ; for there arc about nineteen hundred Moths in Great Britain and Ireland, aud un- less we cau divide this large assemblage into sections, we shall have a great difficulty in making our descriptions intelligible. The first family are called Hawk-Moths, or Humming-bird Moths (from their mode of flight), and in Latin Spiling idta, derived from a fancied resemblance of the caterpillars which produce these Moths, to the celebrated Egyptian Sphinx, a fictitious animal, of which pretended images were carved out of granite three thousand years ago. The Hawk-Moths are all large insects, with thick bodies, rather pointed at the tail, and with rather narrow, but very strong wings ; they fly with great velocity. Many of them have a very long honey-sucking tube, which they stretch out in a straight line before their heads, and in- serting it into the cups of flowers, they suck out the honey while hovering in the air. Mr. JPouglas has written the following beautiful description of the flight of a Sphinx : " Did you ever see a Sphinx fly ? /While you arc looking at a flower, in the twilight, between you and it glides a motion, a moving haziness, which is before you, and yet conveys to your eyes no definite image. Before you have half thought what it can be, you see the flower again distinctly, and rub your eyes, thinking there must have been an illusion, or possibly an unsteadiness of vision caused by the irri- tation of that gnat which was buzzing about your head, when, lo ! the flower just beyond seems to shiver ; you move to see what is there, but there is a move before you, and a dim shadow flits away like a thought. Can it be anything real ? Stand still awhile : and now, in the increasing gloom, as you bend over the petunias, holding your breath, you see a darkness visible drop down before you : but its presence is better made known by the humming caused by the rapid vibration of its wings. Stir not, or this aerial body will float away. Now, you see it deigns not to alight, or touch the margin of the chalice ; but poising itself in the air, stretches out its long tubular tongue, and quaffs the nectar at the bottom." The caterpillars of all the Spit ing idee arc large and smooth, they are quite without hairs, and most of them have a hard curved horn just above the tail. We now proceed to describe the Moths in systematic order. BRITISH MOTHS. 1. The Eyed Hawk-Myth (ti.nerinthus ocellu(ui). 1. THE EYED HAWK-MOTH, so called from a large and beautiful spot in each of the hind wings that somcAvhut resembles an eye. The fore wings are brown, with a very beautiful reddish bloom over them, and clouded with olive-brown. The hind wings arc of a deli-, cate rosy red at the base, and pale brown to- wards the margin ; and each has a large and beautiful eye -like spot, grey in the centre, surrounded with blue, and the blue sur- rounded by a black ring. The skin of the caterpillar is rough, like shagreen ; it is pale green, sprinkled with white, and has seven oblique white stripes on each side. The hoin at the tail is blue. It is very common in the autumn, feeding on apple trees in gardens, and on willow bushes in hedges. The chrysalis is red-brown, and glossy. The Moth is found about Mid.unnncr. (Scientific name, Smen'nt/ms ocella-fu-:. } 2. THE POPLAU HAWK-MOTH. The wings are notched at the margin ; the fore wings ^ivy-brown marbled with darker brown, and having v. white dot in the middle : the hind wings red at the base, brown towards the margin. The caterpillar is rough like sha- green, green sprinkled with yellow ; and it 2. The Poplar Hawk-Moth (Smerinthua Populi). has seven oblique yellowish stripes on each side : there is also a row of red dots along each side at the breathing holes. The horn at the tail is yellow, inclining to red beneath. It feeds principally on the common upright Lombardy poplar, but also, in gardens, on the common laurel and laurustinus. The chry- 3. The Lime Hawk-Moth (i'merinthua THia.) NOOTUENI. salis is rough, and always looks as though it had been dipped in mud, and dried without washing. The Moth is common on palings, and on the trunks of poplar trees, about Mid- summer. (Scientific name, S>iierinthus Pc- pitli.} 3. THE LIME HAWK-MOTH. The fore wings are olive-brown, with a central cross- bar of dark olive-green, and a green border ; the cross-bar is often divided in the middle so as to form two spots hind wings brown, with a darker band passing across them ; the base of the hind wings is rather darker than the rest ; not pink, as in the Eyed Hawk-Moth, or red, as in the Poplar Hawk -Moth. The caterpillar is rough like shagreen, greenish sprinkled with yellow dots, and having seven oblique yellowish stripes on each side ; these stripes are sometimes margined with red : the horn at the tail is blue above, and yellow beneath ; and beneath the tail is a flat purple plate or scale, with a yellow edge, It feeds on elm trees and lime trees. The chrysalis is of a dull red colour, and rough like the. caterpillar. ) (Scientific name, Smerinthus 4. The D.-n ih's- Head Hawk- 4. THE DEATH'S-HEAD HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings rich brown, beautifully mottled and banded, and having a pale dot in the middle. Hind wings yellow, with two black bands. On the thorax is a very conspicuous mark re- sembling a skull, which has given rise to the name, and also to many superstitions respect- ing this curious insect. The body is yellow, with six black bands and a row of six large blue spots arranged in a line down the middle of its back. The caterpillar is smooth, and generally yellow, sprinkled over with minute black dots, and having seven oblique blue stripes on each side, each pair of them meeting to- gether on the back in a point ; towards the belly of the caterpillar they become darker and almost black, and are margined by a de- licate white line ; the horn above the tail is (Acheroutia Atropos). very rough and bent down, but turned tip again at the tip. It feeds on the deadly night- shade, the potato, and the tea-tree : the chry- salis is enormously large, of a reddish-brown colour, smooth and shining. The caterpillar is found in August, the perfect insect in October : it is very fond of honey, and creeps into the hives in the South of Europe, and, with its short thick trunk, sucks the honey out of the cells. This insect is as extraordinary in its habits as in its appearance. In all the stages of its existence, whether as caterpillar, chrysalis, or perfect insect, it has the power of uttering a distinct cry, or sound. The noise made by the caterpillar was first noticed by Fucssly : when disturbed it draws back its head very quickly, making at the same time a loud snap- ping noise, which has been compared to a BEITISH MOTHS. scries of electric sparks. Kirby and Spence, the authors of the invaluable " Introduction to Entomology," and all subsequent writers on Entomology, notice this fact ; and we have ourselves repeatedly confirmed it during the past summer. "We have also observed that the chrysalis squeaks when about to change to a moth ; but the sound produced by the perfect insect is the most remarkable. ' ' When it walks, and more particularly when it is confined or taken into the hand, it sends forth a strong and sharp cry, resembling that of a mouse, but more plaintive, and even lament- able, which it continues as long as it is held. This cry does not appear to be produced by the wings, for when they, as well as the thorax aud abdomen, are held down, the cries of the insect become still louder." There has been a great diversity of opinion as to the manner in which this squeaky sound is pro- duced. Reaumur occupied himself very as- siduously in endeavouring to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion on the subject, and at last decided that it proceeded from the mouth. The insect, in common with all other Moths, has two short feelers, or palpi, in front of its head, and between these is situated the trunk, tongue, or proboscis ; and Reaumur thought that it rubbed the trunk against the feelers, and that the squeaking resulted from this friction. He straightened out the curved pro- boscis with a large pin, and as often as he performed this operation the squeaking ceased, and was renewed again directly he allowed the proboscis to resume its usual position. He then separated the feelers widely, so that they could not touch the proboscis, and this also stopped the sound ; he then cut off one of the feelers, and the sound was scarcely audible. Schrceter was also of opinion that the sound was produced by rubbing the proboscis against some part of the head, but he does not specify what part of the head. Huber, Rcesel, and other entomologists totally dissent from this view, and the latter made up his mind that it was caused by rubbing the thorax against the abdomen, or that part of the body that im- mediately joins the thorax or chest. It is not a little remarkable, that, now the insect has become comparatively common, our excellent living entomologists have not solved this curious problem. However, let the cause of the noise be what it may, the effect is to pro- duce the most superstitious feelings among the uneducated, by whom it is always re- garded with feelings of awe and terror. (Scientific name, Achcrontia Ait epos.} 5. THE CONVOLVULUS HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings grey, delicately marbled and mottled with darker waved lines: hind wings paler grey, with three dark, almost black bands, the C. The Convolvulus Hawk-Moth (Sphinx Convolvttti). middle double, body with a grey stripe down the middle, and alternate pink and black spots on each side, a narrow white line be- tween the two colours. The trunk, or tongue, NOCTUBNI. is remarkably long, quite as long as the body. Caterpillar smooth, generally green, with seven oblique black stripes on each side ; each black stripe is bordered with a whitish stripe : the head and the horn above the tail yellowish ; sometimes the caterpillar is brown, with the back and oblique stripes much darker : it is said to feed on the bind-weed. The chrysalis is smooth^ and the long trunk is projected in front like a great beak. Aljthough the per- fect insect is by no means uncommon, we have never seen the caterpillar or chrysalis, and have copied our description from a very useful German work called the "Butterfly Book," by F. Berge. The Moth flies in Sep- tember. (The scientific name is Sphinx Con- volvuli.) G. The Privet Hawk-Moth (taphinx Liyustrt). G. THE PRIVET HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings brown, clouded lengthwise with darker shades: hind wings pink, with three black bands ; body with a broad brown, stripe down the back and a black line in the centre ; the sides beauti- fully marked with pink and black alternately. Caterpillar very smooth, delicate green, with seven oblique stripes on each side ; that por- tion of the stripes near to the head is of a delicate purple, and that portion nearest the tail of an equally delicate Avhitc ; the horn is black at the tip and on the upper side, but yellow at the base beneath : it feeds on lilac, privet, and several other plants. The chrysalis is smooth, and has a beak in front. The per- fect insect appears about Midsummer; the caterpillar in August and September. (The scientific Ramc is Sphinx Ligustri.} 7. The Spurge Ilawlf-'Moth (Ihilplila 7. THE SPURGE HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings grey, with an almost square olive-brown blotch ; at the base another olive-brown blotch near the middle, and a long oblique band of the same colour, commencing in a point at the extreme ape* of the wing, and BRITISH MOTHS. gradually growing wider until it reaches the margin, where it is very broad : hind wind's pink, with a black blotch at the base, and a black bund half-way between this black blotch and the margin, and a snowy-white blotch at the anal angle : thorax and body olive-brown, with a white line on each side of the thorax just at the base of the wings ; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye, and the two meet at the nose ; the body has on each side at the base two square black spots and two square white spots, and beyond them, nearer the apex, and also on each side, arc three white lines. The caterpillar is smooth and black, with innumerable whitish dots ; there arc also eleven large spots of the same colour arrayed in a row on each side of the back, and beneath those as many spots of the same size and of a bright coral-red colour ; the head is of the same coral-red colour, and a lino of the same colour runs all along the back, from the head to the horn ; the horn is red at the base and black at the tip. It feeds on the sea-spurge at Applcdore and Braunton Burrows, near Barnstaple, where it was found by the late Mr. lladdon in abundance many years ago. The perfect insect has never been found in this country. The chrysalis is pale brown and delicately lined and dotted with black in the manner of network ; it buries itsolf in the loose dry sand on the sea coast. The eggs arc covered with liquid gum, which enables them to stick on the small leaves of the spurge. In a fortnight these hatch and produce little black caterpillars ; the white and red spots appear as the caterpillar increases in. size, and in. a few weeks it becomes a most beautiful object, and so conspicuous as to at- tract the sea-gulls and terns, which devour them in numbers. "VVe have never had the pleasure of finding either I he caterpillar or per- fect moth. Our description of the caterpillar is taken from the Entomological Magazine. (The scientific name is Dcilcphila Euphorbia.} 8. The Bodstraw Hawk-Moth (Lcilephila Ga'ii). 8. THE BEDSTRAW HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings olive-brown, with a broad, irregular, whitirh stripe along the middle ; hind wings black at the base ; then a broad pinkish- white band, quite white near the body, and bright pink about the middle ; then a distinct black band, and then a grey margin ; thorax and body olive-brown, a white line on each side of the thorax just at the base of the wings ; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye ; sides of the body with black 'and whitish spots. The caterpillar is smooth, bluish-green above, inclining to pink beneath, sometimes brown and sometimes black, but always having a pale, almost yellow, line down the middle of the back, and a row of ten con- spicuous eye-like yellow spots, on each side ; the head is green, brown, or black, according to the colour of the caterpillar, but the horn above the tail is invariably red. Feeds on the Ladies' Bcdstraw on sand-hills by the sea- coast, especially near Deal, and is not uncom- mon, but requires to be diligently sought after. The chrysalis is brown, and is found in the sand. The caterpillar feeds in August and September, and the Moth appears about Mid- summer. (The scientific name is Deilephila Galii.} NOOTUBNL 9. The Striped IIawk-l>i 9. TIIE STRITTD HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings brown, with a pale margin, and a broad, irre- gular, whitish stripe along the middle ; hind wings black at the base ; then a broad, pink band, white next the body ; then a broad dis- tinct black band and a grey margin ; the veins in the wings have a grey appearance ; thorax and body brown, a greyish line on each side of the thorax, just at the base of the wings this line runs along the head on each side just above the eye. The caterpillar is yellowish ; with the head, the first segment of the body, a broad lino along the back, and the whole of the belly intensely black ; on each side is a scries of crescent-shaped black mark- ings, and a double row of bright orange spots. It is said to feed on the Ladies' Bedstraw and on the vine, but it is a very rare visitor in this country. Our description of the caterpillar is from the German. The chrysalis is pale brown. (The scientific name is Deilephila livornica.} NOTE. Most of the specimens in this coun- try are Continental ones, sold by fraiidulcnt dealers to the ignorant as the preceding species; but there are a few undoubtedly British examples of this beautiful Moth. 10. Tho Silver-Striped Haw 10. THE SILVER-STRIPED HAAVK-MOTH. Fore wings brown, with a narrow silvery oblique stripe along the middle, commencing in a point at the extreme apex of the wing ; this stripe is composed of four very delicate lines, the upper one of which is silvery ; the hind margin of the wing has several delicate lines, and the veins of the wing are also silvery ; hind wings pink at the base, the rest pink-brown, with two black bands, which arc united by six black lines ; thorax and body L-Moth (CJicerocampa Celerto). brown ; thorax with an ash-coloured lino on each side at the base of the wings, and two silvery lines ; body with a row of white marks down the middle, and two silvery spots on each side of each segment. " Caterpillar green or purplish brown ; on the fifth and sixth segments are two round black spots, dotted with yellow, and encircled with a yellow ring ; those on the fifth segment larger. Horn brown, very slender, and quite straight. Feeds on the vine." We have never seen the cater- 10 BRITISH MOTHS. pillar of this Moth; our description is ex- tracted from Mr. Stainton's " Manual of Bri- tish Butterflies and Moths." The author has copied it from Fryer. The perfect insect has occurred now and then in England, but can scarcely be regarded as a British, insect. (The scientific name is Chcerocampa Celerio.) 11. THE SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH. = Pore wings yellowish olive-brown, with pink blotches along the upper or costal margin, and a broad irregular pink outer margin ; thorax and body rosy red, with the head, shoulders, and some indistinct patches along the middle of the body, olive-brown. The caterpillar is slightly rough, and either of a uniform brown or green colour, having a round black spot on each side of the fourth, fifth, and sixth segments ; the spots on the fifth and sixth segments have a snow-white lunule in them ; there is no horn above the tail. It feeds on the Ladies' Bedstraw, and is particu- larly fond of a chalky soil. The chrysalis is brown, the covering of the wing-eases darker than that of the body. The Moth is found in June, the caterpillar in August. (The scien- tific name is Chcerocampa Porcellus), 11. The Small Elephant Hawk-Moth (Chcerotampcf Porcellus). 12. THE ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings olive-green, obliquely shaded with pink ; hind wings black at the base, the rest pink ; thorax and body olive-brown, the thorax with four longitudinal pink marks, the body with a pink central line and pink sides. Caterpillar green or brown, the males generally brown, with conspicuous black eye-like spots on each 12. The Elephant Hawk-Moth (Chcerocampa Elpcnor). side of the fourth and fifth segments. Feeds on the large Willow Herb, which is so common on the sides of ditches, and also on Ladies' Bedstraw, and sometimes in gardens on Fuchsias, Chrysalis yellow-brown, marbled with black. The Moth occurs in June, the caterpillar in August. (The scientific name is Chcerocampa Elpsnor.) 13. The Oleander Hawk-Moth (Clccrncampa JVmY). NOCTUENI. 11 13. THE OLEANDER HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings exquisitely varied and waved with green, and having numerous slender and oblique indistinct whitish lines traversing them in all directions; hind wings of the same beautiful colour, but browner at the base, and having a whitish line passing along the middle; body also green and shaded as beautifully as the wings. This noble and beautiful insect is not an inhabitant of Great Britain ; but two or three specimens have been blown over from the coast of France, in which country it is not uncommon : this circum- stance has induced our dealers to import these Moths in large quantities for the sake of imposing on rich and silly young collectors, who give almost any money for a rarity of this kind, little suspecting that it has just been imported from the Continent at a hun- dredth part of the price they are paying. The caterpillar is as beautiful as the Moth ; it is grrcn, orange, or brown, delicately marked with white dots ; the second, third, and fourth segments are, however, always yellow, and the third has on each side a large round blue spot, with a black margin, and from this spot to the tail is a straight whitish band on each side ; it has a short horn above the tail, bent back- wards. It feeds on the Oleander. The Moth occurs in June and sometimes in October, the caterpillar in July, August, and Septem- ber. (The scientific name is Chcerocampa Nerii.) 1 i. The Humming-Bud Hawk-Moth (Macroglossa stcllataruni). 14. THE HuJlMlNG-BlBD HAWK-MOTH. Fore wings smoke-coloured, with two slender cross-bars and a black dot between them ; liind wings orange coloured, blackish at the base and brownish at the margin : thorax and body smoke-coloured, with black and white spots at the sides of the latter, and close to them black and white tufts of hair, which it spreads out when flying ; the extreme end of the body has also a fringe of stiff black hairs. The flight of this insect is diurnal, and very beautiful. "What is this, at our jasmine, with bird-like head, with brilliant eye, with out-spread and pai'ti-coloured tail, humming loudly, and, though driven away, returning again and again, day after day, from the rising to the setting of the sun? It is the Humming-bird Hawk-Moth : from January to December we have some flower welcome to her, and she is welcome, most welcome to us and ours. The caterpillar is greenish or pinkish-brown, the sides in both cases inclining to blue, and sprinkled with white ; and along each side is a straight pinkish or dirty white line, which terminates at the horn; below this is a second rather narrower and less conspicuous line, of a duller colour ; the horn is thin, sharp- pointed, straight and upright ; it feeds on the Ladies' Bedstraw. The chrysalis is brown, and found just below the surface of the ground. (The scientific name is Macroglossa stella- taruiu.} 15. The Broad-Bordered liee Hawk-Moth {Macro- glossa fusiform is) . 15. THE BROAD-BORDERED BE^ HAWK- MOTH. Fore wings transparent, with a brown oblique spot in the centre, a black base tinged with green, and a broad red-brown margin ; hind wings transparent, with a red-brown margin ; thorax and base of the body olive- brown ; middle of the body red-brown, in the form of a belt; tbliecji- f or mis.) 27. The Dusky Clcarwing (Sesia Ves-pifonuia). 27. THE DUSKY CLEAUWING. Fore wings opaque, blackish ; head black, with a yellow nock, thorax and abdomen black, the latter with three cqui-distant, distinct yellow belts, and between each two an extremely slender narrow line ; tail-fringe black. The cater- pillar feeds on the roots of ash and aspen trees ; the Moth appears in June, and is ex- ceedingly rare. (The scientific name is Sesia Vcfpiformis.) 28. The Hornet Clearwing of the Osier (Scsia lirmbr- cfformis). 28. THE HOENET CLEARWOG OF THE OSIEU. Fore wings transparent, tinged with yellow ; head brown, with a yellow neck ; body yellow, with a brown belt at the base, and another near the middle ; no tail-fringe ; legs orange. The caterpillar feeds on the wood of osier, spinning a tough cocoon in twigs so small that they seem scarcely large enough for the purpose: the Moth appears at Mid- summer. (The scientific name is Sesia Lcmlcciformis.} 29. The Hornet Clearwing of the Poplar (Srsia Api- forniis). 29. TIIE HORNLT CLEAKWIXG or THE POP- LAR. Fore wings transparent, tinged with yellow ; head yellow ; thomx brown, with a square patch of bright yellow on each side in front ; body yellow, with a brown belt near the base, and another near the middle ; legs deep-orunge. The caterpillar feeds on the solid wood of aspens and poplars, ami lives often concealed for two years ; when full-fed, it spins a tough cocoon, made of silk and the chips of the poplar, often near the ground ; the Moth appears about Midsummer, and is exactly like a hornet in size, colour, and shape ; indeed, it would be difficult- to distinguish it from a hornet, were it not for its soft, downy covering, so different from the hard case of a hornet. (The scientific na ne is Sesia Api- f or mis.) WOOD-BOKEES. 17 FAMILY III. THE ZEUZERTDM. 32. The Goat Sloth (Cossus liffniperda). 30. The Reed Mcth (Macrogastcr Arundinis). 31. The Leopard Moth (Zeuzera THE THIRD FAMILY of British Moths is called Zeuzeridce, from Zeuzera, the most familiar genus. We have already said how unlike each other are the three families which constitute the tribe Cossites ; scarcely less unlike are the three Moths which, in this country, represent the family Zeuzerklce ; they agree, however, iu some very essential characters ; all the caterpillars feed inside trunks and stems, and they are all unsightly and most destructive maggots ; they have hard and horny heads, and a horny plate on the segment next the head. The chrysalises have a series of little hooks on each segment. In the perfect or Moth state, all the females have a long, polished, hard, and piercing ovipositor, with which they deposit their eggs deep in the crevices of the bark of trees. 30. The Reed Moth (Male) (Macrogaster Amndtnis). 30. THE REED MOTH. Fore wings pale brown, the rays being slightly paler, and somewhat raised, and the spaces between them sprinkled with extremely minute. black dots ; the hind wings pale brown ; thorax and body of the same pale brown colour as the wings ; the body very long in the female, very much exceeding the wings in length ; the antennae of the male are slender, and almost like a hair at the tip, but fringed at the base like a double comb ; those of the female are slightly fringed throughout their length. The ' caterpillar is dingy white, inclining to yellow, fand feeds in the interior of the common reed (Ariuulo Phraymites). This insect has only been found in two localities Holme Fen in Huntingdonshire, and Whittlesea Mere, iu Cambridgeshire but in these places it was formerly abundant. The female, as we have said, has a remai'kably long body ; she flies low, slowly, and steadily, with this extraordi- nary body hanging down. . She settles on a stem of a reed, running up and down, and incessantly vibrating her wings, while she The Reed Moth (Female). seems to be feeling about with the curious ovipositor we have mentioned as characteristic of the tribe, as though seeking for a suitable place in which to deposit her egg. The egg is placed on end, as observed by Mr. Harding, and is glued to the stem of the reed by a strongly adhesive fluid secreted in the insect, which dries the moment the egg is laid : in this position the head of the little caterpillar is placed nearest the stem of the reed, into which it eats its Way directly it leaves its egg- shell : it enters almost close to the ground and eats upwards ; the Moth lays but one egg in one reed stem : the chrysalis is very long, shaped much like that of a gnat, nnd is very rough to the touch, owing to the cir- cles of little hooks which surround each seg- ment : by means of these hooks it wriggles up and down the interior of the reed stem. The Moth comes out in June, and Mr. Double- day says that it leaves the chrysalis at ten o'clock in the evening. This Moth is a favourite food of the black-headed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) ; but when it escapes this bird, it only lives a fewdays. (The scien- tific name is Macrogaster Arundinis.) EDWARD NEWMAN'S BRITISH MOTHS : \ f LONDON : E. HAEBWICEB, 18 BEITISH MOTHS. Head of Male. 31. The 31. THE LEOPARD MOTH. So called from its beautifully-spotted wings. The fore wings are almost white, with very many blue-black roundish spots ; the hind wings are similarly coloured and marked, but the spots are less distinct : all the wings have a semi-transpa- rent appearance : thorax almost white, with six large roundish black spots ranged in three pairs, and another smaller spot between the last pair ; body grey : anteunec of the male slender and hair-like at the tip, but fringed at the base like a double comb. Caterpillar Avhitish, with black glossy spots, and having a blackish plate on the first segment behind Leopard Moth (Female) (Zeuzera JSsculi). the head ; it feeds on the solid wood of elm, apple, pear, and plum trees, but never to such excess as to destroy them. We have even observed that fruit trees thus infected bear more abundantly than those which are per- fectly healthy. The caterpillar feeds through the winter, turning to a chrysalis in May. The Moth appears at Midsummer, and may be found by searching diligently the stems of infected trees early in the morning : the male comes to light, and may be found in the morning on the gas lamps. (The scientific name is Zeu:.tra ^ 32. The Goat Moth 32. THE GOAT MOTH. So called from the caterpillar having a very pungent disagreeable smell, like that of a he-goat. Fore wings rich brown, beautifully varied and mottled, the darker markings being dispersed in waved lines, placed transversely to the rays ; hind wings pale dingy brown, having markings something like those on the fore wings, but less distinct; antenna), slightly fringed throughout in both sexes, dark brown ; head also dark brown, with a nearly white ring round the neck ; thorax dark brown in front, shaded to whitish grey (Cossus ligmperaa). in the middle, and having a rather narrow black band behind ; body brown and grey in alternate rings. Caterpillar flesh-coloured, with a black head and broad dull red stripe down the back ; feeds on the solid wood of willows, elms, oaks, lilacs, and other trees, living for four years ; it has caused the death of many valuable elms ; and a small beetle {Bcolytus Destructor) breeding abundantly in the bark of the dying trees, the injmy has been erroneously attributed to this beetle, and not to the true cause, which, feeding and carry- WOOD-BOEEES. 19 ing on its work of devastation out of sight, lias escaped the notice of superficial observers ; before changing to a chrysalis it spins a very large tough cocoon, composed of silk mixed with fragments of gnawed wood. This cater- pillar is the Cossus of Pliny and the lloman epicures. (The scientific name is Cossus Hy- niperda.) FAMILY IV. THE HEPIALID^E. 3;l. The Gold Swift (llepialus hectui). 31. The Common Swift (Hepiulus lupuUiuts). 3 3. The Wood Swift (Hepialus sylcinus). 36. The Northern Swift (Hejrialus Vall 37. The Ghost Swift (llepialus /tumuli'). THE FOURTH FAMILY of Moths (Hepialida) contains but five British species, most of them distinguished by their rapid flight, and hence called SWIFTS. They are all remarkable for the very short and simple antennae, a charac- ter that will be made very obvious from our figures. 33. The Gold Swift (Jlep'utltis Jieclns). 33. THE GOLD SWIFT. Fore wings tawny, with two oblique rows of silvery white spots, the outer interrupted, angled, and irregular ; hind wings smoke-coloured, with pale fringe ; head, thorax, and body fulvous brown : the female has the markings on the fore wings very indistinct. Caterpillar dirty white ; feeds on the roots of plants in hedges and woods. The Moth flies directly after the sun is set, and with a restless sportive kind of flight, as though for pleasure, and not with that steady business-like air which a moth assumes when going to suck the honey of flowers or in search of its mate. The caterpillar feeds in the winter and spring, turns to a chrysalis in May and the Moth flies at Midsummer. (The scientific name is Hepwdu* hectus.) 34. THE COMMON SWIFT. This common insect is so extremely variable in colour that it is almost impossible to write such a descrip- tion as shall agree with half-a-dozen specimens taken consecutively. Fore wings brown, with a row of irregular whitish spots, which runs from the. tip to the middle of the inner mar- gin, and then turns inwards towards the base ; hind wings smoke-coloured, with pale fringes : 34. The Common Swift (Hep lulus lupullnus). such is the more general appearance of the male. The female has scarcely any variety of colour, the fore wings being dingy brown, the hind wings smoke-coloured ; head, tho- rax, and body, dingy brown. Caterpillar dirty white, with dark plates on the .seg- ments nearest the head : it feeds on roots of the dead nettles (Ballota fvetida, Lamium album, &c.) throughout the winter ; changes to a chrysalis in May, and the Moth appears in June, darting swiftly about every hedgerow. (The scientific name is llepialus lupnlinus.} 35. The Wood Swift (Jfepialus syh-im/s). 3-5. THE WOOD SWIFT. Fore wings tawny, with a rather obscure whitish line running from near the tip to near the middle of the inner margin, and then turning inwards towards the base of the wing ; these white marks arc bor- dered with dark brown, and within the trian- gle formed bv these marks is a very obvious BEITISH MOTHS. brown spot ; the fringes of the fore wings are orange-coloured and unspotted ; hind wings dusky brown, with orange-coloured fringe; thorax and body orange-brown. -The female is larger than the male, the colour is duller, and the markings much less conspicuous. No one has discovered the caterpillar of this com- mon Moth, which occurs in the perfect or Moth state in July. (The scientific name is Hepialus sylvimis ) 30. The Northern Swift (Hepialus Velleda). 36. THE NORTHERN SWIFT. Fore mahogany -brown in the male, obscure brown in the female ; in both sexes there is a pale broad oblique band running from the tip to the inner margin ; the upper or outer end of this baud is forked, one branch terminating in the extreme tip, the other in the costal margin; there are other pale markings of uncertain situation nearer the base of the wing; the fringes are paler and spotted with dark brown ; thorax and body dull brown. A dull, ugly-looking insect. The caterpillar feeds through the winter in the subterraneous rhizome of the common Brake. (Pteris aquilina.) The Moth appears in July, and swarms in some parts of the North of England, in Scotland, and in the Western Isles; near Stromness in Orkney, a dozen may be taken in the season with one sweep of the collecting net. We have never taken it in the South of England. (The scientific name is Hepiahis Velleda.) 37. The Ghost Swift (Male) (Ilepialus humuli). 37. THE GHOST S\HFT. So called from the white colour of the male. All the wings of the male silvery white ; fore wings of the female yellow, with orange markings ; hind wings smoke-coloured at the base, but becom- ing tawny towards the margin ; head, thorax, and body tawny. Caterpillar dirty white, the segment nearest the head with a brown plate ; The Ghost Swift (Female). feeds on the roots of Burdock (Arctium Lappa), Stinging Nettle (Urtica divica), album), abundant in the South of England about Midsummer. (The scientific name is Hepiahis humuli.) SNAIL-FEET. FAMILY V. THE COCHLIOPODID^. 38. The Triangle Moth (Limacodes Asellus). \ 39. The Festoon Moth (Limacodes Testudo). THE FIFTH FAMILY of Moths is called Cocli- Uopodidce, from two Greek words, signifying " snail " and " foot," because the caterpillar resembles a snail, crawling along the surface of the leaf on which it feeds. The flat part of a snail on which it crawls is called the "foot :" the feet of these caterpillars are -re- tractile, so when one of them is turned on its back, the legs appear to be withdrawn into its stomach ; but when again placed in its natural position, the feet are protruded, and take firm hold of the leaf. The caterpillars spin a silken cocoon among the oak trees, and in this change to a chrysalis. Female. Male. 38. The Triangle Moth (Limacodes Asellus). 38. THE TRIANGLE MOTH. Fore wings of the male dark brown, with two oval black spots, scarcely perceptible in some specimens ; hind wings almost black, unspotted ; fore wings of the female yellow-brown, unspotted ; hind wings dark brown, unspotted 5 the fe- male is considerably larger than the male. The caterpillar is something like a wood-louse, and sits close on the surface of the leaves of the oak on which it feeds ; it is of a yellow- green colour, with a yellow stripe down the middle of the back, and has a number of shining pimples of a pinkish hue : it feeds in August and September, and spins up in October ; it remains in the chrysalis state all the winter and spring, and the Moth comes out at Midsummer. It is only found in the New Forest in Hampshire, where a collector of the name of Turner has taken it in immense quantities. (The scientific name is Limacodes A self us. Male. Female. 39. The Festoon Moth (Limacodes Testudu). 39. THE FESTOON MOTH. Fore wings of the male yellow-brown, with two narrow brown stripes : the first is oblique, running from the middle of the costal margin to near the base of the inner margin ; the second is quite straight, appearing to cut off the tip of the wing: between these two, on the inner margin, is a short oblique stripe of the same colour ; hind wings dark brown, unspotted. Female larger ; fore and hind wings both inclining to clay-yellow. Antennae of both sexes yellow ; head and thorax clay- yellow, body browner. The caterpillar feeds on the oak from July to September ; its shape is something like that of a wood-louse, but it still more resembles those common little sea-shells which are called Chitons : it is of a more dusky green colour, with a broad stripe down the back of a paler hue, and along each side of this is a row of shining pimples, rather pink. In October it spins on one of the oak-leaves a tough cocoon, brown outside, but most delicately white and silken inside ; in this the caterpillar remains unchanged through the winter, but early in spring it changes to a yellow-brown chrysalis, which turns to a Moth in June ; the female is very sluggish, sitting on the leaves of the oak, and when shaken into a net it drops like a little lump of yellow clay, and remains quite motionless, feigning death. AVe have repeatedly taken it in the woods of Kent, but never saw it fly ; the male on the contrary flies rapidly through the woods in hot sun- shine, generally against the wind and always in a zigzag direction. (The scientific name is Limacodes Testudo.) BEITISH MOTHS. FAMILY VI. THE PEOCEIDJE. 40. The Forester (Procris Statices). 41. The Scarce Forester (Trocns THE SIXTH FAMILY of Moths is called Pro- cridce. The caterpillars are shaped a good deal like those of Cochliopodidce, but their feet are more plainly to be seen, and the caterpillars themselves are downy or hairy : they spin cocoons on the leaves on which they feed. They are small but beautiful Moths, of a golden-green colour, very slug- gish in dull weather, and commonly found settled on flowers ; one plant in particular seems attractive to them, and that is the Mullein, on the yellow blossoms of which they may often be found settled, their rich golden-green wings forming a lovely contrast to the bright yellow of the flowers : they fly occasionally, but we have only seen them on the wing in very bright sunshine. 40. The Forester (Trocris Statices). 40. THE FORESTER. Fore wings shinins; o o green, and semi -transparent ; hind wings smoke-coloured ; antennae fringed in the male, and rather blunt at the tip ; head, thorax, and abdomen golden green. The caterpillar short, stout, and downy, very dingy green, with a stripe of black spots down the middle of the back, and a pale stripe on each side ; it feeds on the common Sorrel, and may be found in May and June ; it spins a cocoon on the leaves or flower-stalk of Sorrel, and then turns to a chrysalis, in which state it remains but a few days, the Moth appearing at Midsummer. (The scientific name is Procris Statices.) 41. The Scarce Forester (Procris Glolularitv). 41. THE SCARCE FORESTER, Fore wings shining coppery green, and semi-transparent ; hind wings smoke-coloured ; antennse fringed in the male, and pointed at the tip ; head, thorax, and abdomen golden green. We are sorry to say we do not know the caterpillar or its food. (The scientific name is Procris Globularice.) UKSESTES. 23 FAMILY VII. THE ZYGLENID.E. 42. The Transparent Burnet (Zyrjxna Minos). 43. The Broad-bordered Five-spotted Burnet (Zygxna TrifotX). 44. The Narrow-bordered Five-spotted Burnet (Zygxna LonicerfR). 45. The Six-spotted Burnet (Zygmw FiUpendulx). THE SEVENTH FAMILY of Moths, called Zt/!/< i-nii!a>, are remarkable for their beauti- fully-spotted fore wings, and their bright red hind wings. The caterpillars are stout and hairy, and spin silken cocoons on the stems of grasses, . 43. THE BROAD-BORDERED FIVE-SPOTTED BURNET. Fore wings blackish green, with five red spots ; two of them are close together at the base and are of an oblong form : two others, of a roundish form, are placed side by side about the middle of the wing ; these two often touch each other ; and beyond them, towards the tip of the wing, is a fifth almost 24 BRITISH MOTHS. round, quite by itself: hind wings crimson red, with a broad black border; antennae, thorax, and body black ; the antennae are club-shaped, and blunt at the tip, but not quite so blunt as in the Transparent Burnet. " Caterpillar green or yellowish green, with two dorsal rows of black spots on each side ; it feeds on the horse-shoe vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, bird's-foot trefoil, Lotus corniculafys, and Trifolium procumbent" The caterpillar is found in May and the Moth in June. (The scientific name is Zygoma Trifolii.) 4. The Narrow-bordered Five-spotted Burnet (Zygxna Loniccrsi). 44. THE NARROW-BORDERED FIVE-SPOTTED BURNET. Fore wings blackish green, glitter- ing in the sun, and having red spots ; two of them, close to the base, are of an oblong form, two others, of a roundish form, are placed side by side about the middle of the wing ; these two are generally quite distinct and separate, arid beyond them, towards the tip of the wing, is a fifth, almost round ; hind wings crimson-red with a black border ; antennae black and club-shaped, but the club is pointed ; thorax and body black. This insect, as may be seen both by the figure and description, is very much like the last, and when you have only a single specimen it is difficult to say to which it properly belongs ; but when you have ten or twenty of each, you will see that the antennae of this are more pointed, the fore wings rather more pointed also, and the border of the hind wings distinctly narrower. The caterpillar is hairy, yellowish green speckled with black, yellow 011 the sides, paler as it becomes full- grown ; it feeds on clover and grasses ; the chrysalis is brownish ; it is contained in a yellow silken cocoon, which is spun on the stem of the clover or a blade of grass. The caterpillar is found in May, and the Moth in June. (The scientific name is Zygcena. Loniceras.) 45. The Six-spotted Burnet (Zygxna Filipendulx~). 45. THE SIX-SPOTTED BURNET. Fore wings glossy, metallic blackish green, with six bright red spots placed exactly as you observe them in the figure ; that is, two oblong ones near the base, two roundish ones near the middle, and two roundish ones nearer the tip of the wing ; hind wings crimson red, with a narrow black border; antennae club-shaped and rather sharp-pointed ; antennae, thorax, and body black, beautifully tinged with green. Caterpillar dingy yellow, stout and rather hairy ; on each segment are two rows of black spots : it feeds chiefly on the Crowfoot Trefoil, and, when full fed, crawls up the flowering stem of some grass, and on this it spins a shuttle-shapedyellow silken cocoon, very sharp- pointed at both ends ; within this it changes to a black chrysalis : the Moth appears the begining of June, and is a very beautiful object when flying in the sunshine. (The scientific name is Zygcena Filipenduke.) NOTE. The spots on the wings of the Burnet Moths frequently coalesce, and then the marking is band-UJ.-f. In that case four spots make one band. TJESTNES. FAMILY VIII. THE NOLID^B. 46. The Short-cloaked Moth (Xola cucullatella'). 47. The Least Black Arches (Xola cristulalls). 48. The Small Black Arches (Xola Strtgula). 49. T he Scarce Black Arches (Xola centonaJh THE EIGHTH FAMILY of Moths (NoUdai) con- tains but four species that have yet been found in Great Britain. They are of small si/e and somewhat triangular in shape : they sit on the trunks of trees in the day-time, and fly only in the evening and during the night. The caterpillars are hairy, and, as far as we have yet observed, feed on the leaves of trees : they spin a silken cocoon and do not bury themselves in the ground to undergo their change to a chrysalis. 46. The Short-cloaked Moth (Xola cucullutel/a'). 46. THE SHORT-CLOAKED MOTH. Fore wings pearl-grey, with a dark blotch at the base, a small triangular spot on the costal margin, and several wavy indistinct streaks parallel with the outer margin ; hind wings grey, without markings. Caterpillar dingy brown, with paler patches down the back, so arranged as to form a kind of stripe ; it is covered with numerous wart-like protuber .inces, each of which emits a little tuft of hair : it feeds on the blackthorn, and on plum-trees in gardens. The Moth first appears about Midsummer, and may be found through- out July ; it is very common. (The scientific name is Not a cucullatella.} 47. The Least Black Arches (Xola cristulalii). 47. THE LEAST BLACK ARCHES. Fore wings grey, slightly darker towards the hind margin ; there are several waved slender angular black lines across the wing, from the costal to the inner margin; between the first and second of these is a dark mark on the margin. Caterpillar dull yellow and hairy, with fine blackish lines running lengthwise from end to end : it feeds on oak, and spins up towards the end of May, the Moth appear- ing in June. (The scientific name is Nola cristulalis.^ 48. The Small Black Arches (Xola Strigulu'). 48. THE SMALL BLACK ARCHES. Fore wings grey, slightly darker towards the hind margin, and marked with several slender waved black lines, hind wings smoke-coloured : this insect is rather larger than the last ; the inner line on the fore wing is less angular, and the hind wings are darker than in that spe- cies ; the two are extremely alike, but, never- theless, an entomologist does not fail at once to see the difference. The caterpillar is very hairy, and of a dingy yellow colour ; Freitschke says there is a black blotch on the eighth seg- ment : it feeds on oak, and spins up in May ; the Moth is found on the trunks of trees in June. (The scientific name is Nola StrigulaS) 49. The Scarce Black Arches (Xola cen(onalis). 49. THE SCARCE BLACK ARCHES. The fore wiugs are pure white, with three trans- verse waved lines passing completely across them, from the costal to the inner margin ; that nearest the base is sharply angled in the middle, the angle pointing towards the tip of the wing ; the second and third are near together, and are parallel with the hind margin ; between the first and second is a short double mark on the costal margin ; hind wiugs pearly white, delicately tinted with a rosy hue ; the head, antennae, thorax, and body are perfectly white. We have no know- ledge of the caterpillar or chrysalis. A single specimen of this pretty little insect came to light on the 1st July, 1858, at Bernbridge, in the Isle of Wight, Mr. F. 0. Standish is reported to have taken a second specimen. (The scientific name is Nola centonalis.) BEITISH MOTHS. FAMILY IX. THE LITHOSHIXE. 50. The Round-winged Muslin (Nudaria Senex). 51. The Muslin (Xudaria mundand). 52. The Dew Moth (Setina irrorelld). 53. The Rosy Footman, or Red Arches (CMigenia mi- niata). 54. The Four-dotted Footman (Lithosia mesomella). 55. The Dotted Footman (Lithosia mmcerda}. 56. The Orange Footman (Lithosia aureola). 57. The Pigmy Footman (Lithosia pygmxola). 58. The Buff Footman (Lithosia helvola). 59. The Common Footman (Lithosia complanula"). 60. The Scarce Footman (Lithosia complana). 61. The Dingy Footman (Lithosia yriseola). 62. The Pale Footman (Lithosia stramineohi). 63. The Four-spotted Footman (Lithosia quadra'). 64. The Red-Necked Footman (Lithosia rubricollis). 65. The Feathered Footman (Eulepla ffraamica),' 66. The Speckled Footman (Eulepia Cribnini), THE little family of Noliche we should have included with the larger family which here fol- lows and is called Lithosiidce, but Mr. Double- day, in the work mentioned below, has sepa- rated them, and no one is so well acquainted with the subject. At this point of our History of British Moths we should like to make an observation on the English names. We consider these names are often very silly and unmeaning, but still we use them, because we do not wish our juvenile readers to be de- terred from the study of Entomology, which is a truly delightful study, by long Latin words, very often without any meaning, and sometimes also difficult to pronounce ; still, as these names must be learned by-and-by, we always add them at the end of each descrip- tion. These names we obtain from aprinted catalogue, called " A List .of British Butter- flies and Moths," by Henry Doubleday. This js the most perfect and complete scientific work ever published in this country ; and, although it costs two shillings, we recommend every one of our young entomological friends to buy it, because it will enable them to ob- tain a thorough knowledge of the mode of arranging these beautiful objects. The list can be bought of every bookseller arid natu- ralist in the kingdom, and one copy will last a lifetime. Mr. Henry Doubleday, the author, lives at Epping, and knows more of ^British Butterflies and Moths than all the other Entomologists in the kingdom ; he never sells nor deals in books or insects, but has acquired all his knowledge solely to gratify his ardent love of the science, and for the purpose of instructing others an example we cannot too highly recommend to our ento- mological friends. . There are seventeen British Moths belong- ing to the NINTH FAMILY, Lithosi-Uhe : they are all small and rather insignificant in their appearance ; their form, when at rest, is long and narrow, the fore wings folding over one another, and all the wings wrapping closely round the sides of the body. When collecting- insects in the bright summer time, we have often seen these little Moths fall into the net we have held beneath, while we tapped the bough of an oak-tree ; they generally pretend to be dead, and then so much resemble little bits of stick that it requires a little practice to detect them. Many insects have this mode of simulating death, and thus escaping observation ; for, if they move in the clay- light, they are almost sure to attract the notice of some hungry bird who will snap them up in a moment. This means of escape is doubtless an instinct bestowed by a bene- ficent Providence for the preservation of His creatures ; thus, while some ai'e protected by weapons of defence, others by size, and more still by their extreme activity, the safety of many a minute insect depends solely on its escaping notice by preserving a death-like quiet. The caterpillars generally feed on the lichen which we often see so beautifully clothing the bark of trees ; they are generally covered with a number of little lumps like pimples, and from each of these spring a few hairs : more than half the caterpillars are, however, quite unknown to scientific ob- servers. 50. THE ROUND-WINGED MUSLIN. Fore UBSINES. 27 50. The Round- winged Muslin (Xudarla Senex). wings pale brown, -with a few darker but not very distinct marks along the costal margin, and a brown dot in the centre of each ; hind wings still paler than the fore wings, and having a pale indistinct brown dot in the centre of each. The Moth appears in August. (The scientific name is Nudaria Senex.) i>l. The Muslin (XtiJttria mundana). 5 1 . THE MUSLIN. Fore wings pale smoky brown and semi-transparent, with two zig- zag transverse lines, and a brown spot between them ; hind wings of nearly the same hue as the fore wings, but without markings. The caterpillar is rather hairy, and of a smoky- grey colour, with a paler stripe down the back , it feeds on tree lichens. The Moth appears in July, and is not uncommon. (The scientific name is XtuJaria mundana.} 52. Tha De\v Muth (Stt'uta Irrorella). 52. THE DEW MOTH. Fore wings dingy orange-coloured, slightly transparent, with three oblique rows of black dots ; the first has three dots, the second four or five, and the third, an outer row, has no fixed number : hind wings unspotted. We have never found the caterpillar, and in those places where the Moth is most common, such as the Freshwater Cliff, in the Isle of Wight, there seems no suitable place for treelichens to grow. The Moth appears about Midsummer, and con- tinues in tolerable plenty until the middle of August ; it flies in the early morning, and it is this, in all probability, which has given rise to the name of Dew Moth. . (The scientific name is Setina irroreUa.} 53. The Rosy Footman, or Red Arches (CcdUgenia mliiiatii). 53. THE ROSY FOOTMAN, or RED ARCHES. Fore wings pale red, with an oblique zigzag black line beyond the middle ; within this is a single conspicuous black dot, and beyond it an oblique row of black dots ; hind wings pale-rosy, unspotted. The caterpillar is brown and hairy ; it feeds in April and May on the lichens which grow on the boughs of oak- trees : the Moth conies out in July. (The scientific name is Gallifffnia miniata.) 54. The Four-dotted Footman (Lithosia mcsomellu'). 54. THE FOUR-DOTTED FOOTMAN. Fore wings pearly grey, the costal and hind margin brightly tinged with orange ; each has two black dots, one on the costal margin, the other near the inner margin : hind wings smoke-coloured, with a pale fringe. The Moth appears in June and July. (The scien- tific name is Lithosia mesomella.) 55. The Dotted Footman (Lithosia muscerda'). 55. THE DOTTED FOOTMAN. Fore wings smoky grey, with a row of three black dots ; the first about the middle of the costal margin, the second and third in a line between that and the anal angle ; between these three and the inner margin, but nearer the base of the wing, are two other black dots ; hind wings of the same hue as the fore wings, but slightly L 28 BETTISH MOTHS. paler and unspotted. The Moth appears in August ; and is only found in marshes ; the chief locality, and the only one of which we can speak with certainty, is called Horning Fen, near Norwich. (The scientific name is Litkosia muscerda.) 56. The Orange Footman (Lithosia azireofa~). 56. THE OBANGE FOOTMAN. Fore wings deep orange-coloured : hind wings paler. The caterpillar is hairy and dark smoke-coloured, with two parallel yellow-red spotted stripes down the back it feeds on the lichen which grows on the larch-fir, and changes to a chrysalis under cover of the lichen ; the Moth comes out about Midsummer, and is a beautiful and conspicuous object on the boles of the larch-trees, when it has just emerged from the chrysalis state. The scientific name is Lithosia aureola.) 57. The Pigmy Footman (Lithosia 57. THE PIGMY FOOTMAN. Fore wings pearly grey, inclining, in the male, to srnoke- colour, and have a yellow costal margin ; hind wings smoke-coloured along the costal mar gin ; the rest whitish. This very distinct little Moth was made known by Mr. Doubleday ; hitherto it has only been found on the sea coast, near Deal. It appears in August. (The scientific name is Lithosia pygmceola.} 58. The Buff Footman (Lithosia helvolci). 58. THE BUFF FOOTMAN. Fore wings of the male yellowish grey ; hind wings of the same colour. Fore wings of the female yellow, tinged with smoke-colour, except along the costal margin, which is orange ; hind wings tinged with smoke-colour. The caterpillar, according to Freitschke, is black, with a black- brown head ; it has a yellow stripe on each side of the back, and in the last segment these stripes become broader, approach each other, and almost form a spot. It feeds on the lichens of the oak, especially in the New Forest, in Hampshire. This species is not common ; the Moth appears in July. (The scientific name is Lithosia hefaola.} 59. The Common Footman (Lithosia complanula). 59. THE COMMON FOOTMAN. Fore wings smoke-coloured, with a bright yellow stripe on the costal margin, terminating in a point before it reaches the tip of the wing ; hind wings delicately pale yellow. The caterpillar is hairy, almost black, and without spots ; beneath, it has a reddish line on each side just above the feet ; it feeds on the lichens of oaks, blackthorns, and more rarely on those of the larch-fir : authors also speak of its fre- quenting poplars, and feeding on the lichens on walls, but we have never found it in such situations. This is the most common species, and may be met with in all the woods and lanes round London ; we have found it in June, July, and August. (The scientific name is Lithosia complamda.) 60. The Scarce Footman (Lithosia complana}. GO. THE SCARCE FOOTMAN. Fore win^s smoke-coloured, with a bright yellow stripe on the costal margin, of equal breadth to the extreme tip of the wing ; hind wings delicately UBSINES. 29 pale yellow. We are totally unacquainted with the caterpillar of this species, and doubt whether it has been seen in this country ; but it has been described by Ochsenhiemer as being black with short hairs, and as having a stripe on each side of the back, composed of yellow, white, and red spots, and a narrow reddish line above the feet : it feeds on the lichens of blackthorn and firs. The Moth appears in July. (The scientific name is Lithosia complana.) 61 The Dingy Footman {Lithosia griseola). 61. THE DINGY FOOTMAN. Fore wings smoke-coloured with a pearly gloss, the costal margin yellow hind wings pearly grey. The Moth appears soon after Midsummer, and is very common. (The scientific name is Lithosia griseota. 62. The Pale Footman (Lit/iosia s(ramineola). 62. THE PALE FOOTMAN. Fore wings pale dull yellow ; hind wings still paler, having a bleached appearance. This is in al probability a pale variety of the preceding ; it occurs at the same time, in the same localities, and there is not the slightest difference in shape or size ; but the colour is very different, and this has induced Mr. Doubleday to consider it a new species. (The scientific name is Lithosia stramineola,) 63. The Four-spotted Footman (yia\e)(Lithosia quadra). 63. THE FOUR-SPOTTED FOOTMAN. Fore wings of the male delicate pearly grey in the middle, bright yellow at the base, smoke- coloured at the hind margin, and having a short black stripe at the base of the costal margin ; hind wings dingy yellow, smoke- coloured towards the tip. Fore wings of the female orange-coloured, with two conspicuous black spots on each ; one on the costal margin, the other between this and the inner margin ; hind wings yellow, imspotted. The caterpillar is nearly an inch and a half long, very hairy, The Four-spotted Footman (Female), of a grey colour, with yellow and black stripes ; the stripes being bordered with red warts, from which spring the hairs. It is said by Berge to feed on fir, beech, oak, pear, apple, cherry, damson, roses, horse-chestnut, willow, lime, and various hedgerow plants ; but may we not rather imagine that it is the lichens and not the foliage of the trees which it devours 1 It spins a thin white cocoon, either in crevices of the bark or between two leaves, and in this it changes to a shining black brown chrysalis, in which state it remains for eleven or twelve days only. The Moth appears in July and August, and frequently hybernates, laying its eggs in the spring. (The scientific name is Lithosia quadra.) 64. The Red-necked Footman (Lithosia rubr'twllls). 64. THE EED-NECKED FOOTMAN. All the wings black; head black, witha red neck ; body black, with a yellow tip. The caterpillar is hairy and grey, with black stripes, in which are red and white spots : it feeds on a variety of lichens. The Moth, singular from its black colour, appears in August. (The scientific name is Lithuxia ntbrieollu.) 30 BRITISH MOTHS. 65. The Feathered Footman (Male) (Eulepia grammicci). 65. THE FEATHERED FOOTMAN. Fore wings of the male yellow, -with a central black spot, and a number of parallel black longitudinal stripes, hind wings orange- coloured, -with a central black lunule, a broad black marginal band, a bright orange fringe, and a few dusky streaks crossing the orange- colour in the middle. Fore wiugs of the female pale buff, with a black, dot near the costal margin, and four or five narrow black streaks near the hind margin ; hind wings orano-e-coloured with a few black streaks C5 near the base, a central black dot, and a row of black dots just within the hind margin ; antenna) black, feathered in the male ; thorax yellow, with black longitudinal stripes ; body yellow, with black spots. On the Con- The Feathered Footman (Female). tinent, especially in France and Germany the caterpillar of this species is found throughout May, feeding on various grasses, on mugwort, on heather, and sometimes on oak-leaves ; it is black, with white markings : 011 each segment are brown wart-like pro- tuberances, from which spring short, reddish- yellow hairs. It spins a whitish-grey cocoon between leaves, in which it turns to a reddish- brown chrysalis, in which state it remains about twenty days, the Moth appearing at the end of June. We have no knowledge whatever of either caterpillar or Moth as natives of Great Britain, and have described them only out of respect to Mr. Doubleday, who places this insect in the " List of British Moths and Butterflies," to which we have already referred. (The scientific name is Eulepia grammica.) 66. The Speckled Footman (Eulepia Ciibrum}. C6. THE SPECKLED FOOTMAN. Fore wings white, with four transverse zigzag black bands, each of which is almost divided jnto spots ; two smoke-coloured stripes run from the base of the wing to the hind margin, passing through all four of the black bands ; hind wings smoke-coloured. The caterpillar is black and hairy, with a whitish stripe down the back, and a slender white line on each side above the feet ; it feeds on the common heather. The Moth appears in July, and has only been found in Dorsetshire and Hampshire : it was first discovered by Mr. Dale. (The scientific name is Eulepia Crib rum.) 67. The Crimson Speckled (De'iopeia pulchellct). 68. The Cinnabar (Evclielta Jacolw}. FAMILY X. THE EUCHELIID.E. 69. The Scarlet Tiger (CalUmorplia Dominulii). THE TENTH FAMILY of Moths is called EnchcUidn* : it contains but three British species, all of them extremely beautiful : the caterpillars are hairy, and spin a web in which their hairs are interspersed ; the chrysalis is smooth ; the Moth has thread- like antenna) without any fringe. G7. THE CRIMSON SPECKLED. Fore wings URSINES. 31 G7. The Crimson Speckled (Delopeia pulchellci). white, with a number of nearly square crimson and black spots, which are arranged in trans- verse but very irregular rows the scarlet and black rows alternating with each other, five of scarlet and six of black ; the hind wings are white, clouded along the margin with black ; the antenna) are black, and also the eyes, but the crown of the head is red ; there is a red collar round the neck, with two black spots on it ; the thorax is whitish, with a central black spot, and on each side of it is a distinct tippet, which is red in the middle and black at each end : body white. The caterpillar, like the Moth, is very beautiful ; the ground is lead-colour, with a covering of I -lack hairs ; there is a broad white stripe down the back, and on each segment down the side is a double scarlet spot. On the Continent of Europe, this caterpillar is said to feed on the Forget-me-not (J/>/->.W/.s- "/ >' /ttxis), but it has never been found in this country. The Moth appears in July. Mr. Doublcday has a single specimen, taken at Epping, and we believe there are two or three other British specimens in different cabinets. (The scientific name is De'iopcia pukhella.) 68. The Cinnabar (Euchelia Jacobxx). 68. THE CINNABAR. Fore wings olive- brown, with a crimson stripe on each, very near the costal margin and parallel with it ; a similar crimson stripe on the inner margin, and two round crimson spots on the hind mar gin; hind wings crimson, with a black margin : antennae, head, thorax, and body, black. The caterpillar is deep orange ground-colour, with black head and black wings ; it is hairy, but not so hairy as the rest of the family ; it feeds on the common ragwort (Stneclo Vulgaris) and is common everywhere. The chrysalis is smooth, short, thick, red-brown* and shining ; it changes on the surface of the ground. The Moth appears in July ; the males are much larger than the females. (The scientific name is Euchelia Jacolcea?.) 69. The Scarlet Tiger (CalUmorp'ha Domiihla). 69. THE SCARLET TIGER. Fore Avings olivc-brOwn, with a very beautiful metallic, green gloss, and having about ten cream- coloured spots, very various in size and shape : those in the centre of the wing are rather orange-coloured ; hind wings crimson with several black blotches. The markings are so different in shape and size in different indi-' viduals that it is difficult to write any descrip- tion that would apply to every specimen. The combination of colours is truly lovely, and it is one of the most beautiful of known insects, Avhether British or foreign. The caterpillar is lead-coloured, in some specimens smoky black, with numerous black hairs springing from blueish warts ; it has three yellow stripes, the broadest down the centre of the back, the others on each side. It feeds chiefly on Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinal?), and may be found abundantly wherever that plant occurs. An old gravel- pit on the London side of Dartford, and Tintern Abbey, may be mentioned as two favourite and familiar localities for this beautiful Moth. The Moth appears about Midsummer. (The scientific name is Calli- morpha Domin ula.) BEITISH MOTHS. FAMILY XI. THE CHELONIIDJE. 70. Tlie Clouded Buff (Euthemonia russula). The Wood Tiger (Chelonia Plantaginis). 72. Tlie Tiger (Chelonia caici). 73. The Cream-spot Tiger (Chelonia villicd). 74. The Ruby Tiger (Arctia fuliginos(i). 75. The Muslin Moth (Arctia mendtca). 76. The Buff Ermine (Arctia lubricipeda). 77. The White Ermine (Arctia Menthastri). 78. The Water Ermine (Arctia Urlicse). THE ELEVENTH FAMILY of Moths, called Ckeloniiihe, contains eleven species ; they are the true Tiger Moths, so called from the beauty of their variegated colouring. They differ from the Euclieliidce, in the males always having the antennae fringed. The caterpillars are still more hairy than those of the Eucheliidce, and roll themselves in a ring when disturbed. They spin a loose silken web, in which a great quantity of their hairs are interspersed ; the chrysalis is smooth. 70 The Clouded Buff (Male) (Euthemonia rmsul(i). 70. THE CLOUDED BUFF. The male is very much larger than the female, and so different, that we must describe them separately ; Linnaeus, indeed, believed them to be two distinct insects ; he called the male Bombyx Sannio, and the female Bombyx russula. The fore wings of the male are buff, with .a conspi- cuous central spot, in which red-brown and dull brown are mixed ; there is a brown stripe along the inner margin, and within this is a red-brown stripe ; the hind margin is bright red-brown, and a delicate stripe of the same colour runs from the tip of the wing half way along the costal margin ; hind wings whitish yellow, with a broad smoke-coloured band near the hind margin, the margin itself being bright red-brown ; there is also a large crescent- shaped smoke-coloured mark in the middle, and an indistinct smoke-coloured cloud at the base : head and thorax yellow, and body pale. Fore wings of the female reddish orange- coloured, with the rays and a central spot bright red-brown, and various black markings, and a black cloud about the base : head and thorax deep orange-coloured; body black with slender orange rings. Caterpillar brown, The Clouded Buff (Female). with red-brown hairs, and a yellow stripe down the middle of the back ; it feeds on Mouse-ear, Hawk-weed (Ilieracium piloseUa], Dandelion (Leontodon taraxacum), Heath (Erica cinerea), and probably several other plants growing on heaths. The male iised to be very abundant on Blackheath, among the furze . and fern, twenty years ago, but we have not seen it there since ; it is common on most heaths in June. (The scientific name is Euthemonia russula.) 71. The Wood Tiger (Male) (Chelonia Plantaginis). 71. THE WOOD TIGER. Fore wings of the male intense velvety black with cream-coloured markings, of which the most conspicuous are first, a long stripe, parallel with the inner margin ; and secondly, au irregular and often incomplete figure, somewhat like the letter X, occupying the apex of the wing ; this X-like mark and the stripe are often connected to- gether ; there are two other cream-coloured markings on the costal margin ; hind wings bright orange, with velvety black markings ; NOCTUKNI. 33 The Wood Tiger (Female). the orange colour occupies the basal part of the wing. Fore wings of the female much like those of the malej hind wings also very similar, but the basal portion of the wing is black. Antennae black, with a yellow spot at the base in the male ; neck black in the middle, bright-orange on the sides ; thorax black, with four longitudinal pale markings one at the base of each wing, the other intermediate be- tween them, and often wanting in the female : body of the male black in the middle and orange at the sides ; of the female, black in the middle and crimson on the sides. The caterpillar is of a greyish-black colour ; it is covered with warts or tubercles, from which spring a number of long hairs ; these are much longest at the hinder extremity of the caterpillar ; at both ends of the caterpillars the hairs are black, but red-brown on- the middle segments j the caterpillars come out of the egg at the end of summer, and, after feeding for fourteen days, retire for the winter or hybernate until March, when they re-ap- pear, and feed again for seven or eight weeks, lu May they spin a slight web between the leaves of various herbs, especially violets, on which, as well as on plantain, and a number of other plants, the caterpillar feeds. The Moth comes out in May or June, and is common in the woods of the south of England, especially after they have been cut down. (The scien- tific name is Chelonia Plantaginis.) 72. The Tiger (Chv 72. THE TIGER. Fore wings rich velvety- brown, with cream-coloured markings, so various in their size, shape, and position, that it is impossible to describe them ; hind wings red with blue-black spots, three of which are ranged in a row parallel with the hind margin. This grand insect is so variable in colour that we have thought it best to give three figures of it to show the curious manner in which the nut cftjit). (Xo. 1.) colours are distributed. Sometimes the brown occupies the whole, not only of the fore wings, but also of the hind wings, as in No. 3 ; but in other specimens the cream-colour greatly predominates, as in No. 2 ; the upper figure, No. 1, represents the most common variety. Antennae white, with a brown fringe : head brown ; thorax brown, with a crimson ring round the neck ; body crimson with a row of (No. 2.) EDWARD NEWMAN'S BRITISH MOTHS: " No. 3. PRICE 6. / f LONDON: B. HABDWICKE, i 192, PICCADILLY. BEITISH MOTHS. oblong black spots down the centre of the back, and a row of black dots on each side generally concealed by the wings. The ca- terpillar"of this beautiful Moth feeds on almost every plant and in almost every garden : the egg is laid in autumn, and the little caterpillar soon makes its appearance, but after feeding for twenty or twenty-two days, and attaining a length of about three-quarters of an inch, it hybernates or retires for the winter. In the spring it re -appears, and begins eating with great voracity : you cannot pass along a sunny hedge-bank without observing it on the various kinds of dead nettle, of which it seems par- ticularly fond ; in gardens it is equally abun- dant on the leaves of hollyhocks, and, indeed, nothing comes amiss to it ; it is full-grown in June, and is then a very familiar object to all gardeners, looking like a little bear. The ground-colour is black, and it is covered all over with veiy long hairs ; those on the back are grey, those of the sides and about the head are brown ; the head itself and the legs are black. It spins a loose hairy web in July, and turns to a large . black, smooth chrysalis. The Moth appears in July. (The scientific name is Chelonia caj'.t.) 73. The Cream-spot Tiger (Chelonia villicci). 73. THE CREAM-SPOT TIGER. Fore wings black, with eight cream-coloured spots ; the first, large and somewhat triangular, is situate at the base of the wing ; beyond this are two rounded spots ; then two more, rather smaller and more distant; then come two more, larger and nearer together ; and lastly, a single one near the tip of the wing. The hind wings are bright orange-yellow, with half-a-dozen scattered small black spots, and an irregular black blotch on the tip. Antennse and "head black; thorax black, with a cream-coloured spot on each side in front ; body orange- colour shaded to rosy-red towards the ex- tremity, and having a row of black spots down the middle of the back, and another row on each side, concealed by the wings. The caterpillar is very hairy; the ground- colour black, and the hairs brown ; its head and legs are red. We have always found it feeding on chickweed ; but continental entomologists mention a number of other herbs on which it feeds. The egg is laid in the autumn, and the little caterpillar, after feeding for a few weeks, lies up for the winter. It begins eating again in April ; and on fine days in May may be seen on sunny hedge- banks by the road side wherever chickweed abounds ; it spins a web at the end of May, and changes to a blackish chrysalis. The Moth comes out towards the end of June. It is a quiet and lethargic insect, especially the female, which we have never taken on the wing; and the male very rarely. (The scientific name is Clidonia 74. The Ruby Tiger (Arctia fuliyl>nnd(K, contains eleven species : they have far less brilliancy of colour than the Cheloniidce and in several species white greatly pre- dominates. The caterpillars are very hairy, and many have stiff tufts of hair like brushes ; but what is the most singular and unmistak- able character of the family is, that all the chrysalides as well as the caterpillars are hairy. 79. The Brown-tail Moth (Liparis chrysorrJixii). 79. THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. All the wings white ; head and thorax also white ; body white at the base, but brown at the ex- tremity ; in ths female the brown part is a large tuft, the down on which is most abundant, and is scraped off by the Insect as a covering for her eggs. The caterpillar is short, stout, and black, with four rows of wart- like tubercles on each side, from which radiate a number of long bristle-like hairs. These tufts of hair on the second row from the back, on the segments from the fifth to the twelfth both inclusive, are snow-white and fanlike ; the tenth and the eleventh segments have a circular, wax-like, cup-shaped, scarlet spot on the very middle of the back ; there are also several other small scarlet markings on dif- ferent parts of the caterpillar. It feeds on whitethorn and blackthorn, and spins a thin wub among the leaves, in which it changes - into a chrysalis having a few tufts of thin brown hairs. (The scientific name is Liparis chrysorrhcea.) 80. THE YELLOW-TAIL MOTH. All the wings are of a delicate satiny-white, the fore 80. The Yellow-tail Moth (Liparis aurijliui). wings havinga round and often indistinct black spot near the anal angle ; the head and thorax are pure unsullied white ; the body is white at the base, but golden-yellow at the extremity. The female Moth has the same habit as the last, covering its eggs with the down from its own body. The caterpillar is short and stout, the ground-colour black ; it has rows of tubercles on each side, from each of which radiates a number of bristle-like hairs. The first row of tubercles, that nearest the back, is black; each of the second row is ornamented with a tuft of whitish hairs ; the third row of tubercles is coral-red. There are two interrupted vcr- million-coloured stripes extending along the back ; the second segment has a coral-coloured projection close behind the head ; the fifth and sixth segments are humped on the back ; the tenth and the eleventh have a round, wax- like, cup-shaped mark on the very middle of the back. It is a beautiful and very common caterpillar, feeding on the whitethorn in every hedge ; it spins a web among its food, and changes to a brown chrysalis, having a few scattered tufts of brown hairs. The Moth appears in July. (The scientific name is Liparis 81. The Satin Moth (Liparis Solicit). 81. THE SATIN MOTH. "Wings white, mi- NOCTUENI. 37 spotted, delicately silky ; head white ; the antennae white, with short black rays ; thorax white ; body black, but covered with long silky white hairs; legs thick, tinged Avith white. The caterpillar has a row of most conspicuous white spots all down the middle of the back ; on each side of this row is a broad black stripe, in which are eleven red warts or 82. The Gipsy (Male) (Liparis dlspar"). 82. THE GIPSY. The wings of the male dark-brown or smoky-black, with several waved zigzag darker markings, and a dark central spot : hind wings of a pale and clearer brown, but rather darker towards the margin ; head, thorax, and body dark-brown. All the wings of the female dingy-white, the fore wings having three transverse waved zigzag darker lines ; between the first and second there is a black dot, and also a black mark of the shape of the letter V. There is a row of black dots all along the hind margin of both wings. A variety of the female sometimes occurs in which the black V on the wings only is visible this was mistaken by the late accomplished Mr. Haworth for the Black-V Moth (Orgyia V-nigrum of science), a very distinct species, unknown in this country. When we recollect that Mr. Haworth studied and wrote during the long war incident on the first French Revolution, a period when it was almost impossible to interchange books and specimens with continental entomolo- gists, we can only wonder at the great degree of accuracy with which his laborious work was compiled, and must never complain of a few unimportant and most excusable mis- takes. The caterpillar of the Gipsy has the ground-colour black, beautifully netted with grey markings, and it has a conspicuous grey line down the very middle of the back ; each tubercles ; the sides are grey, and are also adorned with red tubercles. It feeds chiefly on the Lombardy poplar, but sometimes on other trees : spins a web on the trunks of the poplar, or on the ground, and changes to a very hairy chrysalis, and to a Moth in July and August. This Moth is excessively abun- dant. (The scientific name is Liparis Salicis.) The Gipsy (Female). segment has six tubercles, two on the back, of a deep blood-colour, and two on each side of a greyish hue ; the blood-coloured tubercles emit straight black bristles, the grey tuber- cles emit brown hairs, which are gracefully bent over towards the legs ; the head is marbled with black and brown ; the legs are red-brown. It feeds on whitethorn, blackthorn, plum, and apple, and in some parts of France so strips the trees of their foliage as to do great injury to the fruit, for fruit will not ripen without leaves. Duponchel has made a very erroneous description of the caterpillar, although so common. I am indebted to Mr. Thomas Huckett, a most industrious collector, for those which I have described. The cater- pillar spins a slight web amongst its food, in which it changes to a chrysalis, with a few thin bunches of hair all over it ; the eggs continue to hatch during several weeks in suc- cession ; the Moth begins to appear about Midsummer, and specimens continue to come out during the whole of July. The female lays her eggs on the branches of trees, and covers them with down from her own body. (The scientific name is Liparis dispar.) S3. THE BLACK ARCHES. Fore wings white, with five zigzag transverse black lines ; the first is near the base, but still nearer the base are six black spots ; beyond the first' line is one black spot ; beyond this are three zigzag 38 BEITISH MOTHS. 83. The Black Arches (Male) (Liparis monach(i). lines crowded together ; at a short distance follows the fifth line, and on the hind margin of the wing are nine black spots ; hind wings of the female smoke-coloured, with a pale marginal band, in which are six or seven dark spots ; head white, palpi, antennse, and eyes black ; the antennae of the male have white shafts ; thorax with a black mark in front, close behind the head, and three or four black spots in the middle ; body rosy-red with a row of black dots down the middle, and a row on each side ; legs black and white in the male black in the female. The caterpillar is grey and hairy, with a darker stripe down the back ; the second segment has two bluish tubercles on the back ; the ninth, tenth, and eleventh segments have a reddish tubercle on the back. It feeds on oak, birch, &c. ; spins a slight cocoon in July, in the crevices of the bark ; and changes to a blackish shining chry- salis, which is ornamented with brushes of dark hair on every segment. The Moth ap- pears in July and August, and is not common. (The scientific name is Liparis monacha.) 84. The Tale Tussock (Orgyix p't'libitiuln}. 5. The Bordered Beauty (Epione apiciaria), 106. The Little Thora (Epione advcnana). 107. The Brimstone Moth (Rumia cratceyata). 108. The Speckled Yellow (Venilia maculata). 109. The Orange Moth (Angerona prunarla). 110. Light Emerald (Metrocampa margaritaria). 111. The Barred ^ed\Ettopia fasciaria). 112. The Scorched Wing (Eurymcne dolobraria). 113. The Lilac Beauty (Pericallia syrinyaria). 114. The Early Thorn (Selenia illunaria). 115. The Lunar Thorn (Selenia lunaria). 116. The Purple. Thorn (Selenia illuslraria). 117. The Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidcntata). 118. The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis eliityuaria). 119. The Large Thorn (Ennomos alniaria). 120. The Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos (iliai 121. The Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria). 122. The September Thorn (Ennomos erosaria). 123. The August Thorn (Ennomos angularia). 124. The Feathered Thorn (Himera pennaria). THE SECOND FAMILY of Geometers, called Ennomidse, or Thorns, contains twenty-one British species. Male. Female. 104. The Dark -bordered Beauty (Epione vespertaria). 101. TUE DARK-BORDERED BEAUTY. Wings of the male orange, with a very broad hind border of purple-brown ; on the fore wings is a curved transverse line half way between the base of the wing and the mar- ginal border ; and there is a central dot half way between the curved line and the border. Besides these markings the orange colour is everywhere sprinkled with the same purple- brown as the border. The wings of the female are yellow, the border almost of the same colour as the rest of the wing, but separated from that by a dark transverse line; the head, thorax and body are yellow-orange. Cater- pillar brown, with a large pale spot on the sixth segment, and a yellowish spot on each of the five succeeding segments. There is a slender white line on each side, commencing at the end and extending to the sixth segment : it feeds on hazel. The caterpillar is found in August, and the moth iu the following June It occurs in Yorkshire and Hampshire, but is not considered a common insect. (The scientific name is Epione vespertaria.) ' 105. The Bordered Beauty (Epione apiciaria). 105. THE BORDERED BEAUTY. All the wings bright orange, with a broad purple- brown hind border, which comes to a sharp point at the apex of the fore wings. There is also an angled dark transverse line very near the base of the fore wings, and a central dqt half way between this and the outer border ; head, thorax and body yellow-orange. Cater- pillar whitey -brown, with a paler mark on the sixth segment, and a slender white line on each side. It feeds on willow, hazel and pop- lar. The caterpillar is found in September, and again in May, perhaps living through the winter. The moth appears in July, and is not uncommon in the south of England. (The scientific name is Epione apiciaria.) 106. The Little Thorn (Epione advenana.) 106. THE LITTLE THORN. All the wings clingy-white, freckled with olive-brown ; there 0.^ BRITISH MOTHS. is a rather darker transverse band across the middle of the fore wings, and this is bordered on each side by a still darker line ; the hind wings have a central tra.nsverse-angled darker line, and within this a central dark dot : head, thorax and body olive-brown. The caterpillar is whitish-grey, with several still whiter mark- ings on the back ; two of these are on the sixth segment and one each on the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. It feeds on the bilberry. I have never found the caterpillar, but the moth is very abundant every year in Birchwood, Kent, at the beginning of July ; it seems, however, to be a rare species. It is a delicate insect and very difficult to obtain in perfect condition. (The scientific name is Epione advenaria.) 107. The Brimstone Moth (Rumia cratosyata). 107. THE BKIMSTONE MOTH. All the wings bright canary-yellow ; the costal mar- gin of the fore wings is adorned with, several conspicuous red-brown spots, one is situated just about the middle, and has a whitish centre, and the largest is at the tip of the wing ; the head, thorax and body are canary- yellow. The caterpillar has eight claspers instead of four, but the first an second pairs seem of little or no use when the creature is walking; it has three humps on the back, one on the seventh and two on the ninth seg- ments. It feeds on white-thorn and black- thorn, and spins a thick silken cocoon, gene- rally near or on the ground. The caterpillar and moth are found throughout the summer, and are common everywhere ; it is asserted that there are three broods in the year, but I have never proved the assertion. (The scien- tific name is Rumia crattegata.) 108. THE SPECKLED YELLOW. All the wings deep orange-yellow, with a number of purple-brown blotches, the position and 108. The Speckled Yellow Two Varieties (Venilia maculata). size of which are very correctly shown in the figure, but are very difficult to describe. There is a beautiful and extremely rare variety, which is pure yellow, with four-dark spots on the costal margin. (See the lower figure.) The caterpillar is pale olive-green, with a darker green line down the very middle of the back, bordered on each side with white ; there is also a whitish line along each side touching the spiracles. It feeds on a variety of her- baceous" plants, almost invariably in woods. The caterpillar is found iu August and Sep- tember, the moth in June. (The scientific name is Venilia maculataJ) Male. Female. 109. The Orange Moth (Anycrona pmnaria}. 109. THE ORANGE MOTH. The wings of the male generally rich orange, those of the female yellow ; in both sexes there is a short central transverse streak near the middle of GEOMETERS. 53 the wing, aiid innumerable minute transverse streaks of brown over the entire surface of all the wings. It is, however, a most variable insect, the wings sometimes being of a uni- form plain brown, the fore wings only having a large central orange blotch : when the wings are orange, the head, thorax and body are of the same colour ; when the wings are brown, the head, thorax and body are brown also. The caterpillar is grey-brownoryellow-bro\vn : sometimes red-brown specimens occur, mar- bled with darker markings. It has a double lump on the fifth segment, and another with much more acute points on the ninth. It feeds on blackthorn, beech, and sometimes on broom. At the beginning of May it spins a slight web between two leaves of its food- plant, and in it changes to a reddish-brown chrysalis, from which the moth emerges in about twenty-four days. (The scientific name is Anger ona prunaria.) 110. Light Emerald (Mdrocampa margaritaria). 110. LIGHT EHEEALD. All the wings are pale green, with an oblique transverse white stripe crossing both wings from, near the tip of the fore wing to the anal angle of the hind wing; the inside of this stripe is margined with darker green ; on the fore wing there is a less conspicuous transverse white stripe, exactly intermediate between that already described and the base of the wing. The head, thorax and body are pale green, but the eyes intensely black. The caterpillar has six claspers instead of four, and it holds firmly with all of them. It is of a dull olive-green colour, with, a darker line down the middle of the back, margined on both sides with a series of whitish marks. I have often found the caterpillar feeding on broom, but the Germans give elm, hornbeam, birch and oak as its food-plants ; ifc is probably a general feeder. The caterpillar is found in September and again in May, living through the winter; the moth appears in July, and is not uncom- mon. (The scientific name is Metrocampa margaritaria.) 111. The Barred Red (Ellopia fasciaria). 111. THE BAERED BED. Wings rounded, pale brick-dust red ; the fore wings have two transverse oblique lines, both of them bent before they reach the costal margin; these lines are of clearer, brighter red than the rest of the wing, and are each accompanied by a paler and almost white line; that accompany- ing the inner red line is on its inner side; that accompanying the outer red line is on its outer side : hind wings with one central transverse line bordered outside with white : eyes black ; head, thorax and body of the same pale red as the wings. Caterpillar red- dish brown with a pale-grey line down the back : it has six claspers : it feeds on the Scotch fir in September and October, and, descending the trunk, changes to a chrysalis amongst the fallen needles about the root of the tree on which it has fed. The moth flies about Midsummer. (The scientific name is Ellopia fasciaria) 112. The Scorched Wing (Eurymene dolubraria). 112. THE SCORCHED WING. Fore wings slightly angled, pale delicate brown, trans- versely barred with a number of very slen- der lines, of a dark umber-brown ; ' near the base of the wing are eight or ten perfectly black dots ; the costal margin near the base is dark umber ; and beyond the middle of the wing is an oblique indistinct baud of the 54 BRITISH MOTHS. same colour, darker at the inner margin; hind wings rather paler than the fore wings, and having two short curved bands at the anal angle : head and front of thorax dark umber-brown ; hind part of thorax and body paler. The caterpillar is pale brown with a still paler line on each side; on the ninth seg- ment is a large lump or wart; the head is notched in the middle. It feeds on beech and oak : changes to a chrysalis in October, under the moss on the trunks of the trees on which it has fed, entering the moss at the most con- venient place on the edge of the patch, which should be peeled off carefully with the hand: the moth appears on the wing in June. (The scientific name is Eurymene dolobraria.) I now begin the Thorn Moths as they are commonly called: they are all beautiful and interesting, and I strongly recommend them to the notice of my young friends: all of you I dare say know the song " Fly away, Pretty Moth," it contains a recommendation to all Moths to fly away from candles or lamps, and to take care of their wings lest they get burnt. Now this recommendation is especially needed by the Thorn Moths, for all through the summer and autumn they delight to come to lights of all kinds, and especially to gas-lamps: well for them the flame of gas is protected by glass, so that it is very difficult for them to get at it, or most assuredly they would be perpetually scorch- ing their wings, if not actually committing suicide by burning themselves to death. There is no better or easier mode of finding O these beautiful Thorn Moths than lookin^ at O the panes of glass with which gas-lights are almost invariably enclosed : the moths will be found settled quietly on the glass as if waiting to be captured. 113. Tho Lilac Beauty (Pericallia syringaria). 113. THE LILAC BTAEUY. Pore wings slightly angled, the extreme tip very sharp- pointed; ground colour of all the wings a delicate pearly-grey, tinged and clouded here and there with red and yellow ; the principal yellow patch is on the fore wings just below the tip, and extending to the hind margin; on each of the fore wings there is also a crescent- shaped white mark just within the tip ; and parallel with the hind margin there are two indistinct white markings on the costa ; and there is one very conspicuous oblique red- brown line crossing both wings, but on the fore wings suddenly bent before it reaches the costa; parallel with this is a short but dis- tinct line of the same colour about the middle of each fore wing; head, thorax and body pale brown. It is difficult by words to give anything like a correct idea of this beautiful moth; and I am sorry to say that no un- coloured figure will give any notion of the exquisitely diversified tints of its colour. The caterpillar is about an inch and a half long and rather stout behind, but more slender towards the head ; it has two warts on the sixth and two others on the seventh segment; and on the ninth segment are two long re- curved processes, which Berge calls hooks; they are of an orange-brown colour ; the rest of the caterpillar being greyish-brown until the last change of skin, when the hooked lumps become yellower, and all the other parts pearly-grey or rose-coloured ; on the back is a paler line, nearly white towards the head, but getting darker behind; and also a number of small white warts or pustules. It is found in June, feeding on elder, privet and lilac ; it spins a slight web on the underside of the leaves, and therein changes to a smooth and singularly marked chrysalis, being striped and spotted with brown. In three weeks the inoth is on. the wing ; she lays eggs in a few days, and these are generally hatched the same year, and hybernate or remain in the caterpillar state throughout the winter. (The scientific name is Pericallia syringaria.) 114. THE EARLY THORN. All the wings are angulated, and pale brown, sprinkled with very small darker dots : the fore wings have three narrow transverse darker lines; there is GEOMETERS. 55 114. The Early Thorn (Selenia iUunaria). also a very obscure halfmoou-shaped darker mark at the very tip ; the hind wings arc of the same colour as the fore wings, and arc sprinkled in the saine manner ; and across the middle they have a very indistinct paler band : the head, thorax and body are of exactly the same colour as the wings. The caterpillar u brown, variously mottled and clouded, the eighth and ninth segments are rather swollen ; on the back there are two rather pa^ streaks along each side, the upper one almost on the back ; it feeds on willow principally, but when in gardens where it is common, on twenty different plants. It is double-brooded, the first brood appearing on the wing about the 1st of April, the second about the 1st of July ; and these two broods are so exceedingly dif- ferent in appearance that almost all authors have regarded them as two distinct species ; calling the spring brood by the name of the Early Thorn, and in science Selenia illunaria; and the July brood by the nac-.t of the July Thorn, and in science Selenia Juliaria. Mr. Haworth, the author of that excellent work " Lepidoptera Britannica," unfortunately written in Latin, considered them distinct ; but Mr. Doubleday has proved the contrary, and all entomologists accept his decision. (The scientific name is Selenia illunaria.) 115. The Lunar Thorn (Selenia lunaria). 115. THE LUNAR THORN. All the wings with sharp angles; pale wainscoat colour: fore wings with a dark brown half-moon-shaped mark at the very tip ; across' the middle of the wings is a straight line, and the portion of the wing between this line and the hind mar- gin is paler than the portion between the line and the base ; ju&t within this line near the middle of the wing is a white crescent- shaped mark ; and nearer to the base of the wing is a very distinct narrow transverse waved line ; hind wings coloured very much like the fore wings, and having a rather obscure dark band across the middle ; in the middle of this band is a crescent-shaped whitish mark surrounded by a dark-brown line: head, thorax and body pale brown. The caterpillar is pale brown, but by r.o means constant in colour, and has humps en the third, sixth and ninth segments : it feeds on blackthorn, and is to be found in August, the moth in May and beginning of June. (The scientific name is Selenia lunaria.) 116. The Purple Thorn (Selenia ilhistmria). 116. THE PURPLE THORN. Wings angled ; all wings with the basal half rich purple- brown ; the marginal a half pearly grey with a delicate rosy tinge : the fore wings have a pure white crescent-shaped spot just within the boundary of the darker half, and a large purple-brown halfmoon-shaped mark at the very tip of the wing : the hind wings have also a slender white crescent in the dark por- tion : head, thorax and body brown, thorax of the male very hair}'. The caterpillar is a rich vinous-brown colonr, with a lighter head ; there is a. bifid hump on the fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth segments : it feeds on birch and oak. AVhen about to change, it spins a slight cocoon .among leaves near or on the surface of the ground. This beautiful Moth is double-brooded, the first appearing in May, the second in August : they differ in colour ; the late Mr. Stevens described the latter under the scientific name of Odontoptera delunaria. (The scientific name is Selenia illustraria.) 56 BKITISH MOTHS. 117. The Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata). 117. THE SCALLOPED HAZEL. All the wings scalloped at the margin dingy whitey- brown ; on the fore wings, which are angled as well as scalloped, are two transverse dark- brown lines, the first near the base of the wing, and nearly straight, the second half way between the fore and the hind margin, and very oblique ; both these lines are scalloped, and between them, equally distant from both, is a small oblong dark ring ; hind wings rather paler than the fore wings, with a single dark line across the middle, and within this, that is, nearer the base of the wing, is a small dark ring ; head, thorax and body pale brown. The caterpillar of this moth, unlike its near relations, has eight claspers instead of four, but the first and second pairs seem of very little service in walking, very seldom coming in contact with the leaf or twig on which the cieature is crawling ; it is rather more slender- before than behind, but has no humps on any of its segments ; it is very various in colour, grey, grey-green, oil-grees, or brown, with a row of lozenge-shaped markings down the back. It changes to a chrysalis in Septem- ber, and in this state is found, commonly under moss ; the moth flies in May. (The scientific name is Odontopera lidentata.) 118. The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinyuaria). 118. THE SCALLOPED OAK. Wings very slightly scalloped or angled ; fore wings yel- low-ochre, with a broad transverse band in the middle pale brown, with darker boundary lines, and a very dark central spot ; hind wings paler than the fore wings, without a band, but having a central dot ; there is also a row of dark dots near the hind margin of both fore and hind wings ; head, thorax and body yellow-ochre. The caterpillar feeds chiefly on honeysuckle, but also on beech, blackthorn, apple and pear ; it is of uniform thickness throughout, and the skin appears too big for the body, and folds or overlaps at every segment ; it is of a brown-grey colour, and exactly resembles a twig. It lives through- out the winter in the larva state about half- grown, and turns to a chrysalis in June ; it makes its cocoon between leaves, generally on the ground, but often under moss on the trunks of trees ; it should be searched for in June, and the moth appears on the wing in July and August. (The scientific name is Crocallis elinguaria) 119. The Large Thorn (Ennomos alniaria). 119. THE LARGE THORN. All the wings with deeply-scalloped margins, yellow, in- clining to orange along the hind margin ; the surface of the fore wings is dotted with pale brown ; there is an indistinct bent line near the base of each fore wing, then an indistinct spot, then a second indistinct and very oblique line ; the fringe is variegated, the angles being very dark, the indentations very pale ; head, thorax and body yellow. It is said that three specimens of this conspicuous French insect have been blown across the Channel. The caterpillar is nearly two inches long, and in France and Germany feeds on elder, birch, beech, plum, apple, pear and apricot ; it is rather more slender before than behind ; it is of a purple-brown colour, and adorned with several yellow spots ; in the autumn it spins GEOMKTEES. 57 a slight cocoon under a leaf or 011 the ground, and mingles husks of earn in its cocoon whenever it can procure them. (The scientific name is Ennomos alniaria.) I s 120. The Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos tiliaria). 120. THE CANARY-SHOULDERED THORX. All the wings with slightly scalloped and angled margins ; orange-yellow, marked with minute short streaks of brown ; the fore wings have two .very oblique dark lines ex- tending from the costa to the inner margin, both of them slightly curved, and the inner one slightly angled near the costa ; between these two lines, and equally distant from both, is a short central transverse mark of the same colour; head and thorax very hairy, of a beautiful canary-yellow ; body yellow. The canary-coloured thorax is the distin- guishing mark of this species. I know nothing of the caterpillar of this moth. Mr. Stainton, translating Treitsche, says it is wrinkled, brown, marbled with darker brown, with humps on the sixth and tenth segments gradually increasing in size ; it feeds on birch, oak, &c. The caterpillar is found in June, the moth in August. (The cientific name is Ennomos tiliaria.) 121. The Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria). 1121. THE DUSKY THORX. Wings slightly scalloped and angled, dull ochre frequently becoming almost lead-colour towards the hind margin ; fore wings with two very oblique transverse lines, which are distant on the costa, but gradually approach until they al- most touch on the inner margin ; between them is a slight indication of the usual cen- tral mark ; the hind wings have scarcely any indication of marking ; head, thorax and body brownish. The eggs are almost square, with the angles rounded ; they are laid close together on the twigs of the ash-tree, gene- rally near the tip is formed a curious series, a good deal resembling a tape-worm. The young caterpillar at first is a dark opaque green, but becomes lighter with age, and, when full grown, is a uniform pale green, with scarcely any trace of marking! ; it eats round holes in the ash-leaves, very much like those we commonly see cut out of rose leaves by the leaf-cutter bee ; the chrysalis is sus- pended within a curled-up leaf, it is green, but assumes a purplish tint two days before it changes to a moth. (The scientific name is Ennomos fuscantaria.) 122. The September Thorn (Ennomos erosaria). 122. THE SEPTEMBER THORN. All the wings are angulated, but not acutely ; varia- ble in colour, but generally ochre-yellow, and with delicate short transverse streaks ; the fore wings have two transverse lines of dark- ish brown, the first of them is very slightly bent backwards near the costal margin ; hind wings paler than the fore wings, and having a very pale indistinct brown line across the middle. Caterpillar very clouded and mar- bled with brown, with humps on the back of the third, sixth, eighth, ninth and twelfth segments, and on the sides of the seventh. It feeds on birch, oak and other trees. The moth flies in August and September, coming to gas-lights ; it used to be common near London, but has disappeared within the last few years ; it still occurs in many parts of thekingdom, particularly in the New Forest, in Hampshire. (The scientific name is Ennomos erosaria.) 58 BEITISH MOTHS. 123. The August Thorn (Ennomos anyularia). 123. THE AUGUST THORN. All the wings are angnlated, but not acutely ; very varia- ble in colour, but generally ochre-yellow, with numerous delicate, very short transverse streaks of brown ; the fore wings have two very oblique transverse brown lines, that nearest to the base of the wing sharply bent backwards near the costal margin ; between these, and near the costa, is a distinct brown spot ; hind wings paler ochreous than the fore wings, and having a very slight indication of a transverse brown line across the middle. Extremely difficult to distinguish from the preceding, but the inner brown line always seems more decidedly angled, and the cater- pillars of the two are described as decidedly different. The caterpillar of this species is red-grey, marbled with brown, and having, on the sixth and seventh segments, three warts or humps ; one of these is on the middle of the back, and one on each side ; the ninth segment has a large hump on the middle of the back, and the twelfth has two small warts. It feeds on oak, birch, elm, lilac, &c., in June, and the moth flies in August and September and is a visitor to every gas-light in the neigh- bourhood of London during those months. (The scientific name is Ennomos anyularia.) 124. THE FEATHERED THORN. The fore wings are pointed at the tip, but have no other conspicuous angle ; margin of the hind 124. The Feathered Thorn (Himera pennaria). wings only scalloped ; fore wings pale red- dish-brown, sprinkled all over with small brown dots, and having a round white spot near the tip, very bright and conspicuous in the males, but obscure in the females : they have also two oblique transverse lines of a darker brown, the outer of which, that near- est to the hind margin, is accompanied by a pale line on the outside ; between these transverse lines, and rather near the costal margin of the wing, is a very distinct brown spot ; hind wings pale, except near the hind margin, where they are the same colour as the fore wings ; across the mid- dle of the hind wings is a nearly straight transverse brown line, very indistinct, and between this and the base of the wing is a brown spot : head red-brown, eyes very black, antenna? of the male beautifully feathered, shaft snowy white, the plumes red-brown ; thorax red-brown, the body pale. The cater- pillar is a pale whitey-brown colour, and with- out humps or warts, except two red points just before the tail ; in some specimens I have seen the diamond-shaped spots along the middle of the back mentioned by Hubner, but generally they are scarcely perceptible. It feeds on oak in May, and the moths come to gas-lamps in October. (The scientific name is Himera pennaria.) aEOMETEKS. 59 FAMILY III. AMPHYDASYD.E. 125. The Pale Brindled Beauty (Phi y alia pilosaria). 1-2(5. The Belted Beauty {Nyssia zonaria). 127. The Small Brindled Beauty (Nyssia hispidaria). 128. The Brindled Beauty (Biston hirtaria). 129. The Oak Beauty (Amphydasis prodromaria). 130. The Peppered Moth (Amphydasis betid aria). 125. The Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria). 125. THE PALE BUINDLED BEAUTY. The female has no \virigs, my description will therefore apply only to the male. Wings rounded without any trace of angles, mot- tled grey, with four waved transverse bars merely indicated, that is, looking as though they had been plainly visible once, but had been almost rubbed out. The wings have altogether a worn or semi-transparent appear- ance ; the scales seem thinly spread over the surface, some of them white, others black, others brown, and so few of the same colour together as to give the whole a grizzled ap- pearance without any determined colour or markings. Hind wings of the same colours, but fainter ; antennae feathered ; thorax very stout and hairy, rather darker coloured than the fore wings; body not so^ stout, of the same colour. The caterpillar feeds on oak, but I have never met with it. Guenee describes it as of a grey-brown colour, clouded with red-brown, and as having warts on the fifth, sixth, seventh and twelfth segments. The moth is a very early one, flying in February and March; it is not common near London, but is abundant in the north and west of England. (The scientific name is Pliiyalia pilosaria.) 126. THE BELTED BEAUTY. The female is entirely without wings ; the wings of the males are without any angles, small and rounded ; the fore wings dark grey, and hav- ing two very distinct transverse bars parallel with the hind margin, and an irregular white 126. The Belted Beauty (Nyssia zonaria). longitudinal stripe extending from the base of the wing almost to the first transverse bar, and including a short, narrow transverse black bar, and several black rays. The hind wings are white, with a dark-grey hind margin, a dark-grey transverse bar parallel with the margin, and a second transverse and zigzag dark-grey bar across the middle of the wing; antenna3 feathered; thorax very stout and hairy, dark smoky grey with two longitudinal white stripes, and a dash of white at the base of each wing; body black, with six pinked yellow belts, the sides and tip fringed with long whitish-grey hairs. The caterpillar is without humps and of a dingy-green colour marbled with whiter shades, and having a yellowish stripe along each side; it feeds on the common yarrow. This moth has only been found in one locality in Great Britain, and I had the great pleasure of making the discovery known to entomologists by the following particulars which I inserted in the Entomological Magazine. Mr. Eveleigh, the President of the Banksiau Society of Man- chester, supposing this beautiful and interest- ing moth new to science, most kindly brought three specimens to London that I might describe and name the species. Previously, however, to doing this, I took them to the late James Francis Stephens, then our oracle in all matters relating to insects, and found from that gentleman that they were as completely unknown to him as to Mr. Eve- leigh and myself. Not satisfied with this failure of obtaining information, and feeling confident that so striking an insect must 60 BEITISH MOTHS. have been previously described, I next visited the late J. Gr. Children, who was then prin- cipal zoologist in the British Museum, and whose unrivalled collection of entomological works was always at the service of entomo- logists seeking information. The supposed new moth was soon made out to -be the Geometra zonaria, both of Hubner and Dupouchel. The discoverer was Mr. Nicholas Cook, who found a single specimen on some rushes at Black Rock, near Liverpool, in September, 1832, and the following year about twenty specimens, females as well as males, were taken on the same spot. Since then it has been taken in profusion in three or four localities in the same neighbourhood, all of them so near together as to be re- garded as one, which has been variously recorded under the names of Birkenhead, . the Red Nun, Blackrock and New Brighton. They are all in Cheshire. (The scientific name is Nyssia zonaria.) 127. The Small Brindled Beauty (Nyssia hlspidaria). 127. THE SMALL BHIHDLED BEAUTY. The female is entirely without wings. The male has small rounded wings, dark brown, with a broad transverse paler band very near the hind margin ; on the dark part of the wing are slight indications of two darker, almost black, transverse zigzag lines ; the fringe is long and dark brown, with a few pale spots; hind wings pale smoke-coloured, with a darker but indistinct transverse bar in the middle ; antennae feathered and ochre-yellow-coloured ; head black ; thorax very large, square and hairy, black, powdered with grey; body black and very hairy. I never found the caterpillar of this moth, but it is described in Mr. Stainton's Manual as brown-grey, more or -less variegated with delicate orange markings, with a few orange warty protuberances. It feeds on the oak. This moth is abundant in Richmond Park, where the chrysalis is dug up round the roots of oak trees; also in the New Forest, in Hampshire, and in the north of England, but I do not consider it gene- rally common. (The scientific name is Nyssia liispidaria.) 128. The Brindled Beauty (Biston Mrtaria). 128. THE BHINDLED BEAUTY. All the wings smoky-brown, sprinkled with dots of yellowish-brown ; the fore wings of the male have six irregular rather indistinct narrow transverse black bauds ; two of them are almost close together near the base of the wing ; the third crosses the wing rather be- fore the middle ; the fourth, fifth and sixth are close together and half way between the third and the hind margin ; and the margin itself is spotted with black ; the hind wings are rather more smoke-coloured and rather more transparent than the fore wings ; they have three transverse waved blackish lines, very distinct on the inner margin only. The wings of the female have the same markings as those of the male, but are more transparent. The antennae of the male are beautifully fea- thered ; those of the female thread-like ; the head, thorax and body are of the same colour as the wings ; the thorax of the male very hairy. The caterpillar is without humps ; the ground colour is of two shades, dingy purple- brown and red-brown ; these colours are ar- ranged in alternate stripes from head to tail, and each two stripes are divided by an irre- gular black line; on the back of each segment are two small raised bright-yellow spots ; there is a ring of the same yellow colour just behind the head, and a row of seven yellow spots along each side ; the head, feet and claspers are pink, dotted with black. This caterpillar feeds in June and July on pear, plum, lime, &c., and sometimes occurs in such numbers about London as to strip the trees GEOMETEES. 61 their leaves. When full fed it buries itself iu the earth and changes to a blackish and somewhat dumpy chrysalis ; the perfect moth comes out the following April, and crawls Tip the trunks of trees, more particularly in the squares of London, where twenty or thirty may sometimes be seen on one tree. (The scientific name is Biston hirfctra.') 129. The Oak Beauty (Amphydasis prodromaria). 129. THE OAK BEAUTY. Fore wings dirty white, with two irregular broad brown bands; the first of these bands is short, and near the base of the wing ; its outer edge is bordered with black ; the second baud is near the hind margin, and its inner edge is bordered with black ; the whitish space between these two bands is sprinkled with black dots, and there is a crescent-shaped black mark near the mid- dle ; the whitish space along the hind margin is also variously dotted with black ; the hind wings are paler than the fore wings, and are transversely waved with black. The antenna) are feathered in the male, thread-like in the female ; the forehead is white, the front of the thorax also white ; the sides whitish-grey, and the back of the thorax as well as the body brown. I never found the caterpillar of this hand- some moth : it is described as being brown, marbled Avith white, and as having two small reddish lumps on the back of the eighth, ninth and twelfth segments, and a small lump on the belly on the seventh, eighth and ninth segments; the head is slightly notched in the middle : it is found feeding in July aud August on oak and birch ; the moth comes out in the following March and April : it is not common. (The scientific name is Ampliydasis prodromaria.) 130. The Peppered Moth 130. THE PEPPERED MOTH. All the wings dingy white, speckled and streaked with smoky brown ; head white ; antennre of the male feathered and smoky-black ; of the female thread-like, black, ringed, with white thorax and body dingy-white, spotted with black. A very variable insect ; some speci- mens have a very decided pattern, others are sprinkled all over with small black spots, and others again are black and unspotted. Caterpillar with the head deeply notched in the middle ; the ground-colour is various ; (Amphydasis betularia). I have seen them almost the colour of putty, but some have a green tinge, and others a tinge of red-brown ; on each side of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh segments is a reddish raised spot, aud there are two such spots on the back of the ninth and twelfth segments. It feeds in August on acacia, lime, birch, oak and many other trees ; it buries itself in the ground in September, and turns to a rather brown, rather dumpy chrysalis: the perfect moth comes out the following May. (The scientific name is Ampliyclasis lettdaria. 62 BEITISH MOTHS. FAMILY IV. 131. The Waved Umber (Hemerophila abruptaria). 132. The Speckled Beauty (Cleora viduana). 133. The Dotted Carpet (Cleora glabraria). 1 34. The Brussels Lace (Cleora lichenaria). 135. The Mottled Beauty (Boarmla repandaUi). 136. The Willow Beauty (Boarmia rkomboidaria). 137. The Satin Carpet (Boarmia abietaria). 138. The Ringed Carpet (Boarmia cinctaria}. 139. The Great Oak Beauty (Boarmia roboraria). 140. The Pale Oak Beauty (Boarmia consortaria). 131. The Waved Umber (Ilemeropkila abruptaria}. 131. THE WAVED UMBER. All the wings wainscot-brown, the male darker and richer than the female ; the fore wings have a central black dot, on both sides of which is a slender zigzag oblique black line ; adjoining the out- most of these lines, and extending to the hind margin, is a long dark-brown blotch : hind wings with a very slender zigzag oblique black line across the middle ; adjoining this on the outer side is a broad brown transverse baud; the same colour prevails above the black line, but fades to pale wainscot-brown at the base of the wing ; the fore wings are slightly, the hind wings deeply scalloped at the hind margin. In addition to the mark- ings I have described, there are innumerable delicate lines and tints of brown on all parts of both wings. Antenna smoky-brown, feathered in the male, thread-like in the female : head and collar brown, thorax paler, body pale brown, ringed with darker brown. The caterpillar is of a dark-brown colour with a whitish ring close behind the head, it feeds on lilac and rose, and spins a silken cocoon on the twigs just behind the point where two twigs separate : the moth frequents gardens in May and August ; the caterpillars are to be found in June. The Eev. Mr. Hellina thus writes of this moth : " It is undoubtedly double-brooded. Prom eggs laid 141. The Square Spot (Tephrosia consonaria). 142. The Small Engrailed (Tephrosia crepuscular ia). 143. The Engrailed (Tephrosia btiindularia). 144. The Brindled White-spot (Tephrosia extcrsaria). 145. The Grey Birch (Tephrosia punctulata). 146. The Annulet (Gnophos obscurata). 147. The Scotch Annulet (Dasydia obfuscata). 148. The Black Mountain Moth (Psodos trepidarta). 149. The Dusky Carpet (Mniophila cineraria). in May I bred the perfect insect in August. Perhaps it would be well to mention that at the time these latter moths appeared some of the produce of the very same batch of eggs were still feeding as larva?, though hatched at the same time and treated in the same way as their precocious brethren. I noticed that the slow feeders attained a much greater size than the fast ones, and expect to breed larger moths from them ; when first hatched these larvae have a beautiful purple stripe on the back, but they soon lose it." (The scientific name is ILcmeropliila abruptaria.) 132. The Speckled Beauty (Cleora vtduaria). 132. TIIE SPECKLED BEAUTY. Fore wings dingy-white, adorned with smoky-black markings, most of which cross the wing transversely ; on the hind margin are seven crescent-shaped black spots ; hind wings dingy-white with minute black specks ; and a black line along the hind margin ; head white; eyes black ; antenna; black, feathered in the male, thread-like in the female ; thorax and body dingy-white, the body indistinctly spotted with black. This moth only occurs in Sussex and in the New Forest, inllampshire ; its caterpillar is unknown ; the moth flies in June. (The scientific name is Cleora viduaria.) 133. THE DOTTED CARPET. Wings dingy white, delicately sprinkled over with minute GEOMETEKS. 63 * ' 133. The Dotted Carpet (Cleora ylabr aria). black dots, and adorned with many other black markings, the most conspicuous of which is a central black spot ; round the hind margin of all the wings is a narrow black line : on the costal margin of the fore wings are four black spot?, the first and third of which commu- nicate with transverse, irregular, and often interrupted black lines; the second joins the central black spot ; the forth communicates with a waved but rather indistinct black baud, which crosses the wing near the hind margin. Zeller, as quoted by Mr. Staiuton, describes the caterpillar of this moth as greenish-white, !-ith a black spot on the back of each segment, t feeds on the lichens which grow on fir- fees. It occurs in the lake district of West- moreland, and in the Jfew Forest of Hamp- shire. The caterpillar is found in May, the moth at the end of July. (The scientific name is Cleora c/lalra ria.) 134. The Brussels Lace (Cleora licliaiaria). .134. THE BRUSSELS LACE Green-grey, clouded with darker shades of the same colour ; there are two black transverse lines across the fore wings ; the first is near the base, slightly curved, and is accompanied on its inner side by a paler line ; the second is beyond the middle, very zigzag, and accompa- nied on the outer side by a paler line ; mid- ay between the two lines is a black central spot ; the hind wings are rather paler than the fore wings, with one zigzag blackish line situated rather beyond the middle, and ac- companied on its outer side by a paler line. The antenna? of the male are feathered, of the female thread-like ; the head, thorax and body are green-grey. The caterpillar is green-grey, the same colour as the moth, but is much more beau- tifully marked, the colours being brighter and more distinct; there are two little humps on each of the segments from the fifth to the twelfth inclusive, those of the fifth and ninth being the largest. I had about twenty cater- pillars of this species in 1859, found on lichen on park palings ; and they so exactly resem- bled the lichen in colour and appearance, that it was extremely difficult to distinguish them. The caterpillar feeds in September and again in May, hybernating during winter; the moth flies in July, and is tolerably common. (The scientific name is Cleora licJtcnaria.) 135. The Mottled Bsauty (Boarmia rtpandata). 135. THE MOTTLED BEAUTY. Smoky grey- brown tinged with orange-brown, having a number of waved markings both darker and lighter transversely crossing all the wings. These vary so much in different specimens, that it is impossible to write any description that will apply to all ; there is, however, a paler transverse line running through all the wings, near the hind margin, that appears to be always present ; the hind margin itself is surrounded by a delicate scalloped black line. The antenna are feathered in the male, thread-like in the female ; the head, thorax and body are brownish-grey. A variable species ; one specimen which I pos- sess has a broad central dark-brown band on all the wings; others have the transverse lines clearly defined on a paler ground ; others again have all the marks suffused, mixed and indistinct. The caterpillar may be found in early spring feeding on plum and birch trees in our gardens ; it is of a yellow-grey tint, dotted with black, a line along the back and another G4 BEITISH MOTHS. on each side paler. The moth flies in June and July, and is very common. (The scientific name is Boarmia repandata.) 136. The Willow Beauty (Boarmia rhomboidaria). 136. THE WILLOW BEAUTY. All the wings grey-brown ; a dark-brown crescent-shaped spot in the middle of the fore wings ; several transverse-waved lines or bands are more or less plainly marked on all the wings; the extreme hind margin of all the wings is sur- rounded with a delicate zigzag black line just within the fringe ; near the hind margin, and almost parallel with this marginal black line is a pale zigzag line, very indistinct in some specimens, but plainly observable in others ; this commences very near the tip of the fore wings, and terminates in the anal angle of the hind wings ; the lower half of this line on the fore wing is nearly straight; antenna) of the male feathered, of the female thread- like ; head, thorax and body grey-brown. The caterpillar is dingy grey, and very stick- like, but is slightly variegated with darker markings, and has a pale-yellowish line along each side by the spiracles ; on each side of the sixth segment there is a slight hump just below this line. It feeds in gardens on roses, plums, birch, &c. The caterpillar is found in September, the moth in June and July, sitting on walls, fences and the trunks of trees ; it is very common everywhere. (The scientific name is Boarmia rliomloi- daria.) crescent-shaped spot on the fore wings very black ; a row of crescent-shaped black marks round the hind margin of all the wings ; a saftron-coloured tint is observable on fine specimens of this moth ; the antenna? are long, feathered in the male, thread-like and very black in the female. A very local moth, found only in pine forests, sitting on the trunks of the pines in July. I know nothing of the caterpillar, but Mr. Staintou gives the following description from Freyer : Reddish-grey, often paler or yellow- ish on the back ; subdorsal lines black, inter- rupted ; spiracular line yellowish : it feeds on fir. (The scientific name Is Boarmia abie- tarin ) 137. The Satin Carpet ( Boarmia abidaria). 137. THE SATIN CABPET. Grey-brown, shaded with velvety black-brown ; a central 138. The Ringed Carpet (ttoarmia cinclaria). 138. THE RINGED CARPET. Black-brown, with several transverse-waved darker lines ; near the middle of the fore wings is a pale crescent-shaped spot surrounded with a black line ; beyond this, that is, nearer the tip of the wing, is a conspicuous narrow black transverse line, and again outside of this is an umber-brown transverse band, in fine speci- mens distinct, in worn specimens indistinct ; the hind wings are paler than the fore wings, especially at the base, and are marked with several waved transverse black lines more or less distinct ; the antenna? are feathered in the male, thread-like in the female ; head, thorax and body grey-brown. The caterpillar of this pretty moth I have never met with, but it is described by Treitschke as having a notched head, and a small hump on each side of the fifth seg- ment : it is of a dark-brown ground colour, with a row of whitish lozenge-shaped marks along the back on the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth segment?. It feeds on heath. The caterpillar is found in September, the moth in May and June. (The pcientific name is Boarmia cinctaria.) GEOMETERS. 65 139. The Great Oak Beauty (Boarmia roboraria). 139. THE GKEAT OAK BEAUTY. The an- tennae of the male are strongly pectinated, those of the female simple : the wings are gray, powdered with minute black spots, and having also numerous black or dark-brown markings ; the most conspicuous of these are four black spots on the costal margin of the fore wings, each of which, except the first, seems to originate an irregular, indistinct, and interrupted transverse black line ; the first and second of these lines are wide apart at their commencement on the costal margin, but almost meet on the inner margin ; the second is composed of a number of sharp angles ; the third is waved or scalloped, and beyond it is a similarly-shaped paler line ; there is a row of crescent-shaped black spots along the hind margin ; near the middle of the wing is a crescent-shaped black spot, often very in- distinct ; the hind wings are marked very much as the fore wings, but rather less dis- tinctly : first, there is an oblique band across ic wing near its base, then a crescent-shaped black spot, then a zigzag black line, then a slightly-waved black line, and lastly, a very distinct row of crescent-shaped black spots on the scalloped hind margin ; the head, thorax, and body are gray. The CATERPILLAR is very large, and resem- bles a piece of stick ; there is a rather darker medic-dorsal stripe, and a rather paler lateral tripe ; the space between them is varied with slack and white ; there are two rather small humps on the sides of the sixth segment, and one underneath the seventh segment : it feeds only on oak. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in the New Forest, Hampshire ; in Tilgate Forest, Sussex ; in Richmond Park, Surrey ; in Dorsetshire ; in Birch wood, Kent ; in Epping Forest, Essex ; and is also reported from Berkshire, "Worcestershire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Ireland. The chrysalis used formerly to be found in some abundance by digging round the trunks of oak trees in Rich- mond Park, but latterly it has been rare in that locality. (The scientific name is Boarmia roboraria.~] 140. The Pale Oak Beauty (Boarmia consortaria). 140. THE PALE OAK BEAUTY. The an- tennaa of the male are slightly pectinated, those of the female simple : all the wings are gray, powdered with minute black specks ; the base of the fore wings, and a narrow- waved band across the middle of all the wings, dingy yellow brown ; there is a zigzag or scalloped black line near the hind margin of all the wings, accompanied exteriorly by a paler line of exactly similar shape ; in the middle of the hind wings is a crescent-shaped mark, gray in the middle ; the head, thorax, and body are gray. The CATEEPILLAR is greenish-gray, with a darker medio-dorsal stripe, and a rather paler lateral stripe ; there are two small humps on the back of the sixth segment, and two small black warts on the twelfth segment ; it feeds on oak. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in the New Forest, Hampshire ; at Pembury, in Sussex ; at Darent, in Kent ; in Essex ; and near Stowmarket, in Suffolk ; but neither in the north of England, in Scot- land, nor in Ireland. (The scientific name is Boarmia consortaria.} EDWARD NKWMAN'S BRITISH i MOTHS. .No. 0. PRICK tiD. > LONDON: W. TWEKUIE, 337, STRAND. 66 BRITISH MOTHS. 141. The Square Spot (Tephrosia consonariu). 141. THE SQTTARE SPOT. The antennae are almost simple in the male, quite so in the female : the male and female of this insect are very dissimilar as regards the colour of their wings : the male has a gray ground- colour tinged with red-brown ; it possesses several transverse shades and markings, hut they are very indistinct : the ground-colour of the female is gray, without the red-brown tinge, and its markings are most distinct and conspicuous ; near the base are two short, curved, transverse bars, the outer narrower but more distinct than the inner ; beyond the middle of the wing are two more distinct and zigzag dark lines, and these are united in the middle by a square brown spot ; the outer of these lines is accompanied by a pale line of the same form : the head, thorax, and body are gray. The EGG is laid in May, on the trunks of birch (Betula alba], beech (Fagus sylvaticd), and more rarely on hornbeam ( Carpinus letu- lus}, on which trees the CATERPILLARS feed. They are full-fed in June and July. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, and has been taken freely at Brighton ; in the New Forest, Hampshire ; at Pembury and Worthing in Sussex ; in Halton in Buck- inghamshire ; at Stowmarket in Suffolk ; and more particularly at Birchwood in Kent, where I have repeatedly found it on the trunks of the larch trees formerly so abundant there a fact the more noteworthy, since the caterpillar has never been known to feed on any species of fir. Mr. Birchall says it is common in Ireland : he has taken it in the counties Wicklow and Kerry. (The scientific name is Tephrosia comonartft.} 142. The Small Engrailed (Tephrosia crepuscular ia], 142. THE SMALL ENGRAILED. The an- tennae of the male are very slightly ciliated, those of the female simple : the colour of the wings is gray, with a yellow-brown tinge ; all the wings have transverse zigzag black lines, the most conspicuous of them crosses each of the four wings about the middle, the other black or dark lines follow the same direction as this, but are more liable to vary. The MOTH appears on the wing in April, and occurs in most of our English counties, and Mr. Bristow is said to have taken it in Ire- land. (The scientific liame is Tephrosia crepuscular ia.} 143. The Engrailed (Tephrosia biundularia] . 143. THE ENGRAILED. The antenna of the male are slightly ciliated, those of the female simple : the colour of the wings is gray, with a slight tinge of ochreous, and having numer- ous transverse dark lines, the most conspicuous of Avhich are two on the fore wings and one on the hind ; the first of these on the fore wings is short and near the base of the wing ; the second is oblique and situated beyond the middle of the wing. Some EGGS of this species were laid by a captured female from the 21st to the 27th of May, and were hatched on the 5th of June. These CATERPILLARS vary exceedingly, but more in the colour than in the disposition of GEOMETERS. 67 the markings. The usual food-plant is oak (Quercus Rolur}, but they feed freely on the leaves of the plum in confinement, and are full-fed the first week in July. The MOTH appears on the wing in April, and generally again in July ; its geographical range in this country is, without doubt, very extensive, but unascertained on account of the difficulty entomologists find in distinguishing between this and the preceding species. (The scientific name is Teplirosia liundularid). 144. The Brindled White-spot (Tephroaia extersaria]. 144. THE BRINDLED WHITE-SPOT. The antenna? are nearly simple in both sexes : the wings are smoky- gray, sprinkled all over with smoky -brown : the fore wings have four transverse blackish lines, the first near the base is slightly curved, the second crossing the middle of the wing is of the same shape as the first ; between these two is a crescent- shaped blackish mark not always very distinct ; the third transverse line is generally broken up into black spots ; the fourth is exactly half-way between the third and the tip of the wing ; it is accompanied on the outside by a slender zigzag white line, and both the black and white lines terminate in a con- spicuous white blotch, which is situated half-way between the costa and the anal angle : the hind wings have several transverse markings, but these are far less conspicuous thau those I have described in the fore wings ; the head, thorax, and body are gray-brown. The CATERPILLAR is gray, clouded with red- dish-brown ; it feeds on birch ; it is found in September, and remains in the CHRYSALIS state during winter, the moth making its appearance the following June. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in Cornwall, Kew Forest, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxford- shire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Suffolk, but not in Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Teplirosia extersaria.} 145. The Gray Birch (Tephrosia punctulata}. 145. THE GRAY BIRCH. The antennae in both sexes are simple : the wings are gray sprinkled over with smoky -brown ; on the costal margin of the fore wings are four very conspicuous black spots, nearly equally distant from each other ; these spots are long and narrow, and fade into interrupted dotted black lines, which terminate on the inner margin ; there are some transverse markings on the hind wings, but they are very indistinct ; the head, thorax, and body are smoky-gray. The CATERPILLAR is smooth, and of a reddish colour, with white spots or blotches on the back of all the segments ; it feeds on birch (Betula alba}, and may be met with through- out the month of August. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June. It is a very common species round London, particularly at Birch and Darent Woods in Kent, and has occurred more or less plentifully in all our English counties, from Devonshire and Sussex to Yorkshire. I have seen no Scottish specimens ; but Mr. Birchall reports it from the counties Wicklow and Kerry in Ireland. (The scientific name is Tephrosia punctulata.} 146. THE ANNULET. The antennae of the male are very slightly ciliated, those of the female simple : the wings vary in colour from pale pearly-gray to very dark smoky-brown, almost black, but the fore wings invariably have two transverse zigzag black lines, and the hind wings one ; between these transverse lines on each fore wing is a black ling or annulet, and on each hind wing, very near the 68 BEITISH MOTHS. 146. The Annulet (Gnophos obscurata}. middle, is another annulet ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and has occurred abundantly in Cornwall, Devon- shire, Somerset, Dorset, in the New Forest, Hampshire, Tilgate Forest in Sussex, Farnham Heath in Surrey, and also in Wales, the North of England, and Scotland ; Mr. Birchall says it is generally distributed and common in Ireland. (The scientific name is Gnophos obftcurata.} The CATF.EPILLAR very much resembles the moth in colour, being gray of various shades, the back paler than the sides, and the fore part of each segment paler than the hind part ; it i'eeds at night on the salad burnet (Poterium sangujgorba), and the sun cistus (Helianthertvum vnfgare], concealing itself under stones or among the roots of the grass by day, and may be obtained by pulling up and shaking tufts of grass. The EGG is laid in July and August, and the young caterpillar is hatched in a few days, and continues to feed and to grow 'slowly until the end of September, when it is about half-grown, and then hybernates, re- appearing in the spring, and beginning to feed again in April. 147. The Scotch Annulet (Danydia obfuscatn]. 147. THE SCOTCH ANTTULET. The antennrc are very long and slender, ciliated in the male, simple in the female : the colour of the wings is smoky-gray, suffused in recent specimens with greenish or purplish, pearly reflections, rarely to be observed in cabinet specimens : near the middle of each of the fore wings is a faint ring of a darker colour, and there is a dark spot in the middle of each hind wing ; there are two very obscure transverse darker lines on the fore wings, and one on the hind wings, and these are accompanied by paler and broken white lines equally obscure ; the fore wings are rather pointed, and the hind margin of the hind wings is waved, but not scalloped ; the head, thorax, and body are smoky-gray. The CATEEPILLAK is described by Guenee as of a violet-gray colour, with a white spiracular line, and an oblique dark gray streak on the side of each segment ; it has two small humps on the twelfth segment ; it feeds on the dyer's green weed (Genista tinctoria), and various species of vetch. The MOTH appears on the wing in July and August ; it has only been taken among the Scotch mountains, and in the county Wicklow in Ireland by Mr. Ihistow. (The scientific name is Dasydia o 148. The Black Mountain Moth (Psotlos trepidarid). 148. THE BLACK MOUNTAIN MOTH. The antennae are simple in both sexes : the fore GEOMETERS. 69 rings of the male are smoky-black : of the female, smoky-gray. In both sexes there are two transverse zigzag lines, both of which commence at the costal margin of the wing le first at one-third, the second at two-thirds )f the distance between the base and tip. ?hese lines are most distant at the costal largin, and gradually approach to the inner largin. The part of the wing included be- reen these two lines is darker than the parts outside of them ; but not so dark as a patch at the base of the wing. There is a row of seven black streaks on the hind margin of the wing, just within the fringe : these are very conspicuous in the female, but not so distinct in the male : the hind wings in the male are of uniform colour, but have the same marginal row of black streaks on the hind margin. The hind wings of the female are gray, with a light narrow, zigzag band across the middle, and a light broad band along the hind margin. The head, thorax, and body are quite black, and very hairy. The 3TOTH appears on the wing in July, and was taken in the Highlands of Scotland by the late Mr. Wrenn and the late Mr. Foxcroft. I am not aware of its having been seen in Eng- land, "Wales, or Ireland. (The scientific name is I'sodox trcpid(iria.\ 149. The Dusky Carpet (-Uttiop/tila cineraria}. 149. THE DUSKY CARPET. The antennae of the male are ciliated, those of the female simple : the fore wings are gray, with three transverse darker waved lines : the first and third are very decidedly marked, and very distinct ; the middle one is paler, and very obscure ; the hind margin of the wing is bordered with a zigzag dark line, and the fringe is slightly spotted : the hind wings are paler than the fore wings, and have an indis- tinct transverse line, and a distinct marginal line like that of the fore wings : the head, thorax, and body are gray. It is said that a specimen was once taken at Tenby, in South Wales, but I have never seen it. (The scientific name is Mniophila cine- raria. 150. The Waved Black (Baleto6ia fuliginaria), 150. THE WAVED BLACK. The antennas are pectinated in the male, simple in the female : all the wings dark smoky-brown, the basal half darker than the outer half, and bordered by a slight, black, zigzag line : this darker portion of the wing has an indistinct, crescent-shaped black mark near the middle; beyond this darker part of the wing is a broad paler band which, on the fore wings, ends in a pale blotch, near the inner margin : the head, thorax, and body gray. The MOTH appears on the wing in June ; three or four have been taken in kitchens and coal-cellars in London and one at Worcester. (The scientific name is Boletolia fidiginaria.} 151. The Grass Emerald (Ptevdoterpna cylisaria). 151. THE GRASS EMERALD. The fore wings are gray-green, with two indistinct transverse darker lines, the first nearly straight, the second zigzag : these two lines are widely separated at the costal margin, and very near the inner margin. Between these is an indis- tinct, crescent-shaped spot of the same colour ; and beyond them is a third line also zigzag and almost white : the hind wings are paler than the fore wings, and have the white line less distinctly marked : the head, thorax, and 70 BEITISH MOTHS. body are the same colour as the Avings. It is remarkable, that when this moth comes out of the chrysalis in wet weather, every part of it. is suffused with a red tinge. The CATERPILLAR is green very much the same colour as the moth. Its head is notched on the crown. It feeds on the common broom. The caterpillar is found in June, and the moth in July. The EGG is laid on dyer's green-weed ( Genista anglica] and common broom (Spartium Scopariuni), generally between the 20th and 30th of July; and the young caterpillars usually emerge in fifteen days : they feed but sparingly, and are veiy small when winter sets in. My specimens were full-fed on the 14th of June. The Morn appears on the wing in July, and is common in most of our English counties ; it has also been taken in Scotland, and Mr. Birchall says it is common and generally dis- tributed in Ireland. (The scientific name is Pseudoterpna cytisaria.} 152. Tho Large Emerald (Cfeometra papilionaria). 152. THE LARGE EMERALD. The antenna? are ciliated in the male, simple in the female : the wings are uniformly green : the fore wings have three transverse, waved, white lines, not very distinct : the one nearest the base much shorter than the others: these lines are very distant at the costal margin, and much nearer at the inner margin : inter- mediate between the first and second is a crescent-shaped, dark green mark ; the third or outer line is broken up into crescentic spots : the hind wings have a beautifully scalloped white line passing transversely across the middle, and dividing the wing exactly in half. In the centre of the space enclosed by this scalloped line is a crescent-shaped darker mark ; and exactly intermediate, between the scalloped line and the hind margin, is a trans- verse row of white dots: the antennae and fore legs are whitish : the head and thorax green ; the body nearly white. The EGGS are laid in the autumn, on birch ( Betula, alba] ; the young CATERPILLAR emerges in two or three weeks, according to the tem- perature, and feeds for a short time only, hybernating when very small : in early spring it again begins to feed, and is full-fed towards the end of May. In June it spins together some of the leaves of its food-plant, forming a thin whitish cocoon, in which it changes to a green CHRYSALIS, having brown- ish wing-cases, and a reddish blotch on the back of the same segments, which have the red-brown stripe in the larva. The MOTH appears on the wing about mid- summer : it is tolerably common in most of our English counties, and has been taken in Scotland. Mr. Birchall says that in Ireland it is common at Killarney and in the county Wicklow. (The scientific name is Geometra papilionaria.} 153. The Essex Emerald (Geometra smaraydaria). 153. THE ESSEX EMERALD. All the wings green : the fore wings with two transparent, waved, whitish lines, and a distinct white spot between them : the costal margin of the fore wings is tinged with yellow. My late friend, Thomas Ingall, found the CATERPILLAR of this species on the Essex coast, but unfortunately did not know what a prize he had obtained until the moth emerged ; it was of a dull olive-green, with humps on the sixth and tenth segments. The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and has only been taken on the coast of Essex. (The scientific name is Geometra smaragdaria.} GEOMETERS. 71 154. The Small Grass Emerald (Xcmoria viridata], 154. THE SMALL GRASS EMERALD. The utennae are simple in both sexes : the wings e dingy green, often suffused with a reddish tinge : the fore wings have one very distinct, transverse, oblique, whitish line beyond the middle, and a second very indistinct and shorter transverse line nearer the base: this second or inner line is frequently wanting: hind wings with a slight angle near the middle of the hind margin, and an oblique whitish line across the middle of the wing, meeting the principal white line on the fore wings: crown of the head whitish; thorax and body dull dingy green. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and une, and has been taken in Devonshire, orsetshire, Hampshire, Worcestershire, Lan- shire, and the Lake District generally, and r. Bristow is said to have taken it in the ounty "Wicklow, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Nemoria viridata.'] 155. The Small Emerald (lodis vernaria}. 155. THE SMALL EMERALD. The antennte are ciliated in the male, simple in the female ; the wings of the most lovely green ; the fore wings with two, the hind wings with one, very distinct, white, transverse lines ; the head, thorax, and body delicate green. The CATERPILLAR has a porrected head, deeply notched on the crown ; the body is :en, with two whitish stripes on each side. It feeds on the traveller's joy (Clematis vitalba}. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and has been taken in Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Kent, Buckingham- shire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire ; of course it only occurs where the clematis is abundant. (The scientific name is lodis rernaria.} 156. The Little Emerald (lodis lactearia). 156. THE LAR&E EMERALD. The antennas are distinctly ciliated in the male, simple in the female ; the wings are white ; but when the moth first emerges from the chrysalis, tinged with the most lovely green ; a trans- verse and oblique, but nearly straight, line, whiter than the ground colour, across the wing at two-thirds of the distance passes between the base and hind margin ; this white line is continued in the same direction across the hind wing ; the antennae, head, thorax, and body are white, or almost so. The MOTH appears upon the wing a little before Midsummer, and occurs in most of our English counties, and in some localities in Scotland. Mr. Birchall says it is generally distributed in Ireland. (The scientific name is lodis lactearia.} 157. The Blotched Emerald (Phorodesma bajularia). 157. THE BLOTCHED EMERALD. The an- tennae are ciliated in the male, simple in the female ; the wings green ; the fore wings with two slender transverse whitish lines ; that nearest the base of the wing is somewhat waved, the outer one is slightly zigzag, and terminates in a large, squarish, pale blotch near the anal angle ; this blotch is dingy white, but tinged with red-brown in the middle ; the fringe is whi f e, spotted with 72 BEITISH MOTHS. brown : the hind wings have a large pale spot at both angles, and these are connected by a scalloped marginal line, in the centre of which is a slender scalloped brown line ; the head is white ; the body and abdomen are whitish green. The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of June, and has been taken in Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Bucks, Norfolk, Suffolk, Gloucester, Worcester, Derbyshire, the Lake District, and Yorkshire. I have nowhere found it abundant. (The scientific name is Phoro- desma bajularia ; both the names are descrip- tive of the habits of the caterpillar.) 158. The Common Emt ithea tJnjmiaria), 158. THE COMMON EMEKALD. The an- tennae are almost simple in both sexes : the wings are dingy green ; fore wings with the hind margin scalloped and having two very obscure waved tranverse pale lines : hind wings with the hind margin scalloped and an- gled, and having one waved tranverse whitish line across the middle; the fringe is dingy white, spotted with brown : head whitish ; thorax and abdomen of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and occurs in all our English counties, and occa- sionally in Scotland. Mr. Birchall took it in the county Galway in Ireland. (The scientific name is If em ithea tliymiaria.'] 159. The False Mocha (Ephyra poruta). 159. THE FALSE MOCHA. The antenna? are slightly pectinated in the male, throughout the greater part of their length, but simple at the tips ; they are simple throughout in th e female ; the wings are dull grayish red ; the red, in very perfect and recently-disclosed specimens, being brick-dust coloured in the middle of the wing : a transverse brown line crosses the middle of each wing, and just within this, that is, nearer the base of the wing, is a round white spot, with a narrow border ; between this white spot and the base of the wing is a transverse row of six or seven brown dots ; and half-way between the white spot and the hind margin is a second row of nine or ten brown dots ; on the hind margin itself, but within the fringe, is a third row of brown dots; the head, thorax, and body are of the same prevailing colour as the wings. This species is double-brooded, the MOTH appearing on the wing in May, and again in August: it occurs in the Southern English counties, very generally as far north as Worcester. (The scientific name is Ephyra porata.} 160. The Maiden's Blush (Ephyra punctarla). 160. THE MAIDEN'S BLUSH. The antenme of the male are fringed, of the female, thread- like ; the wings dull, grayish red, with a redder tinge about the middle of the wing ; a very distinct transverse brown line crosses the middle of the wing ; half-way between this brown line and the base of the wing, is a transverse row of six or seven brown dots ; and half-way between the brown line and the hind margin, is a second row of nine or ten brown dots ; besides these, there is a third row of linear brown spots on the margin, making a continuous marginal line ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same prevailing colour as the wings. The CATERPILLAR is figured by Sepp ; like its congeners, it is of two colours, fawn-coloured GEOMETERS. 73 apple-green, with oblique transverse lines an the sides ; it feeds on oak (Quercus Robur]. This species is double-brooded, the MOTH appearing on the wing in May and September : it occurs in all our English counties, and ex- snds even into Scotland, and Mr. Birchall sok it in the county Wicklow, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Ephyra punctaria.} 161. The Clay Triple-lines (Ephyra trilincaria). 161. THE CLAY TRIPLE-LINES. The an- tenna) are pectinated in the male, simple in female ; the wings are fulvous yellow, without the slightest tinge of red : there are three transverse lines on each wing, the middle one much the darkest, broadest, and most plainly marked ; the others are broken and dotted, and often very difficult to perceive : one of my specimens has. on the middle of each wing, a conspicuous white spot, surrounded by a black line, being, in this respect, similar to Ephyra porata ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and September, and is not uncommon in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Hants, Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Berks, and Hunts ; but I think does not occur farther north, in Scot- land or in Ireland. (The scientific name is Ephyra trilinearia.') 162. The Mocha (Ephyra omicroitarin}. 162. THE MOCHA. The antenna) of the male are slightly pectinated, of the female simple : the wings are whitish-fulvous, with a auble, transverse, zigzag, smoke-coloured line cross the middle of each, and a ring of the same colour between the zigzag line and the base of the wing : again, between this ring and the base of the wing, is a narrow brown line, composed of two semi-circles : the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The head of the CATERPILLAR is red above, and pale yellow, almost white, below : the body is a beautiful velvety green colour, with a slender medio-dorsal stripe, composed of canary-yellow points, as though shagreened on each side ; near the medio-dorsal is another stripe, of the same canary-yellow colour and rather waved ; and below this, in the region of the spiracles, are the traces of a third very indistinct stripe ; the spiracles are small and reddish ; the ventral surface is pale glaucous- green, with black dots. It feeds on maple (Acer compestri\ and usually when full-fed conceals itself among moss, spinning a few threads by way of security, and changes to a smooth green CHRYSALIS, square at the an- terior, and pointed at the posterior extremity. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and August, and occurs frequently in all the southern counties in England, but I think ' not in the north of England, in Scotland, or in Ireland. (The scientific name is Ephyra omicronaria.'] 163. The Dingy Mocha (Ephyra orbicular ia~). 163. THE DINGY MOCHA. TheantennaB are pectinated in the male, simple in the female : the wings smoky gray, mottled and marbled with darker shades of the same colour : in the centre of each wing is a round white spot in a circle of smoky- gray ; half-way between this and the base of the wing are some blackish dots, arranged in a very indistinct transverse row ; and again, half-way between the white spot and the hind border of the wing, is a second row of blackish dots, arranged in zigzag order ; lastly, there is a third row, on the hind margin, of linear black spots : these are just 74 BEITISH MOTHS. within the fringe, and constitute an almost continuous marginal line : the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and August, and is nowhere common. I used to take it on the palings of my garden at Deptford forty years ago, and it was then reckoned a great rarity ; there was a rope- walk immedi- ately adjoining the garden, and a double row of willows seven hundred yards in length : it has since been taken at Brighton and Lewes, and in Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Surrey, and Worcestershire. ( The scientific name is Ephyra orlicularia.} 164. The Birch Mocha ( Ephyra pmdularia). W54. THE BIRCH MOCHA. The antennae are very slightly pectinated in the male, simple in the female : the wings are pale gray, sprinkled thinly over with specks of smoke- colour : in the middle of each wing is a round white spot, surrounded by a smoke-coloured cloud ; between this white spot and the base of the wing is a transverse row of three or four smoke-coloured dots; and half-way between the white spot and the hind margin is a second row, consisting of ten or twelve smoke- coloured dots ; and again, on the hind margin itself, is a third row of linear black dots : the head, thorax, and body are of the same pale colour as the wings. The CATERPILLAR is green, tawny, or brown, with paler spiracular line ; the head and legs reddish (Sub.}; it feeds on Birch (Betula alba). Stainton's Manual, vol. ii., p. 39. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and August, and occurs in most of our English and Scotch counties : the name is inserted in Mr. Greene's list of Irish Lepidoptcra. (The scientific name is Ephyra pendularia.} 165. The Golden- bordered Purple (Kyria aworariti). 165. THE GOLDEN-BORDERED PURPLE. The antennas in both sexes are simple and of a yellow colour : the wings are of a purple-red colour, with a double blotch in the middle of the fore wings, a single blotch in 'the middle of the hind wings, and a broad border on the hind margin of all the wings, deep fulvous- yellow : the thorax is purple ; the body bluish, tipped with orange. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and has been taken in Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire, and in the Lake District. Mr. Birchall informs us it is common on the heaths of the south and west of Ireland. (The scientific name is Ilyria auroraria.'] 166. The Small Yellow Wave (Astheiia luteatn). 166. THE SMALL YELLOW WAVE The antennae are simple in both sexes : the wings are rich fulvous-yellow, with zigzag transverse lines, which are a darker tint of the same fulvous colour ; these zigzag lines are arranged in pairs, but not very distinctly so : there are four pairs on the fore wings, and two pairs on the hind wings ; and between the second and third pair of these zigzag lines on the fore wings, is a conspicuous central dot of the same colour as the lines ; the head, thorax, and body, of the same colour as the ground- colour of the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing at Midsum- mer, and has been taken occasionally in nearly all the English counties, but I think neither in Scotland nor Ireland. (The scientific name is Astliena luhata. GEOMETEES. 75 16". The Small White Wave (Asthena ca,ididata). 167. THE SMALL WHITE WAVE. The an- ennae are simple in both sexes: the wings are white, with seven waved transverse gray lines on the fore wings, and four on the hind wings : there is also a spot between the third and fourth lines on the fore wings, and the fourth and fifth lines are nearer together than either of the others, especially as they ap- proach the inner margin : on the hind margins of all the wings is a series of black dots : the antennas, head, thorax, and body are pure white. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, and is common everywhere. (The scientific name is Asthena candidata.} 168. The Waved Carpet (Asthena sylvata). 168. THE WAVED CARPET. The antenna) re simple in both sexes : the wings are pale ray, with zigzag lines of a darker gray ; lere are ten of these gray lines on the fore rings, and four on the hind wings : the space on the fore wings, between the fifth and sixth of these lines, is greater than the other interspaces, and has the appearance of a pale, transverse band : the last of these lines, situated on the hind margin, consists of a series of long spots, and is not zigzag, but follows the curved outline of the wing ; the head, thorax, and body being of the same colour. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and is very generally distributed in England, and occurs in Ireland, in the counties Wicklow and Galway. (The scientific name is Asthena sykata.} 169. Blomer's Rivulet (Asthena pulchraria). 169. BLOMER'S KIVULET. The wings are pale gray, the fore wings with two waved raw-sienna bands near the tip, and very close together ; the inner of these is bounded by a black waved line ; on the costal margin are four or five short, oblique, brown lines, and on the hind margin is a row of long black spots, following the curved outline of the wing : the hind wings have a similar row of spots on their hind margin : both fore and hind wings have a number of beautifully delicate, but obscure, transverse, zigzag mark- ings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in the counties of Devon, Somerset, Glamorgan, Gloucester, "Worcester, Stafford, Derby, Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Durham. (The scientific name is Asthena pulchraria.} 170. The Dingy Shell (Eupisteria heparata}. 170. THE DLXGY SHELL. The antenna? are very slightly ciliated in the male, simple in the female : the wings are dingy yellow to- wards the body, dingy brown towards the hind margin ; the two colours are not marked by any line of separation, but are blended into each other : the paler part is marked by three, four, or five transverse waved lines, which are often very indistinct, and are scarcely darker than the general colour of the wing : the antennaa, together with the head, thorax, and body, are of the same colour as the paler part of the wings. The MOTH appears in June, and is common in most of our English counties, but I think does not occur in Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupisteria heparata.) 7G BRITISH MOTHS. 171. The Welsh Wave (Venusla camMcarit). 171. THK WELSH WAVE. The antennae are ciliated in the male, simple in the female ; the wings are pale gray : the fore wings have ten zigzag, brown, transverse lines, which differ much in darkness of shade ; near the middle of the wing there is a delicate black crescent-shaped mark : on the hind wings, the markings are few and delicate : the head, thorax, and body are dark gray. The EGGS are laid about the 17th of July, and the young CATERPILLARS emerge about the 27th. They feed on mountain ash or rowan tree (Pijrus aucuparia), and when full-fed spin together a division of the leaf of the food-plant, and change to a CHRYSALIS. The MOTH appears on the wing about Mid- summer, and is said to have occurred in Mon- mouthshire, but is chiefly an inhabitant of the northern English counties, Cheshire, Lan- cashire, the Lake District, Yorkshire, and Northumberland. Mr. Birchall took it at Powerscourt, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Venus i a c>n>ibricaria.} 172. The Bright W;ive (Acidulia ochrala}. 172. THE BRIGHT WAVE. The antennae are simple in both sexes : the wings are dingy fulvous ; the fore wings have four transverse lines of a darker hue, and the hind wings have two; these markings are only a shade darker than the general hue of the wing, and are not all of the same hue, the two nearest the middle of the wing being obviously darker than the rest: the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the winss. This MOTH appears on the wing in June : it is only found on the coasts of Kent and Essex. (The scientific name is Acidalia ochrata.} 173. The Tawny Wave ( Acidalia rubricatci). 173. THE TAWNY WAVE. The antennae arc ciliated in the male, simple in the female : the wings vary in colour, some specimens being of a grayish green, others of a bright purple ; but in both instances there are three trans- versely oblique darker lines on the fore wings and two on the hind wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has only been taken in Surrey, Essex, Norfolk, and Yorkshire. (The scientific name is Acidalia rubricata.} H4. The Single-doited Wave (Aciihinn smhilulu}. 174. THE SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE. All the wings are pale wainscot-brown ; the fore wings having two waved and interrupted brown lines near to, and parallel with, the hind margin : the costal extremity of the first of these lines consists of a few black dots, that of the second is indistinct, but near the inner margin they become broad and distinct, almost forming a blotch ; near the centre of the wing is a dark brown dot, and near the base are several obscure brown markings: the hind wings have a central dark spot, like the fore wings, and three or four very interrupted, waved, transverse lines: there is also a ro\v of about eight dark brown spots at the base of the fringe on each wing : the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The CATERPILLAR is long, slender, and tapers towards the head; its colour is a pale drab, with a darker medio- dorsal stripe, and a p:Jer, GEOMETEES. 77 Imost white, lateral line. It feeds on the flowers of the buruet saxifrage (Pimpinella <;ifraya\ and wild chervil (Anthriscus syl- stris.') The MOTH appears on the wing in June, id is generally distributed in England, Scot- :md, and Ireland. (The scientific name is leidfdia scutulata.} 1 7.3. The Small Fr>ted Wave (Acidalia bisetnta). 175. THE SMALL FAX-FOOTED WAVE. All the wings are p.'ile, dingy, wainscot-brown ; the fore wings have two darker transverse waved lines near to, and parallel with, the hind margin: a daik central spot, and an indis- tinct transverse darker line just outside the spot : the hind wings have three or four darker transverse lines, parallel to the hind margin ; a central dark spot, and an indis- tinct transverse darker line just within the spot ; there are a few small and inconspicuous dots at the base of the fringe, round all the wings ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and is of very frequent occurrence in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia lisetata.} 170. The Treble Brown Spot (Acidalin trigeminata). 176. THE TREBLE Buowx SPOT. All the wings are very pale wainscot-brown, approach- ing to yellow ; the costal margin of the fore wings having a dark mark at the base, ex- tending about a third of its length ; a trans- verse line crosses the wing at the end of this dark mark, and a second transverse line, parallel to the first, crosses the middle of the wing ; outside this second line is a black central spot ; beyond the spot is a broad double waved bar, parallel with the hind margin of the wing : the hind wings very nearly resemble the fore wings in the number and situation of their markings, except that there is no dark mark on the costal margin : the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and has occurred in Devonshire, Hampshire, Sus- sex, Surrey, Berkshire, Suffolk, Gloucester- shire, and Worcestershire ; and Mr. Birchall has taken it in the county Galway, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia trigeminata.} 177. Greening's Wave (Acidalia contiguaria). 177. GREENING'S WAVE. The antenna are simple in both sexes: the wings are pale gray, with three distinct waved dark lines at equal distances ; the second of these is pre- ceded by an elongate discoidal spot ; the hind margin is frequently clouded, and contains a series of dark spots disposed in pairs. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and has only been taken in North Wales. (The scientific name is Acidalia contiguana.~] 178. The Least Carpet (Acidalia nmticata'). 178. THE LEAST CARPET. All the wings are of a whitish ground colour ; the fore wings have a central, transverse, brown bar, the outer margin of which is deeply indented ; in the middle of this brown bar is a black spot, and between this brown bar and the base of the wing the costal margin is of the same colour; the outer part of the wing, between the bar and the hind margin, is almost white, but is divided into two equal parts by a transverse, zigzag, pale brown, and rather indistinct line : the fringe on the hind margin is spotted with black : the hind wings BEITISH MOTHS. have four indistinct and zigzag, pale, waved lines, and a very distinct black dot between the first and second, counting from the base of the wing : the head and thorax are brown of the same hue as the bar on the fore wings ; the body is variegated with the two colours, white and brown. The MOTH appears in July, and is very abundant in all the hedges about Darent Wood, in Kent ; it is also said to have occurred in the Isle of Portland. (The scien- tific name is Acidalia rusiicata.} 179. The Dark Cream Wave (Acidalia interjectaria} . 179. THE DARK CREAM WAVE. All the wings are very pale wainscot-brown, somewhat approaching to a yellow-ochre tinge ; the fore wings have the costal margin shaded with brown, and five pale, transverse, zigzag lines, between the second and third of which is a central black spot ; the two lines between this spot and the base of the wing approach each other very nearly in the middle, and I have one specimen in which they are absolutely united : the hind wings have four of these pale, waved, transverse lines, and a black spot between the second and third, counting from the base of the wing ; along the hind margin of all the wings is a row of linear, dark brown spots, perhaps better described as a series of short dark brown lines ; arranged end to end, and alternating with these lines is a series of dots in the fringe ; these dots, however, are not constant, and are only to be detected in very fine and fresh specimens : the head, thorax, and body are pale wainscot-brown, exactly of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing about Mid- summer, and has been taken in Devonshire, Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge- shire, and Cheshire. (The scientific name is Acidalia interjectaria. ) ISO. The Silky Wave (Addnlia holosericata}. 180. THE SILKY WAVE. All the pale wainscot-brown, somewhat approaching to yellow-ochre ; the fore wings are sprinkled along the margin with extremely minute, dark brown dots, and have five transverse and rather waved lines, of a darker hue than the ground colour of the wing: the hind wings have the same number of waved lines as the fore wings, which, in all respects, they closely resemble ; the head, thorax, and body are the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, am has been taken in Surrey, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire, but not in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia holoserieata.'} 181. The Small Dusty Wave {Acidalia incanaria}. 181. THE SMALL DUSTY WAVE. All the wings are dingy white, sprinkled all over with minute black dots : the black dots are somewhat symmetrically arranged, forming several smoke-coloured, transverse, waved, and very indistinct lines ; each of the four wings has also a central black spot : along the hind ; margin of all the wings is a series of short, dark, smoke-coloured lines, placed end to end, and alternating with these is a row of dark dots in the fringe ; the head, thorax, and body are almost white, but, like the wings, sprinkled j with minute dark specks. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and j occurs in all our English counties, and in some i places in Scotland. Mr. Eirchall says it is common in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia incanaria.} GEOMETERS. 79 182. The Circellate (Acidalia circellnta). 182. THE CIRCELLATE. The antennae are imple in both sexes ; all the wings are ample, and of a pale gray colour, with a silky gloss ; the fore wings have two narrow transverse lines ; the first is bent towards the base of the wing before it reaches the costa ; the second is oblique and waved, and is situated beyond the middle of the wing; between the two transverse lines is a linear discoidal spot, in a faint linear shade ; this linear shade is con- tinued across the hind wings, and beyond this is a very distinct, but irregular, dark line ; there is a very small discoidal spot in the centre of the wing ; round the hind margin of all the wings is a series of very distinct black spots. This delicate and beautiful little SIOTH appears on the wing in June, and has only been taken in one English locality that I am aware of ; there is no Scotch or Irish locality recorded. (The scientific name is Acidalia circellata.} 183. The Lace Border (Acldulia ornata). 183. TEE LACE BOEDEK. All the wings are silverj r white, with an exquisitely beautiful broad border parallel to the hind margin : the border consists of, first, a delicate, black, zig- zag line : beyond this are two waved, broader, and less distinct lines, somewhat smoke- coloured,, but having a gloss like mother-of- pearl ; the first of these broad lines includes two brownish blotches, the first blotch rather above the middle, the second on the inner margin : these lines do not quite reach the costal margin ; the outer one is the shorter of the two ; on the extreme hind 'margin of all the wings is a series of short, blackish lines, placed end to end, and beyond these the fringe is alternately brown and white : be- tween the border and the base of the fore wings is a pale brown transverse line ; and again, half-way between this and the base, is a row of black dots, three, four, or five, arranged transversely : the hind wings have a very pale, central, transverse line, and a black dot in the middle of it : the head, thorax, and body are silvery white. The MOTH appears on the wing in June and in August, and is very abundant on chalky soils in England, but has not been reported from Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia ornata.} 184. The Mullein Wave (Acidalia promutata). 184. THE MULLEIN WAVE. All the wings gray, tinged with ochreous yellow, and sprinkled all over with minute black specks : the fore wings have four transverse markings, the first of which is a tolerably distinct line near the base : this line is often broken up and divided into spots : the second is a very indistinct and cloudy bar, having a black spot in the mid- dle : the third is a zigzag, dark line parallel with the hind border ; and the fourth is an obscure and interrupted cloudy band : on the extreme hind margin is a row of very distinct, short, black lines placed end to end, and the fringe is sprinkled with black dots : the hind wings are veiy similar to the fore wings, and the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June and July, and has occurred rather freely in the south-western counties of England, but I think not in the eastern counties ; it is reported from Radnorshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland, but not from Scotland. As regards Ireland Mr. Birchall reports it from 80 BRITISH MOTHS. the counties of Cork and Kerry, and that it is common at Howth and Malahide. (The scientific name is Acidalia promutata.} 185. The Dotted-bordered Cream Wave (Acidalia strnminata.') 185. THE DOTTED-BOBDERED CREAM WAVE. The wings are very pale testaceous-brown, with a very small intensely black discoidal spot ; between this discoidal spot and the base of the wing are several transverse lines, one of them more conspicuous than the rest ; beyond the discoidal spot are three waved transverse lines, and on the margin itself is a series of rather elongate but very distinct black spots. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Surrey, and Buckinghamshire ; but is not recorded from Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia straminata.} 186. The Satin Wave (Acidalia subsericata'). 186. THE SATIN WAVE. All the wings are whitish gray ; the fore wings having five, and the hind wings four, narrow, transverse, slightly- waved lines, only a shade darker than the ground-colour: between the first and second of these is a central dot on the fore wings, and there is a very slight indication of the same on the hind wings : there are no dark lines on the hind margin of the wings, but there are a few black dots in the fringe : the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings : the fore legs are remarkably long and dark coloured. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken abundantly in the south- western and southern counties of England, also in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Lan- cashire, Cheshire, and the Lake District. Mr. Birchall says it is common at Howth, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia subsericdta.} 187. The Lesser Cream Wave (Acidaliii immututn). 187. THE LESSER CREAM WAVE. All the wings are ochreous gray, speckled with minute black dots : the fore wings have five, and the hind wings four, transverse, waved lines, only a shade darker than the ground-colour of the wing: in the centre of each wing is a con- spicuous black dot : head, thorax, and body of the same colour as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has occurred in Devonshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, the Isle of Wight, Surrey, Nor- folk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Lan- cashire, and the Lake District. Mr. Birchall says it is common at Killarney. (The scientific name is Acidalia immutata.) 188. The Cream Wave (AcidcJia remutata). 188. THE CREAM WAVE. All the wings are pale, dingy, wainscot-brown, speckled very sparingly with black dots: the fore wings have four and the hind wings three waved lines, slightly darker than the ground-colour, and the hiud wings have a black spot in the centre : the head, thorax, and body are of the same dingy hue as the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and has occurred in nearly all our English and Scotch counties ; and Mr. Birchall says it has been taken at Killarney, and in the county Wicklow in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia remutata.} GEOMETERS. 81 189. The Smoky Wave (Acidaliafumata). 189. THE SMOKY WAVE. The antennae are quite simple in the female ; almost so in the male ; the very short pubescence being imper- ceptible to the naked eye. All the wings of the male are smoky gray, sprinkled over with darker dots. There are four very indistinct transverse bars on the fore wings, and three on the hind wings ; but they can scarcely be per- ceived unless in fresh and perfect specimens. There is no central dot on either of the wings. The female is less than the male ; the Avings paler gray, without any tinge of smoke colour. The face is dark brown ; the crown of the head gray ; the thorax and body gray, with dark or almost black dots ; the fringe is dotted in the same manner as the wings. The CATERPILLAR has the headand body about equal in width ; the head broadly but very in- distinctly notched on the crown ; the body extremely slender, notwithstanding the pre- sence of a dilated lateral skinfold ; the twelfth segment is slightly elevated ; the segments are transversely wrinkled, and divided by the wrinkles into fourteen or sixteen extremely narrow but distinct sections. Colour of the head wainscot-brown, with four longitudinal darkermarks, whichare continuous with dorsal stripes on the body ; body pale wainscot-brown, with a medio-dorsal darker stripe, which in- creases in intensity at the divisions of the seg- ments, and still more at the anal extremity ; it is traversed throughout by a threadlike paler stripe ; between this medio-dorsal stripe and the spiracles is a rather paler stripe,also intersected by a paler threadlike stripe ; the skinfold is paler than the dorsal area, and below the skin- fold is a darker stripe, which becomes more intense towards the anal extremity, and termi- nates in the ventral claspers ; the ventral area is veiy pale, except between the ventral and anal claspers ; the spiracles are black, and there is a black dot below the second, third, and fourth spiracles ; the feet are very pale ; the claspers darker, but having a pale external area. It feeds on heath. The MOTH flies about midsummer; it is extremely common on heaths in the west of Scotland, occurs in the north of England, but I have not seen a southern specimen. It is widely distributed in Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia funtata.) 190. The Subangled Wave (Acidalia prataria). 1 90. THE SUBANGLED WAVE. The antenna? of the male are slightly pectinated ; the pec- tinations very short ; those of the female are simple : the fore wings are simple ; the hind wings slightly angulated : all the wings of yellowish gray, sprinkled with black dots, and having several indistinct darker transverse lines on. all the wings ; there is a black dot between the first and second of these lines on the fore wings ; the first line is short, slightly waved, oblique, and very indistinct ; the second is more distinct and broader : this is continuous with the first line on the hind wings, thus passing on the outside of the black central spot on the fore wings, and on the inside of the black central spot on the hind wings : the third line on the fore wings is narrower and more waved than the second ; it is continuous with the second line on the hind wings ; be- yond this third line is a fourth, exactly of the same form but of lighter shade ; on the hind margin itself is a very delicate but distinct dark line. The CATERPILLAR is of an ochreous-gray ground-colour, with a darker gray medio- dorsal stripe, and a paler, almost white, stripe on each side in the region of the spiracles, some of which it includes. It feeds on the hedge wouiidwort (Stachys sylvatica), and may be found during April and May. The MOTH appears on the wing at mid- summer, and is almost confined to the neigh- bourhood of Folkestone, on our south coast. It has not been found in Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is AcidaKa pratwria.} EDWAED NEWMAN'S BRITISH") MOTHS. No. 0. PBICB 6c. jf K: R. HARDWICKB, 193, PICCADILLY. 82 BRITISH MOTHS. 191. The Small Blood -vein (Acidalia imitaria). 191. THE SMALL BLOOD-VEIN. The antennre of the male are very slightly fringed ; of the female quite simple; the fore wings are pointed, the hind wings sharply angled ; all the wings clay-coloured, with abroad oblique brown band continued across both the fore and hind wings ; this band passes outside a central brown dot on the fore wings, and inside a central brown dot on the hind wings ; between this oblique band and the hind margin, there is a delicate transverse waved line of the same colour, and a similar line, as regards delicacy and colour, on the hind margin itself, and just within the fringe. The Rev. H. Burney has found the CATER- PILLAR of this moth on broom ; it is very long and very slender, quite threadlike, with white marks down the back : he found, however, that it would not eat broom, and at last fed it on sorrel (Rumex acetoselld) : it spun, up at the end of June, and turned to a yellowish-brown CHRYSALIS. The MOTH came out on the 14th of August : it is not uncommon in the south of England, O ' and occurs occasionally as far north as York, and in two Irish counties, Cork and Kerry, but has not been found in Scotland. (The scientific name is Acidalia imitaria.) 192. The Rosy Wave (Acidalia, emutwia). 192. THE ROSY WAVE The antenna? are almost simple in. both sexes ; all the wings are yellowish-white, with a delicate rosy tinge of mother-of-pearl, and each having an obscure central dot ; there is an oblique line from the tip of the fore wing to the middle of its inner margin ; and a second equally faint and obscure line halfway between this and the base ; be- sides these there are three very oblique series of small dark spots on the fore wings, and two on the hind wings. The first of these series on the fore wings is generally composed of three spots, the second of seven or eight spots, and the third, also composed of seven or eight spots, is on the hind margin, and in very fine and fresh specimens these marginal spots are connected together by an extremely delicate line ; on the hind wings the first series of spots is generally composed of eight spots, and crosses the middle of the wing in a straight line ; on the margin itself is a double series of elongated markings, connected by a threadlike line ; the face is dark brown, the collar paler brown, the crown of the head, thorax, and body delicate whitish -gray. The MOTH appears about the middle of summer, and is found in the Isle of Dogs and at "Woolwich, close to the banks of the Thames. (The scientific name is Acidalia emutaria. ) 193. The Riband Wave (Acidalia aversata; variety, remutata). 193. THE RIBAND WAVE. The antenna? of the male are very slightly pubescent, those of the female quite simple. All the wings are of a pale dingy yellowish-gray, the fore wings having three transverse lines and the hind wings two; just inside the second of these lines on the fore wings is a central very small brown spot; on the hind wings is a similar spot, generally situated on the first transverse line, but this situation is not con- stant ; it is sometimes inside and sometimes outside of the first line ; the entire space be- tween the second and third lines on the fore wings, and between the first and second lines The Riband Wave (variety, aversata). GEOMETERS. S3 on the hind wings, is not unfrequently entirely filled up by dark brown, and when this is the case the lines themselves are scarcely visible, but a broad brown band or riband crosses the middle of all the wings. This is the true " riband wave." When this band or riband is present there is generally also a waved, narrow, and rather indistinct band between it and the hind margin ; the hind margin itself has a delicate brown line, inter- rupted only by the wing-rays ; the fringes of all the wings are of the same ground colour as the wings themselves* but at the end of each wing-ray is a round brown dot in the fringe. The CATERPILLAR is rough, rather like shagreen, being divided transversely into narrow sections of segments, and these being composed of minute warts ; its ground colour is dark brown, except towards the anal ex- tremity, which is ochreous-gray ; on each side in the region of the spiracles is a pale, almost white line : it feeds on a great number of hedgerow plants, as water avens, common avens (Gcum rivale and G. urlanuni), meadow sweet (Xj>i > are simple in both sexes : all the wings are white, the lore wings having two brown and obscurely triangular markings on the costal margin ; the lirst of these is situated at rather more than a third of the distance bet \\een the base and the tip of the wii \ the second is just half way between the tirst and the tip : the head, thorax, and body are white. The r.vTK.uriu.AK is . Tin: SLOE r \KIT.T. The antenn:v are simple in both sexes; the fore \vii>_ smoke-coloured, with two transverse waved darker lines, and a central transversely elon- gated spot of the same colour, exactly mid- n them : the hind wings are paler, with a very indistinct waved line aci\ middle ; head, thorax, and body g: M r. Stainton has most obligingly handed me the following description of the rvn:i;ru.i.\n. i by Mr. K. (.!. Baldwin : r.ro\. gray, more or less marbled with whitish, par- ticularly on the eighth and ninth segm< faint, blackish. V-like mark on the hack of the tilth, sixth, seventh, and eighth segments, and a black transverse line on the twelfth segment; GEOMETERS. 87 a short, oblique, lateral, black streak on the third and fourth segments ; a black spot on the side of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth segments, above the whitish spiracles." It feeds on the leaves of the sloe. This MOTH was originally discovered in abundance near Colchester, and for many years subsequently it was unobserved until again discovered on Dartford Heath, flying about the sloe when in blossom ; it has since been found in Epping Forest, also frequent- ing the flowers of the sloe, bnt has not been reported from the middle or north of England, from Scotland, or from Ireland. (The scientific name is Aleucis pictaria.) 204. The Sharp-angled Peacock (Macaria alternate). 204. THE SHARP-AXGLED PEACOCK. The antenna? are simple in both sexes ; the fore wings angled, and having a deep semicircular notch just below the tip ; hind wings angled. All the wings are gray, sprinkled with nume- rous minute short transverse streaks rather darker than the ground colour of the wing, but still extremely pale and indistinct. The fore wings have a short curved transverse line near the base, and a second at a short distance suffused and often indistinct, and beyond this a third, always accompanied by a broad trans- verse band, which, although pale, is slightly darker than the ground colour of the wing; the costal extremity of this band is conspicu- ously darker, and it also contains a dark blotch near the middle ; the crescentic notch on the hind margin is strongly bordered with brown ; the hind wings have two broad transverse bands corresponding with those on the fore wings, and between them is a dark central spot. The head and neck are brown, the thorax and body gray, the latter is sprinkled with dark dots, and has two conspicuous brown spots on the base of each segment. The CATERPILLAR is light green, and ornamented with three triangular reddish- brown marks on the sides of the middle segments ; it changes to uniform reddish- brown before entering the ground ; the legs and claspers are reddish-brown. It feeds on sallow. The MOTH is apparently rare, occurring only in the south-west of England, in July, and not having been found to my knowledge in Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. (The scientific name is Jfacaria altenuita 205. The Peacock (Macaria notata). 205. THE PEACOCK.' The antennae are sim- ple in both sexes; the fore wings are angled and have a deep semicircular notch just below the tip on the hind margin ; hind wings angled; all the wings gray, sprinkled with numerous minute short transverse streaks rather darker than the ground colour of the wing, but still extremely pale and indistinct; they have also three transverse lines of the same colour as these little streaks, the first short, curved, and very near the base of the wing ; the second rather longer, curved in the same direction, and just beyond the first; the third is rather beyond the middle of the wing ; each of these transverse lines terminates in a dark spot on the costal margin; between this and the outer margin are two very conspicuous dark blotches, one of them is on the costal margin, and is just outside of the third trans- verse line, the other is below this, and is about equidistant from the costal, hind, and inner margins ; it is darker than the costal blotch, and is composed of five smaller spots crowded closely together ; the third transverse line seems almost to pass through this blotch ; the hind margin itself is strongly marked with dark brown, especially in the semicircular notch already described ; the hind wings have two transverse lines which correspond with the second and third on the fore wings, and between them is a dark central dot ; the hind margin itself is delicately edged with rich dark brosvn just within the fringe. The head is 88 BRITISH MOTHS. brown, the thorax gray, the body gray with numerous brown dots, and two conspicuous brown spots on the back of each segment. The CATERPILLAR feeds on sallow (Salix caprcea) ; it is olive-green on the back, with a medio-dorsal series of ochreous-brown spots; the sides are of the same ochreous- brown colour as the dorsal spots : it is to be found in September. The MOTH appears in the following June, and occurs in several southern counties of England, and also in Ireland. (The scientific name is Macaria notata.) 206. The Tawny-barred Angle (Macaria liturata). 206. THE TAWNY-BARRED ANGLE. The antennae are very slightly pubescent in the male, quite simple in the female ; the hind wings are angled ; all the wings are ochreous- gray, with a broad but indistinct band suffused with orange-yellow near and parallel to the hind margin ; the gray portions of the wing are delicately dotted with dark brown ; the fore wings have several very distinct brown spots on the costal margin ; from three of these, more conspicuous than the rest, three waved brown lines cross the wing, termi- nating on the inner margin, the third borders the orange-tinged band I have already de- scribed; hind wings with two waved trans vei-se pale brown, lines, and a central brown spot between them. Head and neck yellow> brown, thorax and body sprinkled with brown. The CATERPILLAR feeds in fir -woods on the needles of the firs; it has a brown head and green body, with five whitish stripes, the medio-dorsal stripe, and the next on each side, 01- subdorsal stripe, are rather dingy white, but the second on each side on the region of the spiracles is almost pure white. The MOTH appears in July, in several coun- ties of England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Macaria liturata.) 207. The V.Moth (Halia, wavaria). 207. THE V. MOTH. The antenna? of the male are pectinated, the pectinations short, but very obvious ; those of the female simple ; the fore wings are simple; the hind wings slightly scalloped ; all the wings are gray, tinged with a faint iridescent or purple gloss, the hind mai'gin also suffused with brown : on the costal margin of the fore wings are numerous short transverse streaks, and four conspicuous spots of a dark umber-brown ; of these spots the first and third are shortest and smallest, the second is longest, it almost reaches the middle of the wing, and then turns at a right angle towards the base, the fom-th is broader but much shorter than the second ; on the hind margin is a series of dark black lines almost touching each other, and the middle of each emits a little brush of white fringe ; the hind wings have an obscure spot near the centre, and similar markings on the hind margin to those on the fore wing. The body is gray, dotted with brown. The CATERPILLAR rests in a nearly straight posture, but with the head erected and por- rected. When disturbed, it falls from its food bent double, and feigns death, remaining for a long time perfectly without motion ; its body is slightly dilated at the sides, otherwise uni- formly cylindrical ; head lead-coloured, with black markings, the disposition of which differs in different individuals : the colour of the back varies from an obscure apple-green to a decided lead-colour, scarcely two individuals being precisely similar in tint, but all are marked longitudinally with waved interrupted smoke-coloured lines, which are very near together : belly coloured nearly like the back ; on the sides each segment is adorned with a canary-coloured blotch : all these together have the appearance of a yellow lateral stripe; on all parts of the body are GEOMETERS. 89 shining black warts, each of which emits from the summit a single black bristle ; four of these warts are ranged in a transverse series on the back of the second, third, and fourth segments, and four of them in a square oil the back of the fifth and following segments, and three in each yellow mark on the side form a triangle which comprises the spiracle ; claspers lead-coloured. It feeds on the common gooseberry, and changes to a CHRYSALIS in a slight web attached to some of the leaves. This MOTH is rather common in our English gar Jens, and also in Ireland; it flies in July. (The scientific name is Media wavaria.) 208. The Rest-harrow (Aplasta ononaria). 208. THE REST-HARROW. The antennae of the moth are perfectly simple and setaceous in both sexes; the fore wings are rather pointed; the hind wings rounded, but truncate at the anal angle : the colour of the wings is dull ochre, thickly irro rated with brick-red dots, and having a scarcely perceptible median shade common to them all, and due to the crowding of the clots ; thehind wings are rather paler than the fore wings; the underside has the median shade more distinctly marked than the upper side : the sexes are alike. The CATERPILLAR occurs in April and Sep- tember 011 the rest-harrow (Ononis spinosa), the only plant 011 which it has been known to feed : it is extremely sluggish, and never leaves its food-plant : it is short, fusiform, obese, and without tubercles, and is entirely covered with short stiff hairs ; its colour is 'pale dark green, with a darker medio-dorsal stripe, and a paler but indistinct spiracular stripe. When full-fed it spins a cocoon on the surface of the earth amongst moss, and therein undergoes its change to a CHRYSALIS. The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of May, and again in July and August. It has been taken in the Warren, at Folkestone, in July. (The scientific name is Aplasta ononaria.^ 209. The Latticed Heath (Strenia clatlirata) . 209. THE LATTICED HEATH. The antenna? are nearly simple in both sexes. The wings are rounded, and of two colours, smoky-brown and dingy white ; the dark colour is arranged in five broad transverse bands on the fore wings, and four on the hind wings ; these bands are very irregular, and very different in different individuals ; the wing-rays are of the dark colour, and crossing the bands at right angles divide the white portions into a number of squareish white spots, giving to the entire surface of all the wings somewhat the appear- ance of lattice-work, whence the name ; the fringe of all the wings is a most beautiful object, the dark brown colour alternating in square spots with other square spots of a most lovely pearly whiteness ; the antennre are ringed with dark brown and yellowish- white ; the head, thorax and body are dark brown sprinkled with yellowish-white ; the body having seven slender belts of a pure and delicate white. We learn from Guenee that the CATER- PILLAR has a green head with a white line on the face ; the body is rather pale green, with a double white medio-dorsal stripe bordered with darker green ; on each side is a similar stripe, and below the spiracles, which are white and delicately bordered with black, is another white stripe bordered above with a line of black dots ; ventral surface green, with four white lines. It feeds chiefly on trefoil and saintfoin almost throughout the year, but principally in spring and autumn. CATERPILLARS that feed on the various species of trefoil and grasses, may be obtained abundantly by using the sweeping net at night. The MOTH flies in May and June, and is common in clover-fields and on heaths in England and Ireland. (The scientific name is Strenia clathrata.) 90 BRITISH MOTHS. 210. The Brown Silver Line (Panagra petraria) . 210. THE BROWN SILVER LINE. The an- tennae of the male are slightly pectinated, those of the female quite simple ; the fore wings are pointed, the hind wings rounded : the colour of the wings is pale wainscot-brown, sprinkled with rather darker brown, and having two transverse darker lines, both of which are bordered on the outer side with a pale and almost silvery line ; neither of these double transverse lines quite reaches the costal or inner margin of the wing, but the outer or longer one does so more nearly than the inner or shorter one ; between these two lines is an oblong dark central spot, and parallel with the hind margin is a decided indication of a third transverse line, also of two shades, but this is indistinct. The hind wings are very pale, with a slight iridescent gloss as if of mother- of-pearl, with a very faint transverse line across them in the middle, scarcely percep- tible except on the inner margin. Head, thorax, and body very pale wainscot-brown. We learn from Mr. Hellins that the EGGS when laid are straw-coloured, but- subse- quently become bright red, and afterwards dingy. The CATERPILLARS, which emerge at the end of May, feed on the common brakes (Pteris aquilina). When full-fed their length is rather more than an inch ; the ground colour of the back is olive green, of the belly paler ; the white body is covered with slender chocolate-brown longitudinal lines arranged in pairs; there is a double medio-dorsal stripe, and three double stripes on each side, the lowest darkest and broadest. The spiracles are black, and below them is a creamy- white stripe. The MOTH appears on the wing in June in most of the English counties, and in the county Wicklow, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Panagra petraria.} 211. The Barred Umber (Numeria pulvercvria). 211. THE BARRED UMBER. The antennae are very strongly pectinated in the male, but simple in the female. All the wings reddish umber-brown, sprinkled with darker brown, the fore wings having a broad transverse cen- tral band of rich umber-brown ; this band is much broader at the costal than at the inner margin, the narrowing taking place just about the middle. The hind wings have no band, but a faint central transverse line. Mr. Merry field has described the general colour of the CATERPILLAR as purplish-brown, varied with ochreous ; the head is bifid, light ochreous-brown, especially in front ; a brown ochreous stripe, lightest at the upper edge, along the upper part of the side of the fifth segment. On each segment from the fifth (inclusive) backwards, is a pair of very small points, which are light in front and dark behind, besides smaller points just behind the spiracles. A pair of large warts on the back of the ninth segment, a pair much smaller on the back of the tenth and twelfth, and a pair smaller on the back of the eleventh segment. The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth segments have some dark arrow-head lines (not, how- ever, quite meeting in a point) on the back, margined outwardly with ochreous ; sides wrinkled, especially in the fore part of the body ; belly purplish-brown, with ochreous blotches on each side, the claspers underneath being dark bluish-green, and the space be- tween each pair of claspers yellowish ; some- times a lighter line down the middle of the belly. It feeds on sallow, spinning up among leaves and moss when full-fed. The MOTH appears on the wing in the spring April and May. It occurs in some of the English counties, in Ayrshire, in Scot- land, and at Powerscourt, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Numeria jmlveraria.) GEOMETERS. 91 212. The Graj Scalloped Bar (Scodionabclgiaria), male. 212. THE GRAY SCALLOPED BAR. Thean- tennre of the male are strongly pectinated, of the female simple; the wings are simple ; in the male all the wings are of a pale whitish - gray ; the fore wings have two nearly black scalloped transverse lines, the first crosses the wing in almost a direct line at about one-third of the distance between the base and the tip, the second rather obliquely, and at about two thirds of the distance from the base to the tip. Between these two transverse lines, and equi- distant from both, is a transversely oblong spot almost black; outside of the second line*, but closely adjoining to it, are two large dark blotches. The hind wings have one scalloped transverse dark line, and a dark spot between this and the base. Head, thorax, and body segment, and a pair of slender closely approxi- mate horns pointing backwards on the thir- teenth. Its colour is very dull brown, obscurely variegated, mottled and streaked with gray ; on the outside of the first pair of claspers is a white stripe, and a faint appear- ance of a similar stripe on the hinder pair. It spins a slight cocoon on the surface of the ground, and therein changes to a CHRYSALIS, and to a perfect insect at the end of May. During June it flies over heaths in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Scodiona belgiaria.) The Gray Scalloped Bar, female, almost white. In the female, which is much smaller than the male, the colour of the wing is much darker, being almost smoke-coloured, but the markings are the same, except that the two blotches outside the second transverse line are scarcely to be perceived. The EGGS are laid in June on the common ling, on which plant the CATERPILLAR feeds : this caterpillar hybernates very eai'ly in the autumn, and begins to feed again the following April; it then grows very rapidly, and is full- fed about the 1st of May. It falls off its food and rolls in a ring when handled or disturbed, and will often remain in this position for an hour without moving. Its shape is uniformly cylindrical, with two small warts placed trans- versely on the back of each segment. There is a conspicuous conical horn on the twelfth 213. The Bordered Gray (Selidosema plumaria). 213. THE BORDERED GRAY. The antenna? of the male are very strongly pectinated, quite plumose; those of the female simple ; all the wings are plumbeous- gray, and have a broad dark band along the hind margin; the fore wines have two transverse darker bars, the O first near the base, and the second near the middle ; the female is very much less than the male, but in colour and mailings the sexes are very similar. The head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. The Bordered Gray, female. The CATERPILLAR is figured by Hubner as uniformly cylindrical, and without warts, is of a brown colour, variegated with darker spots, and having a very dark medio-dorsal stripe, which grows wide at the posterior margin of each segment, forming a small blotch. It changes to a CHRYSALIS under the surface of the earth. The MOTH appears in July in the New Forest, Hampshire, in Cheshire, and Lanca- 92 BRITISH MOTHS. shire, and about Killarney in Ireland. (The scientific name is Selidosema pktmaria.) 214. The Netted Mountain Moth (Fidonia carbonarin). 214. THE NETTED MOUNTAIN MOTH. The antennae of the male are pectinated; those of the female simple. All the -wings white, freckled with black, the fore wings having four, the hind wings three, zigzag blackish transverse bars; in all the wings the bar nearest the base being very indistinct; a central black spot between the second and third bar is often visible ; the extreme hind margin is also black, and the fringe alternately black and white. The head, thorax, and body are nearly black, freckled with pale gray, and the body has also six pale gray rings. The EGGS are laid on birch and sallow, on the leaves of which the CATERPILLARS feed : when these are full fed. which is usually about themiddle of July, they rest in a nearly straight position on 'the leaves, preferring the under surface : if annoyed, they fall from their food- plant, and remain motionless, still retaining a nearly straight position : head subporrect, slightly narrower than the second segment, but never received into it; body uniformly convex above, somewhat dilated at the sides, where it has a very distinct undulated skinfold below the spiracles: it has no prominent humps, but a double series of minute dorsal warts, each of which emits a bi-istle; there are other bristles on the side below the spiracles : colour of the head dull brown, the face variegated with whitish-brown : body with the dorsal surface dingy wainscot-brown, of two shades, disposed in very obscure waved stripes : spiracles pale, with black rings: minute dorsal warts black : ventral slightly paler than the dorsal surface ; u rather broad medio-ventral stripe still paler, , and a narrower pale stripeon each side between tliis and the skinfold: legs and claspers of nearly the same colour as the ventral surface. Changes to a CHRYSALIS on the surface of the earth among dead leaves. The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and occurs only in Scotland and Yorkshire. (The scientific name is Fidonia carbonaria.) 215. The Common fleatli (Fidonia olomaria). 215. THE COMMON HEATH. Theantennte of the male are strongly pectinated, those of the female simple; the ground colour of the wings in the male is dingy orange-brown; in the female, which is much smaller, the ground colour of all the wings is white; the fore wings in both sexes are traversed by four transverse brown bands, of which the second and third unite at the inner margin ; the hind wings have three equidistant brown bars; the pale spaces between these bands are sprinkled with dark dots; the fringe is alternately brown and pale. The head, thorax, and body arc brown, sprinkled with pale scales. Guenee describes the CATERPILLAR as very various in colour, being either rose-coloured, green, ochre-coloured or brown, with a double medio-dorsal stripe dilated into lozenge- shaped markings; there is also a bright stripe in the region of the spiracles. The head, feet, and claspers are concolorous with the body. It feeds on various plants growing on heaths and downs, as the trefoils, r four weeks, rarely longer, and then spins Jgether the edges of a gooseberry-leaf, having rst taken the precaution of making the leaf fast to its twig by numerous silken cables, which prevent the possibility of its falling when dehiscence takes place in the autumn ; in the little cradle thus fabricated, the infant caterpillar sleeps as securely and as fearlessly as the sailor in his hammock ; snow-storms and wintry winds are matters of indifference to him ; but no sooner have the gooseberry- bushes begun to assume their livery of green in the spring, than instinct informs him that food is prepared to satisfy his appetite ; so he cuts an opening in his pensile cradle, emerges, and begins to eat. The full-fed caterpillar commonly rests in a straight posture, lying parallel with the branch; but when annoyed he elevates his back, and tucks in his head until it is brought into contact with the abdominal claspers ; if the annoyance be con- tinued, he drops from his food, hanging by a thread, rarely falling to the ground ; but when this is the case, he is bent double, and remains a long time in that posture. Head rather small, prone, partially retractile into the second segment, scarcely notched on the crown ; body of uniform thickness, without excrescences. Head emitting a few strong black hairs, intensely black, with the excep- tion of the clypeus and base of the antennal papilla?, which are white ; body cream- coloured, with a reddish-orange lateral stripe be low the spiracles ; this is conspicuous on the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth segments, but less so at each extremity ; the whole of the second segment, and the ventral 100 BRITISH MOTHS. surface of the third, fourth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth segments, is of the same orange-rod colour as the lateral stripe ; along the middle of the back is a series of large, hut irregular, black spots ; these are generally three in number, two amorphous, transversely placed, and small, the third trapezoid, much larger, and quite as broad as the other two ; they assume an altered form on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth segments ; below these is a series of small streak-like black spots, and again below those, but above the lateral orange stripe, is an irregular series of rather large amorphous black spots ; below the orange stripe is an interrupted black stripe on each side, and on the belly are two distinct and continuous black stripes ; legs black ; claspcrs blotched with black. Feeds in gar- dens on the gooseberry and black currant, and more rarely on the red currant, greatly pre- ferring those trees of all three species when trained against a wall ; in woods and hedges it may be found on black thorn, which I believe to be its natural food; it is full-fed in May, when it spins a very slight and perfectly transparent cocoon, in which it fastens itself by the tail and changes to a chrysalis, the web or cocoon in no way hiding the CHRYSALIS, which at first is entirely yellow, but soon becomes black and glabrous, with seven yellow bands, three of which, the first, second, and third are dorsal only ; the others are complete circles; the tail ter- minates in three or more very distinct hooks, which constitute its means of attachment to the interior of the cocoon. The MOTH appears on the wing about mid- summer, and is only too common in all our gardens both in England and Ireland. (The scientific name is Abraxas grossulariata.} 227. The Clouded Magpie (Abraxas ulmata}. 227. THE CLOUDED MAGPIE. The antenna? of the male are almost simple, having a very slight and almost imperceptible pubescene ; those of the female are perfectly simple ; the fore wings are white, with a large yellow- brown blotch at the base ; and another similar blotch on the inner margin near the anal angle ; in each of these large blotches is a silvery cloud, composed of scattered silvery scales ; beside these principal markings there are other dark-gray spots and blotches, the largest of which is on the costal margin, and at two-thirds of the distance between the base and the tip ; hind wings white, with a large yellow-brown blotch on the inner mar- gin, having a silvery cloud in it like the blotches in the fore wings ; there are several dark-gray spots on the wing, some of which form a transverse band across the middle ; head and thorax brown ; body yellow, with a row of black spots down the back, two rows down each side, and two rows down the belly. The CATERPILLAR is beautifully figured by Sepp, and its life-history given with great minuteness and accuracy ; its head is black, its body gray, inclining to blue on the sides, and covered with black dots, which are ar- ranged in series ; it has a yellow stripe on each side, in the region of the spiracles ; it feeds on elm during the autumn. The MOTH appears in June and July, and is very common in the south-west and some of the midland counties of England, and has been taken in the county Wicklow, in Ireland, by Mr. Bristow. (The scientific name is Abraxas ulmata ; it is also the Abraxas pantaria of all British authors, but not of continental ones, who give that name to a totally diiferent species.) GEOMETERS. 101 228. The Scorched Carpet (Ligdia admtata}. : 228. THK SCORCHED CARPET. Antennae of the male almost simple ; those of the female quite so ; the fore wings are white, with a large blotch at the base, and a broad trans- verse band beyond the middle, of a rich purple-brown ; the band is very much bent ; half way between the blotch and the band are several short transverse marks of the same colour ; and beyond the band, that is, nearer to the hind margin, are other similar markings ; on the margin itself is a row of brown spots ; the hind wings are white, with three waved scalloped brown bands, of a very pale brown colour, within which, that is, nearer the base, is a central brown spot ; there are also a number of brown spots, more or less delicately marked, near the inner margin ; the head and thorax are dark-brown, the body dingy white. The CATERPILLAR is described by Guenee as being of a beautiful green colour, and having the head, the ventral claspers, and some lateral spots on the sixth and seventh seg- ments, of a deep red, mixed with yellow ; the tenth and eleventh segments have also yellow patches spotted with red. It feeds on the skewer-wood (Euonymus europceus] in May and June. The MOTH appears on the wing in June and July, and is rather common in England, and in the counties of Wicklow and Galway in Ireland. (The scientific name is Ligdia adus- tata.} 229. The Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata). 229. TUB CLOUDED BORDER. The antennae of the male are almost simple ; those of the female quite so. All the wings are white, with smoky-black borders, the outer edge of which is bounded by the margin of the wing, but the inner edge is variouslv indented with the white, which, in the fore wings, runs up in two places nearly to the costa ; the hind wings have usually a median belt of black spots. The head, thorax, and abdomen are smoky -black. An extremely variable insect, scarcely two specimens being alike in the distribution of the black markings ; four figures are given to show the' extent and character of the variations. In the first of these there is a transverse black band crossing the middle of every wing ; in a second, this band is continuous only on the hind wings, and in the other two there is scarcely any black in the hind wings; indeed, it would be impos- sible, from an inspection of the hind wings only, to form any opinion as to the species to which these specimens belong. The CATERPILLAR is of a dark-green colour, with slender medio-dorsal and lateral stripes, which are sometimes yellow and sometimes white ; there is a broader pale stripe along the spiracles; the head is green, with two black spots on the face ; the legs and claspers are green. It feeds on many species of willow, more particularly on the common sallow (Sah'x caprcea). The MOTH appears on the wing in May, June, July, and August, and is very abundant 102 BRITISH MOTHS. in England and Ireland, but I have not seen Scotch specimens. (The scientific name is Lomaspilis mwginata.} 230. The Horse-chestnut (Pachycnemia hippociistn- naria). 230. THE Ho USE- CHESTNUT. The antennae are almost simple in the male as well as the female ; the fore wings long and narrow, like those of the genus Lithosia ; the hind wings are rounded ; the fore wings are brown, with a very slight tendency to purple, and have two narrow transverse pale bars, both of them indistinct ; the first of these bars is near the base of the wing, and of a crescentic form ; the second is almost parallel with the hind margin ; between these two bars is a central dark spot; the hind wings are pale smoky- brown ; the head and thorax are of the same colour as the fore wings ; the abdomen of the same colour as the hind wings. The CATERPILLAR is sometimes found in great abundance by sweeping the heath in the heath-field at West Wickhani. It has a very broad head, and a cylindrical body of a dingy olive-green colour. I had a large number of these caterpillars brought to me in 1857, but unfortunately lost them during a temporary absence from home. The MOTH appears in Mdy, on the heaths of Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire, but I have not heard of its occurrence in the midland or northern counties of England, in Scotland, or in Ireland ; in France, a second brood makes its appearance at the end of June. (The scientific name is Pachycnemia hippocasta- naria.} Obs. The natural position of this species among the Geometrae seems extremely doubt- ful ; its nearest allies appear to me to be the species of Ckesias hereafter to be described; but Guenee thinks it has no characters in common with them except the elongated form of its fore wings. Herrich-Schae'ffer points out its resemblance to the genera Lithosia and Nola, and even to Sarrothripa Hevayana, a moth belonging to an entirely different sec- tion of the Lepidoptera. Eoth the English and scientific name are very inappropriate to an insect which in neither of its states has any connexion with the horse-chestnut. 231. The Eirly Moth (Hybsrnia rupicaprnriit). 231. THE EARLY MOTH. The antennae of the male are slightly pectinated; those of the female simple ; the fore wings of the male are ample, of a dark-brown colour, and having two transverse lines still darker; the outer and longer of these has a pale exterior margin ; between these transverse lines is a conspicu- ous dark spot placed transversely between them; hind wings very pale, with a nearly median transverse line which is parallel to the semicircular margin ; in the middle of the area enclosed by this line is a spot of similar tint. The wings of the female are very short, and cut off obliquely at the hind margin, as represented in the lower figure ; these are palish brown, with a darker central baud. The EGGS are laid in February, on the trunks and twigs of whitethorn, blackthorn, and less commonly ot oak. The CATERPILLARS emerge in April, and, wandering among the twigs, are ready to begin eating as soon as the leaves expand : they grow rapidly, and have attained their full size by the end of May or beginning of June. The full-fed caterpillar generally rests with both feet and claspers attached to the food-plant, and the back arched. The head and body are of nearly equal width, the head not conspi- cuously notched on the crown ; the body velvety and without humps or warts. In GEOMETERS. 103 colour the variation is extreme ; the head usually semi-transparent apple-green ; the more usual colour of the body glaucous green, ap- proaching to white on the dorsal, and to pple-green on the ventral surface ; the white ppearance of. the back is partially due to the iresence of whitish stripes, of which the more onspicuous pair extend on each side from e head to the anal extremity, and divide the dorsal area into three nearly equal parts : the other white markings are irregularly ar- ranged in waved linear series, often imparting a reticulated appearance to the surface ; at each interstice of the segments adjoining the principal white stripes are blotches of darker or olive-green. It is full-fed by the end of May, and then descends to the ground, and turns to a CHRYSALIS in a slight web on the surface. The MOTH is very abundant in January and the first half of February ; it seems to brave e coldest weather, and is common in Eng- d, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific me is Hylernia rvpicapraria.) 232. The Usher (Hybernia leiicophearia) . 232. THE SPUING USHER. The antenna) of the male are slightly pectinated, those of the female simple ; the wings of the male are long and rather narrow ; they are very vari- able, some being dark-brown with a central whitish bar, as represented in the lower figure, and having a row of roundish pale spots parallel with the hind margin ; others are pale, with numerous dark transverse waved lines, as shown in the upper figure ; r the hind wings are pale and sprinkled with dark dots. The female is almost without wings. The EGGS are laid by the female on the trunks and branches of oak in March. The CATERPILLARS emerge towards the end of April or beginning of May, and as soon as the leaves expand fasten them loosely together, forming a little domicile for concealment from the prying eyes of birds, which at this season are constantly on the look-out for caterpillars with which to feed their young. They are full grown in June. Head narrower than the body, body obese, transversely wrinkled and verrucose, having also a manifest lateral skin- fold. Colour infinitely varied. They change to CHRYSALIS on the surface of the earth. The MOTH appears on the wing in February and March, and is common everywhere in England and Ireland. (The scientific name is Ilybernia Uucophearia,} 2:jli. The Scarce Umber (Hylernia aurantiaria). 233. THE SCAUCE UMBEE. The antennae of the male are pectinated, the pectinations long, slender, and bent ; those of the female are simple ; the wings of the male are ample, the fore wings orange-ochreous, with three darker transverse lines, the first and second of which are near the base, oblique, direct, and short; the third is beyond the middle, oblique, and angled near the middle ; there is a dark spot between the second and third line, and also an oblique transverse series of spots between the third line and the hind margin ; the hind wings are paler, and have a slightly darker transverse line beyond the middle, and a cen- tral spot between this and the base. The female has mere stumps of wings, which are 104 BEITISH MOTHS. darker coloured than those of the male, and have two brown transverse bars on each ; the body is orange-brown with two dark brown spots on each segment. The CATERPILLAR has been described by Mr. Hornby : when first hatched it is of a deep yellow colour, which grows gradually darker until it becomes nearly black, excepting a medio-dorsal yellow stripe ; when full-fed it is dusky greenish black, with a light-brown medio-dorsal stripe ; it feeds chiefly by night on the leaves of the whitethorn, and also occa- sionally on birch and oak, and spins a slight cocoon on the surface of the earth before changing to a CHRYSALIS, which is of a reddish- brown colour, with a dark medio-dorsal stripe. It is to be found in May and June, The -MOTH appears on the wing in October and November, and is not uncommon in most of our English counties. Mr. Birchall says it is common in Ireland. (The scientific name is Hylernia aurantiaria.} 234. The Dotted Border (Hybernia progemmaria]. 234. THE DOTTED BORDER. The antennae of the male are slightly pectinated, of the female quite simple ; the wings of the male are ample, those of the female very short and incapable of flight ; the fore wings of the male are pale reddish brown, with three transverse darker lines ; the first and second of these are very short, and near the base of the wing ; the third is much longer, more oblique, and bent towards the hind margin, at a third of the distance from the costa; beyond this the ground colour of the wing is darker, and be- tween the second and third lines is a dark, transversely-linear spot ; on the hind margin, but within the fringe, is a series of distinct dark dots ; the hind wings are pale, with a dark central spot, and a waved line outside the spot ; the short wings of the female are pale brown, with two darker bars across the fore, and one across the hind wings. The CATERPILLAR is full grown in May, when it rests in nearly a straight position, generally holding to its food-plant by both feet and claspers ; the head is semi-porrect, and broader than the body ; the body is of uniform sub- stance throughout, without prominent warts or excrescences, but each segment bears a few scattered bristles, each bristle seated on an extremely minute wart; the colour of the head is generally brown, sometimes inclined to yellow ; it has two indistinct paler bars across the face ; the colour of the body is extremely various, but the prevailing shade always brown ; the middle of the back gene- rally paler, and forming a broad stripe ; on each side is also a pale stripe, which includes the black and shining spiracles ; this stripe is generally continuous, but sometimes divided, and then forms a series of pale spots. I have found these caterpillars in great abundance, feeding on hornbeam in Epping Forest. They turn to CHRYSALIS just below the surface of the earth between the 24th of May and 1st June ; the chrysalis is brown and shining. The MOTH does not appear on the wing until the following February .and March. It is common in Great Britain and Ireland. (The scientific name is Hylernia progemmaria]. 235. The Mottled Umber (JRybernia defoliari/i) male, variety of male, and female. 235. THE MOTTLED UMBER. The antenna are pectinated in the male, simple in the female ; the wings are ample in the male, of a pale wainscot-brown colour, with two dark brown bands ; the first of these is short, cres- cent-shaped, and near the base ; the second is GEOMETEES. 105 bent, angled, irregular, and beyond the middle ; between them, is a dark spot near the middle of the wing ; the hind wings are rather paler, and have a brown spot near the middle ; all the ings are more or less sprinkled with brown ; this is the more common colouring of tie insect, and is represented in the pre- ceding column, bui is very subject to vary, and is sometimes of a uniform reddish brown, freckled all over with minute dots, as represented in this column ; the wings of the female are so short and small as to be almost invisible. The body is of a wainscot-brown colour, with two very con- spicuous dark spots on the back of each seg- ment. The CATERPILLAR, when full-fed, rests in a irved position ; does not tuck in its head, or 'eign death, but when disturbed by the ento- lologist or otherwise, falls from its leaf or rig, and hangs by a thread eighteen inches two feet in length, and, thus suspended, swing for hours in the gentle breezes we nnetimes have, at the end of May, after the ist winds have taken their departure. This ispension seems to be sometimes a voluntary and recreational performance, for in passing through the woods I have sometimes seen thousands upon thousands of these beautiful caterpillars thus dangling in mid-air, and not unfrequently swinging themselves into my mouth and eyes. The head is rather large, and not notched on the crown ; the body is uniformly cylindrical, and without humps : the head is without gloss, and brown; the body has a broad dorsal area, of a clear brown colour ; this area is bounded on each side by a very distinct, but narrow, waved, black stripe, and is also adorned with gray markings, which are particularly conspicuous at the interstices of the segments where they approach the black boundary stripe ; below the boundary stripe the body is bright yellow ; the spiracles are white, and the region sur- rounding each spiracle brown ; the belly is greenish-yellow ; legs and claspers pale. A. beautiful but very abundant caterpillar. It feeds on hornbeam, whitethorn, blackthorn, hazel, oak, and many other trees, and is full- fed at the middle of Jane, when it changes to a CHRYSALIS on the surface of the earth. The MOTH appears in October, and is very common in England and Ireland. (The scien- tific name is Hybernia defoliaria.} 236. The March Moth (Anisopteryx esscularia). 236. THE MABCH MOTH. The antennae of the male are pectinated, but not strongly so ; those of the female simple : the wings of the male are ample, those of the female wanting ; the fore wings of the male are rather long and rather pointed, of a dingy brown colour, with a pale zigzag transverse line beyond the middle ; on the inner margin of this line the ground colour of the wing is darker, and near the base of the wing is a shorter transverse line, the outer margin of which is bordered with a darker ground colour ; there is a shorter, transverse, dark spot between these two lines ; the hind wings are paler, with a dark central spot, and a faint zigzag line just beyond this spot. The wingless female is brown, and has a conspicuous tuft at the extremity of the abdomen. The CATERPILLAB feeds on the elm, oak, lime, whitethorn, and blackthorn ; its head and body are of a pale clouded green colour, with a whitish stripe on each side, and a brighter and more distinct pale line in the region of the spiracles. The MOTH appears on the wing in April, and is abundant in Great Britain and Ireland. (The scientific name is Anisopteryx cescularia.'] 106 BRITISH MOTHS. 237. The Winter Moth (Chimafobia brumata). 237. THE WINTER Morn. The antennae in both sexes are nearly simple ; the fore wings of the male are rounded, and of a grayish brown colour, tinged with ochreous, and having several narrow transverse waved bars, which in some specimens are associated in three pairs ; the hind wings are pale, with scarcely any markings; the wings of the female are very short, are quite unadapted for flight ; her locomotive power is restricted to running about on fences and trunks of trees, much in the manner of a spider. This is one of our most injurious insects, and therefore requires a somewhat more elaborate and lengthened history than we can afford to give to others of less economical importance. The apterous female lays EGGS in the crevices of the bark of various trees and shrubs during November and December; when laid the eggs are greenish white, but they become orange, and subsequently brown, before hatching, which takes place about the beginning of April. The CATERPILLARS are extremely small at first, and suspend themselves by threads, and are blown about in all directions by the cold winds of spring ; many must certainly perish, but multitudes escape, and find congenial homes ; they commence their destructive career by eating into the young unexpanded buds : at this time of the year the bullfinches, sparrows, and titmice render the most impor- tant services to the gardener, by their activity in devouring the buds, and thus destroying this little garden pest. When the leaves have begun to expand, each caterpillar draws two or three together, and unites them by a silken web, coming partially out to feed, and retiring again within its domicile when satisfied. When full-fed it rests with its head on one side, and curled round so as to touch the middle of its body. The head is scarcely so wide as the body, and scarcely notched on the crown ; the body is rather obese, decreasing in size towards each extremity. Head pale green, semi-transparent, the cheeks often blotched with smoky brown on each side, just in the region of the ocelli. The body is glaucous green, with a narrow median blackish stripe on the back, and three narrow white stripes, at equal intervals, on each side ; the third or lowest on each side includes the spiracles. The legs and claspers are transparent green. It is a variable larva, the colour sometimes green, sometimes smoky brown, approaching to blackish ; the stripes in different individuals differ greatly in distinctness ; the medio- dorsal stripe is apparently in great measure due to the food in the alimentary canal being visible through a very transparent skin ; it is sometimes bordered on each side by an obscure white stripe, thus making eight stripes in all. It is almost useless to specify any tree as the food-plant of this ubiquitous larva ; I have beaten it by thousands from the hornbeam in Epping Forest, and I am unable to mention a tree the leaves of which it does not devour; it is especially destructive to plantations of filberts, to plums and bullace, quinces, med- lars, and in a less degree to apples and pears. The MOTH appears everywhere in October, November, and December; it is full-fed in May, and then descends to the earth, and changes to a CHRYSALIS near the surface. (The scientific name is Chimatobia brumata.} Obs. It may be assumed that so injurious an insect has excited considerable interest, and that many remedies have been prepared, and experiments tried to arrest its ravages. I have extracted a detailed account of these, published a few weeks back in the Field newspaper, and having more especial reference to the cider and perry orchards of Hereford- shire and Worcestershire. When the destruction of these insects on a large scale is to be effected, the operation should be divided into three campaigns, cor- responding to the three stages of the enemy's existence caterpillar, chrysalis, and moth. GEOMETERS. 1 . "When the caterpillar is still in the buds it must be left to the bullfinches and titmice, human exertions fail to effect any consider- le diminution of its numbers. It is not, however, to be supposed that bullfinches only ick off those buds which are infested with ese caterpillars: the contrary is most suredly the case, and a little company of ese pretty birds they travel in little com- ities of four, five, or six will not unf requently ttle in a gooseberry bush, or plum tree, and ot leave it until half the buds have been picked off. It is a remarkable fact, and one that I have repeatedly verified, that scarcely half of the buds thus destroyed are eaten ; the remainder may be observed scattered on the ground beneath. When the caterpillars have emerged from the bud, fed for some fortnight or three weeks, and are nearly full grown, shaking or striking the trees with a stick will cause them to fall to the ground, or to hang by a thread. "When on the ground they can be crushed under foot, or caught in cloths and ed. Before shaking the tree some per- ns daub the stem near the ground with a sticky mixture, or pour coal tar on the ground round the stem, to cut off their escape, as they etreat : a good plan where the trees stand one, but of little service where there is an ndergrowth of gooseberry or currant bushes, the caterpillars will ascend them. 2. Little can be done against the insect in its rysalis state. Digging the ground under e trees in August has theoretical advantages : it displaces the chrysalis from its self-selected habitation, and subjects it to the chance of more or less moisture than is congenial to its nature : and breaking up the soil exposes it to the attacks of beetles, earwigs, and birds, all of which feed upon it. Several years' experience has failed to show much practical benefit from' the process. It can only be recommended as auxiliary to other means of destruction. 3. The third campaign is the most important. The female moth, having no wings, is com- pelled to climb the tree to deposit her eggs, and may be caught by a sticky composition placed in her path. In Germany this is done by surrounding the stem with a four-sided box about twelve inches high, the lower end of which is fixed in the ground, and the upper end coped. Tar daubed every few days on the outside qf the box, below the coping, catches the females in their ascent. This box plan was found to be expensive for thickly-planted orchards, so it became important to get a composition which might be applied directly to the stem without injury to the tree. Various things were tried, of which Stockholm tar and cart-grease mixed in equal proportions proved to be the best. This compound remains sticky four or five days, and the experience of eight years shows that it does no material injury to the trees if applied in November and December, the period when the moth is out ; but applied in the warm weather of April and May it has proved destructive in many cases, probably from its greater fluidity in the latter case, allowing the tree to absorb it prior to drying. The composition rather tightens the bark, which should therefore be slit the next sum- mer, but in other respects does no injury that can be perceived, even when trees are cut down and split open ; and the growing bark sliced off with a knife is the same colour where the daub is applied as in other parts. It may be employed without fear, but where fear does exist, a coat of whitewash made of whitening and glue size applied before the daub will afford additional safety, as thick grease will not penetrate glue. From the 20th of October to the 20th of December, the gardener should examine his plantation every evening with candle and lantern, and destroy by hand all the moths within reach. The couples are mostly on the stem or within reach, and very visible. If he find the moths numerous and sometimes they are (the men say) as thick as bees he should the following day daub his trees with a ring of this composition round the stem or branches in the most convenient places, taking care to leave no other path to the tree, such as side shoots, or contact with the branches of other trees, for the ascent of the female. By this means hundreds, nay thousands, of females 108 BEITISH MOTHS. have been destroyed on a single planta- tion in one night, and as each female is calculated to lay 200 eggs, the destruction of caterpillars for the following season is very great. The daub must be renewed every few days, and the trees should be well shaken when the daub is applied, to dislodge as far as possible any female moths that are in them. The composition loses its stickiness in frosty weather, but the moths do not then come from their hiding-places under the dead leaves and in the cracks of the ground and bark. Where winter moths exist, the pruning of fruit trees should not be done till after Christmas, that a portion of the eggs may be carried away with the prunings, none of which should be dug in or allowed to remain on the ground, as the egg would hatch in the spring, and the young caterpillar ascend the nearest tree or shrub. 238. The Northern Winter Moth (Chimatolia boreata). 238. THE NORTHERN WINTER MOTH. The antennae are nearly simple in both sexes ; the wings of the male fully developed ; the fore wings are semi-transparent grayish brown, with an ochreous tint, and having several, generally seven, narrow transverse lines, three of which, near the base, are oblique and approximate ; the others form two waved pairs ; hind wings very pale brown, without markings, and almost transparent; female with very small undeveloped wings ; quite incapable of flight ; the fore wings pale brown with a darker bar in the middle. The CATERPILLAR is very similar to that of the winter moth, but more transparent, and the stripes more indistinct, but it chiefly differs from that veiy common species in having a brown head, that of the winter moth being pale green and semi-transparent: it feeds on birch. The MOTH appears in October, and is not uncommon in the English counties, but has not been recorded for Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Chimatobia boreata.} 239. The November Moth (Oporabia dilulata}. 239. THE NOVEMBER MOTH. Antenna? al- most simple, and the wings ample in both sexes ; fore wings pale smoky gray, with several transverse waved lines of a darker hue, some- what smoke-coloured; but both the ground colour and the lines or bars are too subject to variation in tint to admit of any precise description ; hind wings, paler and with several slender zigzag lines parallel with the hind margin. The second figure represents a pale variety of this very common moth. It ought to be added that entomologists have given names to several of the varieties of this moth ; venti- lata of Fabricius, impluviata, affinitata, and carpinata of Borkhausen, inscriptata of Donovan, fimbriata of Haworth, and ne- glectata of Stephens, are all referred by Guenee to this species. The head of the CATERPILLAR is rather nar- rower than the body, and not notched on the crown; the body is stout, velvety, and cylindrical; the colour of the head is dull green, the mouth tinged with purple ; the body is apple green above, but liable to great variation, purple markings sometimes appearing on all the segments ; the back of the second GEOMETEES. 109 segment, and a median line on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth segments are often of ( this colour, and the thirteenth segment is generally tinged with purple ; there is, more- I over, a white stripe just below the spiracles; the body is glaucous or blue green ; the legs are pale transparent green, the claspers of nearly the same colour, but often tinged or blotched with purple. It feeds on white- thorn, blackthorn, hornbeam, sloe, oak, and almost every forest tree, and is full-fed in June. The MOTH appears on the wing in No- vember, and is common everywhere in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scien- tific name is Oporabia dilutata.} 240. The Autumnal Moth (Oporabia filigram- mur'ui]. 210. THE ACTUMXAL MOTH. The an- tennas are almost simple in both sexes; the fore wings are gray, with numerous darker transverse waved lines, and are subject to the same variations as those of the preceding species, from which, however, it appears con- stantly to differ, in being of less size, and in having the fore wings narrower and consider- ably more pointed. The CVTEUPILLAR is described by Mr Hellins as feeding on sallow : it is stout and smooth, the general colour rich velvety green, the belly pale whitish green ; the head and second segment shining, and having a blackish tinge ; on each side of the dorsal vessel is a pale yellowish green stripe, and on each side are two sulphur yellow stripes ; on the back of each segment tubercles appear as minute yellow dots : the segmental divisions are orange yellow ; the spiracles are yellow, and between them and the belly are a few speckles. The caterpillars bury themselves in the earth in April, to undergo their transformation. The MOTHS are taken in August and Sep- tember, and have only been found in the north of England and in Scotland, never in the south of England or in Ireland. (The scientific name is Oporabia Migrammaria.} 241. The Twin-spot Carpet (Larentia didymata). 241. THE T WIX-SPOT CARPET. The antennae of the male are slightly pectinated ; those of the female simple ; the fore wings of the male brown, with four irregular transverse waved pale gray bars ; the first of these is short, nar- row, and very near the base ; the second broader, and double ; the third, also broader and double, is beyond the middle of the wing ; the fourth is narrow, interrupted and parallel with the hind margin ; between the third and fourth of these bars, about its middle, is a double dark spot, which gives the insect its name ; the hind wings are paler, with several transverse waved markings. The female is altogether paler, that is, of a pale whitish gray, the markings of the male being per- ceptible, but not conspicuous. The CATERPILLAR feeds on the common chervil (Anthnscus sylvestris], and may be obtained by shaking the leaves of that plant into an open umbrella in April and May ; it is of a pale green colour, with a narrow green stripe on each side. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and is common in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Larentia didymata.] til) BRITISH MOTHS. and Scotland, and in the county Dublin, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Larentin mult i sir i gat a.} 242. The Mottled Gray (Liraitia mnltislrir/ata). 242. THE MOTTLED GRAY. The antenna) are slightly pubescent in the male, quite sim- ple in the female ; male much larger than the female : the wings in both sexes ample ; fore wings gray, transversely barred with darker gray; sometimes the ground colour has an ochreous tinge ; the transverse markings are irregular, waved, and interrupted, and rather like series of dots than consecutive lines ; the hind wings are pale gray, tran-sversely marked with dark but indistinct waved lines towards the hind margin. The EGG is laid in April, on the different species of lady's bedstraw, but feeds freely on sweet woodroof in confinement ; it rests in a nearly straight or slightly arched position, the feet as well as the claspers generally attached, and the head prone and tucked under. The head is as wide as the second segment, and not notched on the crown ; the body is uni- formly cylindrical, the segmental divisions well marked, and the lateral skinfold rather prominent. The colour of the head and body is gray-brown, occasionally tinted with pink or yellow ; a narrow medio-dorsal clearly-de- fined darker stripe runs from the second segment to the tip of the anal flap; three broader, less regular, and less clearly-defined stripes run along the sides parallel with the medio-dorsal stripe, and between this and the spiracles ; ventral surface paler than the dor- sal surface, and having an extremely slender and delicate medio-ventral stripe ; and between this and the spiracles are three other stripes, all of which are waved, and that nearest the medio-ventral is double ; the spiracles are intensely black ; in addition to the stripes are numerous extremely small warts, darker than the general surface, and each emitting a minute bristle. The MOTH appears on the wing in carly spring, and is found in most parts of England 243. The Gray Mountain Carpet (Larcntia e&xintif). 243. THE GRAY MOUNTAIN CARPET. The antennae are almost simple ; the fore wings gray with numerous darker transverse zigzag markings ; across the middle of the wings . these darker markings form a transverse median bar, the costal extremity of which is divided, and encloses a gray space, which con- tains an oblong central dark spot ; the hind wings are very pale, with an oblong dark spot above the middle, and three transverse waved lines towards the hind margin. The EGG is laid on the slender stalks of the wort, whortleberry, or bilberry (Vaccinium Vitis-ldcBa), in July and August, and the young CATERPILLAR emerges in about twelve days, but soon hybernates on the surface of the earth, at the roots of the food-plant ; it begins to feed again in April of the ensuing year, and is full-fed by the second week in May ; it then rests on the stalk of its food-plant by day, generally with the head downwards, and in a perfectly straight position ; on the ap- proach of evening it turns round, re-ascends the stalk, and feeds on the leaves during the night. When full grown the head is prone, scarcely so wide as the second seg- ment, and without any manifest notch on the crown ; the body is of uniform substance throughout, and having a perceptible lateral skinfold along the region of the spiracles ; each segment has a few small warts, and each wart emits a short and feeble bristle. The colour of the head is umber-brown, in some specimens inclining to red ; the body is velvety red-brown, or velvety olive-green ; in both varieties there is a series of medio-dorsal V-shaped markings of great beauty, these GEOMETEES. Ill occur on the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh segments; the apex of each mark points towards the head ; the sides of these marks ore not quite closed at this point, hut allow the passage of a fawn- coloured stripe which expands immediately after entering the area enclosed by the V, and is again restricted to a mere line, where it approaches the boundary of the segment ; the remainder of the area enclosed by the V is of a lovely rose-colour ; each side of the T is bordered with rich brown; anterior to each V, that is, adjoining the anterior margin of each segment, are four short parallel lines, pale in the brown variety, perfectly white in the green one ; the lateral skinfold in both varie- ties is almost white, and thrown up in bold relief by contrast with the ground colour immediately adjoining it; the belly is of the prevalent ground colour ; the legs are semi- transparent and pinkish ; the claspers of the prevailing ground colour. It spins a slight cocoon amongst the leaves of its food-plant, and changes to a CHRYSALIS in May. The MOTH appears on the wing about mid- summer, and is very abundant in the northern counties of England, as Durham, Lancashire, imberland, &c., and also in Scotland ; it is ?nerally distributed in Ireland. (The scicn- ic name is Larentia ccesiata.} a medic-dorsal series of triangular red spots, each of the spots edged with white. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and is confined to a few localities, in Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland, and Perth- shire ; it has not yet been discovered in Ire- land. (The scientific name is Larentia rufi- cinctata.'} Ols. In reference to the extreme difficulty experienced by southern entomologists in ob- taining this and other northern species, I strongly recommend the collectors of our British lepidoptera to make their wants, as well as their superabundance, known through the pages of "The Entomologist:" by this means alone can anything approaching a per- fect collection be formed. I have established that little Journal with this especial object, and also for the convenience of answering any questions as to names, &c. It only costs sixpence a month, and is a means of com- munication between all our principal ento- mologists ; the miscellaneous information it contains would be out of place in a systematic work like the present. 244. Thn Yellow-ringed Carpet (Larentia rnjichietato). 244. THE YELLOW-RIXGED CARPET. The antenna) are almost simple in both sexes ; the fore wings are grayish lead-colour, with five transverse yellowish bars equidistant from each other, and also numerous clotted lines ; the hind wings are paler lead-colour, with obscure darker bars towards the hind margin. The CATERPILLAR, according to Freyer, feeds on the white meadow saxifrage, in May ; it is of a tawny or olive-green ground colour, with 245 The Striped Twin-spot Carpet (Larentia sali- cata]. 245. THK STRIPED TWIN-SPOT CARPET.' The antenna? are pubescent in the male, simple in the female ; the fore wings are grayish lead- colour, with numerous zigzag transverse markings, some of which iinite in forming a transverse median bar, which is divided by a paler space, enclosing a dark dot near its costal extremity ; the hind wings are pale lead- colour, with darker waved markings near the hind margin. The CATERPILLAR, in a state of nature, feeds on several species of bedstraw, and in confine- ment it not only feeds on bedstraw, but thrives equally well on sweet woodroof, a plant much to be recommended as growing luxuriantly in 112 BRITISH MOTHS. London and country gardens, and as furnishing an acceptable food to nearly all those cater- pillars which, in a state of nature, feed on the different species of bedstraw. The caterpillars of Larentia salivata, when full-fed, rest with the claspers attached tightly to the food-plant, and from the abdominal pair the body ascends at a right angle, the anterior segments being bent gracefully over ; when annoyed the pecu- liarities of this posture become intensified, the anterior segments assuming the form of an Ionic volute, of which the tightly tucked-in head is the centre ; this figure becomes more and more rigid as the annoyance continues, until the caterpillar abandons its hold on the food-plant, rolls itself in a compact ring, and, feigning death, falls to the ground. The head is rather small, semi-porrect, not notched on the crown, and beset with a few hairs ; the body is of uniform thickness throughout, without humps or warts, but beset with scat- tered hairs, and having a rather remarkably conspicuous tuberculated double skinfold along each side below the spiracles. The head is pale, semi-transparent, and of an umber-brown colour, spotted with darker umber-brown ; the body is umber-brown, with four narrow ap- proximate parallel whitish stripes, extending the entire length of the back ; on each side below the spiracles, and comprising the skin- fold already noticed, is a broad pale somewhat flesh-coloured stripe ; the ventral surface is rather pale along the middle, but darker on the sides, where it touches the pale lateral stripe ; it also exhibits traces of four parallel narrow stripes, of which the inner pair are very obscure ; the feet and claspers are similar in colour to the darker parts of the . body. When full-grown, these caterpillars in my cages spun together the leaves of the wood- roof, incorporating particles of cocoa-nut husk, provided for their accommodation, and con- structing tough cocoons. The MOTII appears on the wing early in June and again in August, it is common in a few localities in the west and north of England, also in Scotland, and at Killarney and in the county Galway in Ireland. (The scientific name is Larentia salicata.} 246. The Beech-green Carpet (Larentia olivata). 246. THE BEECH-GREEN CARPET. Antennrc very slightly pubescent in the male, quite simple in the female ; fore wings olive-green, and having a nearly triangular blotch at the base, and a central serrated bar much darker ; and beyond and immediately adjoining this bar is a double zigzag white, line, and again beyond the double white line is a transverse series of three dark spots near the angle of the wing ; the hind wings are brownish lead- colour, without any ( onspicuous markings. The EGGS are laid at the end of August, on a species of bedstraw (Galium mollugo}, and the CATERPILLARS are red when first hatched, but soon become rugose and dingy-coloured ; they hybernate. very early at the roots of the bedstraw. The MOTH appears on the wing about mid- summer, and is generally distributed, but is not common ; it is occasionally taken in most of the English counties and also in Scotland and Ireland. (The scientific name is Larentia olicata. } 247. The Green Carpet (Larentia pcctinitaria). 247. THE GREEN CARPET. The antenna? are very decidedly pectinated in the male, but simple in the female ; the fore wings are rather pointed, and have a decided and very beauti- ful green tint ; at the base they have a some- whattriangular blotch, which has black margins and a pale centre, and is bordered by a white line ; across the middle of the wing is a trans- verse band, wide at the costal, and narrower GEOMETEKS. 113 at the inner margin ; both sides of this band are very irregular and toothed, and are bordered by a delicate white line ; and just within these white lines, both at the costal and inner margin, is a black blotch, lose on the costal margin being large, distant, id conspicuous, those on the inner margin near together, and almost united ; there is also an oblique black spot at the apex of the wing; the hind wings are pale, with indis- tinct waved lines; the eyes and feelers are very black, the thorax pale green, with a black transverse line before the middle ; the body is pale green, with a medio-dorsal series of black dots, and with white mar- gins to the segments. A writer in the "Entomologist's "Weekly Intelligencer," who does not give his name, but whose accuracy is unquestionable, says the CATERPILLAR'S not being so well known as the abundance of the perfect insect would lead one to expect, need not be wondered at ; it is such a sluggish creature, and so fond of hiding at the roots of its food-plant, that he would think scarcely any one who had not taken the trouble to breed it can have seen it ; some diich he had in confinement remained motion- ss, as if dead, for hours ; in fact, he never ice saw them move, although he watched icm often. When first hatched they are right red, but soon become dingy ; when full- >wn they are short, stout, and wrinkled, ith small black tubercles emitting bristles ; ic ground-colour is a dingy olive-brown, with a dark interrupted dorsal line, from the fifth to the tenth segment ; a row of reddish V-like marks, having the apex of each pointing towards the head, and the side-lines reaching almost to the spiracles ; from the tenth seg- ment to the tail is a broad stone-coloured stripe ; the sub-dorsal line is light and waved ; the belly fawn-colour, with dark patches above the feet. It feed on two species of bedstraw (Galium mollugo and G. saxatile}. The MOTH appears on the wing through- out June and during part of July, and is generally common in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Larentia pectinitaria.} 248. The Rivulet (Emmelesia affinitatu). 248. THE RIVULET. The antenna? are sim- ple in both sexes; the fore wings are dark dusky gray, with a number of transverse irregular waved lines, both darker and lighter ; just beyond the middle of the wing is a very distinct double rivulet line, pure white ; and half way between this double line and the hind margin, is an interrupted series of white spots, which in some specimens almost form a second line ; the hind wings are paler, with a still paler bar across the middle. The CATERPILLAR lives enclosed in the seed- capsules of various plants; according to Guenee, it is of a dirty-white colour, with black head, legs, and spiracles ; it has also a black dorsal plate on the second segment. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and is not uncommon in several of the English counties, but has not been observed in Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Emmelesia affinitata.'} 249. The Small Rivulet (Emmelesia alchemiUato). 249. THE SMALL RIVULET. The antennae are simple in both sexes ; the fore wings are dusky gray, with numerous transverse waved lines both darker and lighter ; just beyond the middle of the wing is a very distinct double rivulet line, pure white, and half way between this and the hind margin, is a very conspicuous transverse white spot on the costal margin ; the hind wings are paler, but still of the same dusky gray as the fore wings ; there is gene- rally also a paler bar across the middle, but this is not very constant. Mr. Crewe has described the CATERPILLAR as short, stout, and stumpy ; the ground-colour is dull red, suffused with yellowish green, or vice versa ; the central dorsal line is broad, and IDXVARD XKWJMN'S BRITISH JJ.OTHS. No. 8. PttlCK (JD. J ( LONDON : W. TWEKDIE, I 337, STRAND. 114 BRITISH MOTHS. of a yellowish green colour, with a slender dark green line in the centre. The sub- dorsal lines are red, edged with yellow. The head is flattened and of a dark reddish brown colour ; the spiracular line greenish yellow ; the belly is greenish yellow, with two darker green sub- ventral lines ; the back and sides are studded with a few very short whitish hairs. Mr. Crewe found this caterpillar feeding somewhat abundantly in August and September, 1862, on the leaves, flowers, and unripe seeds of Gnleopsis tetrahit, and more sparingly on those of G. ladanum. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a tightly-spun earthen cocoon ; it is of a yellowish green colour, slightly tinged with red. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and occurs wherever its food-plants are found in England, Scotland, or Ireland. (The scientific name is Emmelesia akhemillata.} 2-30. The Grass Rivulet (Emmeiesia albulatn}. 250. THE GRASS RIVULET.- -The antennae are simple in both sexes ; all the wings are pale gray, inclining to white, with numerous transverse waved lines quite white ; the most conspicuous of these are two, close together, just beyond the middle of the fore wings, and a third half-way between these and the hind margin ; the hind wings are almost without markings. The CATERPILLAR of this moth has been found by the llev. Hugh A. Stowell. The head is rounded, and narrower than the body ; the body is rather stout, and transversely wrinkled, having a corneous shining plate on the back of the second and thirteenth segments. The head is intensely black and shining ; the body is dingy white, tinged with green, and having a broad medio-dorsal stripe, and a narrower lateral stripe darker green ; each segment has six, eight, or ten minute black dots ; the plates on the second and thirteenth segments are smoke-coloured, and there is a similarly coloured corneous plate on the outer side of each of the anal claspers ; the legs and claspers are nearly concolourous with the body, but rather more dusky. It spins together the sepals of the yellow rattle (Rhinanthus Crista- galli}, feeding on the seeds, and is full-fed about the middle of August, when it changes to a CHRYSALIS within the domicile it has already formed. The MOTH appears on the wing during the following June, and is very generally distri- buted in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Emmelesia albulata.} 251. The Sandy Carpet (Emmelesia decolored*). 251. THE SANDY CARPET. The antennae are simple iu both sexes ; the fore wings are pale wainscot-brov/n, rather inclining to dull ochre- ous-yellow, and having numerous irregular waved transverse white lines ; the most con- spicuous of these are a pair almost close together across the middle of the wing, but these are interrupted in the middle by two tooth-like projections of the ochreous ground- colour; near the base of the wing are three of these waved white lines, all less conspicu- ous than the median pair ; and half-way between the median pair and the hind margin is a single irregular and indistinct waved white line. The hind wings are dingy white, with few and inconspicuous markings. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and is of general occurrence in England, Scotland, and Ireland, but I have not found it very common. (The scientific name is JEmmeleftiii decelerate.} 2o2. The Barred Carpet (Emmelesia taniata). 252. THE BARRED CARPET. The antenna? are simple in both sexes. The fore wings have GEOMETERS. 115 triangular blotch at the base, and a broad edian transverse bar, very dark brown (in ent specimens in fine condition almost ack) ; the space between these two con- icuous marks, and also the space between e bar and hind margin, are pale reddish Town ; the margins of both the dark markings are delicately bordered with white, and the outer white border of the median bar expands on the costa into a conspicuous white spot ; the hind wings are pale dingy brown, with a paler waved transverse line below the middle, and a black spot above the middle. The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of June and in July, and occurs in some abun- dance in the lake districts of England and Ireland, being particularly attached to the holly. Mr. Eirchall and the late Mr. Bouchard obtained it abundantly by beating holly trees in the neighbourhood of Killarney ; but Mr. Birchall thinks it resorts to the hollies for concealment only, and not as a food-plant. It is an extremely beautiful and distinct species. (The scientific name is Emmelesia taniata.') , 2-53. Haworth's Carpet (Emmelesia unifasciata]. 253. HAWORTH'S CARPET. The antenna are simple in both sexes ; the fore wings are dull brown, with numerous transverse waved lines, and a distinct double rivulet line just beyond the middle ; the inner section of this double rivulet line is white, the outer ferru- ginous ; half way between this and the base, is a second double rivulet line, much more obscure ; between these two double lines the area of the wing is darker than beyond them, and there is a very evident, although not con- spicuous, discoidal spot ; half way between the exterior rivulet line and the hind margin is a transverse series of pale spots, interrupted in the middle ; and near the apex of the wing are two short oblique black lines, or markings, almost fused into one, and also a double, or twin spot, as in Larentia didymata ; the hind wings are pale, dingy brown, with a few waved darker lines, and a central darker spot. The MOTH appears on the wing in July, but is very rare ; the most copious capture I have heard of is that of Mr. Hodgkinson, in 1865, in the lake district of the north of England ; Mr. Doubleday has taken it at Eppiug, and Mr. M'Lachlan at Forest Hill. 1st Ob*. 1 have adopted the name from Doubleday's synonymic list and Guenee's Species Genera/, but, without wishing to imply that I agree with it : the insect before me corresponds with the description of Phalcena bifaciata of Haworth (p. 334), and figured by instruction of the late Mr. Stephens, by Wood, under that name (fig. 702) ; the figure of unifasciata in Wood (701), also from the same source, bears no resemblance whatever to the insect I have described. Herrich- Schaeffer's description of Aquilaria (Geo- metry, p. 163, Xo. 151, and figured pi. 55, fig. 336), is without doubt the insect under consideration. Seeing that our three English authors, Haworth, Stephens, and Wood, have made two species out of one, and that all later authors agree in combining them, and in drop- ping the first name, bifaciata, I should have preferred adopting Herrich-SchaefFer's name, as combining the two others, and as admitting of no doubt. 2nd Obs. This pretty moth closely resem- bles Coremtaferrugata, to be described further on ; it appears quite out of place here. 2-54. The Heath Rivulet (Emnielesia ericetata}. 254. THE HEATH RIVULET. The antennae are simple in both sexes ; the fore wings are smoke colour, and are traveled by numerous white bars ; the first of these is short, and very near the base, and generally single, but sometimes double; the second is nearer the middle of the wing, nearly straight, and always double ; the third is situated beyond the middle of the wing, is bent and angled, and always double. In some specimens the BRITISH MOTHS. second and third bars approach, and are united near the middle ; half way between the third bar and the hind margin is a single delicate white line, regularly serrated ; the hind winge are pale smoke-coloured, with transverse lighter lines faintly indicated. The MOTH appears on the wing in June and July ; it is purely a heath insect, occurring in the lake district of the north of England, near Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and on the Mourne Mountains in Ireland. (The scientific name is Emmelesia ericetata.} 2-35. The Pretty Pinion (Emmtle&ia blandiata). 255. THE PSETTY PINIOX. The antenna; are simple in both sexes ; the fore wings are whitish gray, with a nearly triangular blotch at the base, and a narrow, angled, transverse, median band, dark smoke-coloured ; this band contains a conspicuous black discoidal spot above the middle, but just below this black spot the band is obscure, and sometimes looks as though washed out ; beyond this band are three transverse markings, all of them smoke- coloured; the first of these is a pale and narrow waved line the second a broad waved bar the third is marginal; the hind wings are light smoke-colour, with a dark discoidal spot, and several pale waved lines below it. "The CATERPILLAR is green, with a dorsal row of reddish triangles ; spiracular line, yel- lowish green." Freyer, as translated in Stain- ton's Manual, vol. ii., p. 82. It feeds on eyebright (Euphrasia officinali*}. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, and again in July and August. I took it rather abundantly at the end of June in Argyleshire, between Loch Fyne head and Loch Goil, but the specimens, even of the early brood, are much wasted ; Mr. Birchall took it in the county Galway, and Dr. Wal- lace at Killnrney. (The scientific name is Emmelesia blandiata.} THE GENUS ErrrrnECiA. Before entering on the hitherto unattempted, and confessedly difficult, task of distinguishing from each other the little moths which con- stitute the Genus Eupithecia, or, as called by collectors, " Pugs," it is desirable to follow i the course adopted by that eminent French entomologist, M. Guenee, in devoting a short space to general observations. A few years back, even so lately as 1859, when Mr. Stain- ton's Manual appeared, the caterpillars and life-histories of thirty-two British species had never been observed in this country, and those of eighteen species were absolutely unknown. It was probably this grea't deficiency of satisfactory and reliable information that induced the llev. H. Harpur Crewe to investigate and make known the life-histories of most of our British species. This gentle- man's invaluable researches were published from time to time in the Zoologist, and it is with feelings of gratitude that I now publicly announce that I have received Mr. ! Crewe's permission to transfer them to these pages. Free access to Mr. Doubleday's match- less collection of the perfect insects, has also been granted me, without any reserve, and with a generosity that only finds a parallel in the liberality of this distinguished entomolo- gist on all previous occasions, to whomsoever has sought assistance and instruction at his hands. No one, therefore, could possibly have better materials for a labour of this kind than I have, and my readers will please accept the assurance, once for all, that while I express my deep gratitude for the assistance I have received, I by no means desire to remove the responsibility of errors from my own shoulders ; and it must be obvious that in a work par- taking so largely of the character of a com- pilation, errors are very likely to creep in. The caterpillars of the Eupitheciac are various, in food, economy, shape, and colour. A few feed on leaves, but the greater number revel in the flowers of trees, shrubs, and her- baceous plants, devouring the petals, sepals, stamens, and pistils ; and, in not a few in- stances, they penetrate the capsules, and feast GEOMETERS. 117 the seeds themselves, making the seed-pod dwelling place, in which they are effectually irotected from all inclemencies of the weather. "his propensity, or more properly speaking conomy, is of course detrimental to the sauty of flowers, and, moreover, destructive seeds and fruit. M. Guenee has devoted mch time, thought, and attention to the in- stigation of these ravages, and has given a ery complete account of them, as regards le of the more numerous species, an ac- count to which I must again recur in a proper pliice. When full-fed, the caterpillars usually de- scend to the ground, and there each constructs a delicate little cell, composed of silk and particles of earth, polishing the interior, but leaving the exterior in a rough and unfinished state, looking merely like a little lump of earth, and thus eluding the researches of mice, birds, beetles, and cockroaches, all of which evince great affection cupboard love, it may be called for the delicate morsel contained in the interior. A few of the species construct their cocoons in the seed-pods themselves, after consuming all the provender laid up therein by a bounteous nature for the preser- vation of the plant from generation to gene- ration. The chrysalis in this genus is remarkable for the brightness and vividness of its colours greens, brown, and reds, of every shade, are of almost constant occurrence these colours are not unfrequently found on the same chrysalis and some so abound in ornamentation as to become really beautiful objects, and to form rather a striking contrast to the somewhat plain coloured chrysalids of the majority of geometers. The moths themselves are peculiar in ap- pearance, and are to be recognised at a glance ; they sit by day on walls, fences, and trunks of trees, with the wings expanded, and so closely appressed to the surface that they seem part and parcel of the object on which they are resting ; the fore wings are generally stretched out at right angles with the body, exposing almost the whole of the hind wings. Their antenna) are short, and those of the m-iles are very slightly fringed, or pectinated ; in this respect I find them so uniform that I have thought it almost unnecessary to mention the antenna3 at all in my descriptions of the numerous species. There is also a general similarity in the ornamentation of their wings, which consists of numerous transverse lines, of a different shade as to light or dark, but generally of the same colour, the difference being only in intensity. Longitudinal mark- ings are of less common occurrence, but are sometimes present, and, intersecting the trans- verse markings, combine with them in covering the wing with the appearance of network. The transverse lines are not unfrequently t on- fiuent, and when two or three of them are thus united, I have described them as " bars," but when four or five are thus united, I call them "bands" terms which are somewhat arbitrary, but which will I trust convey my meaning to the English reader. A discoidal spot is also generally present on the fore wings, its length is almost invariably greater than its breadth, and its position transverse ; it is situated about half-way between the base and tip of the wing, and two-fifths of the way between the costal margin and the anal angle. I have observed that the ornamenta- tion of the fore wings, of whatever character it may be, is usually continued or repeated in the hind wings ; all the markings combine to- gether to constitute a pattern, which would be incomplete if either wing were absent ; generally, however, there is an evident etiola- tion, or diminution of colour, in the hind wings, so that the ornamentation of the hind Avings, when contrasted with that of the fore wings, is as an echo, or, as the second rainbow when compared with the first a repetition, with diminished intensity. The head, thorax, and body have the prevailing tint of the wings generally some shade of brown, but it is not uncommon for the collar, scutellum, or a belt at the base of the body, to have a more conspicuous colour, as white, or bright rust- colour. Owing to the small dimensions of these moths, their extreme similarity to each other, and the great number of species, the task 118 BRITISH MOTHS. of distinguishing them, either by words or representations, is one of considerable diffi- culty ; and a curious phenomenon observable, more or less, throughout the class Lepidoptera, finds an interesting illustration and exposition in this pretty genus ; I allude to the existence of pairs of species, that is, that two species of which the caterpillars are totally unlike in food, form, colour, and size, shall so closely resemble each other when arrived at the perfect state, that it is found impossible to distinguish them. Confused by these diffi- culties, entomologists have very frequently united, under one name, two species which are perfectly and permanently distinct ; and, still more frequently, have described, under new names, species v;hich have been im- perfectly and unintelligibly described under previous names. Herrich-Schaeffer, Guenee, and Doubleday have done their best to reduce into order the chaotic mass of names thus created, but it must be admitted that the synonymy of the species requires still more careful investigation before it can be perma- nently and satisfactorily settled. 256. The Netted Pug (Eupithecia venosat*,). 256. THE NETTED PUG. The fore wings are smoky gray, with a tinge of wainscot brown ; in some specimens this tinge prevails, in others the smoke-colour prevails ; there are two transverse zigzag white bars, the first rather less than a third of the distance from the base towards the tip, the second rather more than two-thirds; both these bars are intersected throughout, and also bordered on each side by a black line; between these bars is a curved black line, unaccompanied by any white, and between the first bar and the base is a nearly straight black line, bordered outside with white; there are two longitudinal black lines connecting the two transverse bars, and five short black lines connecting the outer bar with as many transverse black lines on the hind margin ; the hind wings are nearly of the same colour as the fore wings, with several darker transverse zigzag lines ; the head, thorax, and body are also of the same co- lour ; the thorax has a round black spot, and the body a black belt. The CATERPILLAR, as described by Mr. Crewe, is by no means uncommon. "It is very easy to rear; when young, it is quite black, but when full fed, it is short, thick, and stumpy; its back is dull leaden gray, sparingly studded with minute white spots and short hairs ; the belly and sides are dirty greenish white ; the head is black. It feeds inside the seed-capsules of the'bladder campion (Silene irtflata), and the common red Lychnis (Lychnis dioica\ and is full fed from the middle to the end of July. When about to assume the CHRYSALIS state, it comes out of the capsule and enters the earth, where it spins a very slight cocoon, and turns to a bright red chrysalis." The MOTH appears on the wing from the beginning to the end of May, and at the be- ginning of June, and has been taken in many of our English and Irish counties. (The scientific name is Eupithecia venosata. ) 257. The Pinion-Spotted Pug (Eupithecia consignata). 257. THE PINION-SPOTTED PUG. The fore wings are gray, with a glaucous tint, and having several transverse, dark brown, waved lines, three of them terminating on the costal margin in large dark blotches, the middle one of which is united to the discoidal spot in a manner that eclipses the latter, and renders it inconspicuous ; the hind wings are pale gray, with a dark discoidal spot, and certain waved, but very indistinct, lines parallel with the hind margin. The CATERPILLAR, so far as I am aware, has not been found in this country, but is well known on the continent, and is described by several European entomologists. Guenee says GEOMETE11S. 119 it: " The caterpillar is as beautiful as the lotli ; is of an apple-green colour, the in- jisions of the segments being yellow; the lorsal area is brighter, and is ornamented at anterior margin of every segment with a mil triangular red spot. It feeds in June, )n fruit trees." The MOTH appears on the wing in Hay and I une, and has been taken in Herefordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, and Sussex, ^nerally, if not exclusively, in apple orchards, [t is extremely rare in collections, probably owing to its not having been sought at the proper times, and in the proper places ; it settles on the trunks of apple trees, generally just below the first branching, and owing to its exact simi- larity to the colour of the bark, is difficult to find, but may be induced to fly by giving the trunk a sharp stroke with a thick stick. (The scientific name is Eupitliecia consignata.} 258. The Toadflax Pug (Eupithceia linariata}. 258. TUB TOADFLAX PUG. The fore wings re very variegated ; at the base is a smoky- jlack spot on the costa, almost surrounded by paler space ; then follows a transverse chest- lut-coloured band, paler on the outside ; then broad black band, having a transverse dis- 3idal spot, deeper black ; this is bordered on each side by a white line ; beyond this white line is a pale wainscot bar, then a chestnut bar, then a white line, and, lastly, a darker but somewhat variegated bar, occupying the hind margin ; the hind wings are smoky gray, paler across the middle ; the head is smoky black, the thorax chestnut-brown ; the body is black at the base, paler towards the extremity, with a medio-clorsal series of small black spots. Mr. Crewe describes the CATERPILLAR as "short, stumpy, and slightly tapering to- wards the head; when young, it is bright yellow, with blackish dorsal spots ; when full-fed, yellowish green, with a series of large dull olive, or rust-coloured, dorsal spots or bars, running the whole length, and bor- dered on either side by a dusky olive line ; the head is nearly black ; the belly, dusky ; the spiracles, black ; the body is sprinkled with short whitish hairs, and here and there studded with black tubercles ; the dorsal markings are frequently very indistinct, and sometimes wanting altogether, and the cater- pillar is then of a uniform yellowish green. It feeds iu August and September on the flowers and seeds of the common wild snap-dragon, or yellow toad-flux (L/'naria vulgaris}. It is un- certain in, its appearance, being one year ex- ceedingly abundant and' the next very scarce. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in an earthen cocoon, has the abdomen reddish yellow ; the tip blood-red ; the thorax and wing-cases, olive." The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been taken in most of our English coun- ties, but not in Ireland ; in very warm seasons it is double-brooded. (The scientific name is Eupithecia linariata.} 259. The Foxglove Pug (Eupitheciu pulehellata). 259. THE FOXGLOVE PUG. The fore wings are very variegated ; at the base of the wing a portion of the area is divided from the re- mainder by a black line ; the upper portion of this area is almost black, the lower portion generally pale ; this is followed by a white zigzag bar ; then follows a transverse chest- nut-coloured baud, paler on the outside ; then follows a broad d irk band, having a transverse discoidal black spot, and many other mark- ings ; this band is bordered on each side by a white line ; beyond this is a pale wainscot bar, then a second chestnut bar, then a white line, and, lastly, a darker, but variegated bar, occupying the hind margin ; the hind wings are smoky gray, paler across the middle, and having certain indistinct darker zigzag lines ; the head is dark ; the thorax, chestnut-brown ; the body, black at the base, and paler towards 120 BEITISH MOTHS. the extremity, with a medio-dorsal series of small black spots. Four varieties of the CATERPILLAR are thus described by Mr. Crewe : " Var. 1. The ground colour is dull yel- lowish green ; the central dorsal line is broad, continuous, and of a dull, dingy purple colour ; the sub-dorsal line is also dull, dingy purple it is narrow and interrupted on the anal segments ; the spiracular line is narrow, broken, and dingy purple colour, marked with lines, or spots, of a deeper shade ; the belly is whitish green, with a whitish central line ; the whole body is strewed thinly with whitish hairs, and occasionally suffused and clouded with dull, dingy purple ; in shape it resembles the caterpillar of E. linariata, in markings that of E. centaureata. " Var. 2. The ground colour is dull yel- lowish, or whitish green ; the central dorsal line, dusky green; the segmental divisions are yellowish ; the spiracular line is very narrow, and faint, dull green; the belly is whitish, without lines or markings. " Var. 3. The ground colour is pale prim- rose-yellow, slightly suffused with green ; the central dorsal line dull faint green, nearly evanescent on the posterior segments ; the sub-dorsal lines are dull faint green, much broken, having more the appearance of de- tached spots ; the spiracular line is very faint, pale yellow ; the belly whitish. " Var. 4. The ground colour is bright, yellowish green ; the central dorsal line, pale olive, rather broad ; the sub-dorsal lines, pale olive, and narrow ; the spaces between the central dorsal and sub-dorsal lines are bright yellow ; the spiracular line is dusky green, faint and broken; the belly is sea-green." These caterpillars feed on the flowers of the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), and are full-fed from the middle of July to the beginning of August. They spin together the mouth of the corolla, and, in the habita- tion thus constructed, devour the stamens, pistils, unripe seeds, and capsules; those flowers which contain a caterpillar remain on the stem long after the others have fallen ; the caterpillars appear to seek the surface of the ground before undergoing their change, and the CHRYSALIS is found enclosed in a slight earthen cell ; its thorax and wing-cases are transparent yellowish-green, and its body red- dish yellow ; the divisions of the body and the tip are dark red. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, and occurs in England, Scotland, and Ireland, in almost every locality where the foxglove abounds. (The scientific name is Eupithecia pulcliellata.~] Obs. This beautiful little moth is so simi- lar to the preceding, that many naturalists have declined to consider it distinct. Guenee hesitates to record it as a species, but is in- duced to do so from the fact of Mr. Doubleday's having bred a large number of E. linariata, without finding a single example of E. pul- chellata amongst them. Our only English author on Lepidoptera, Haworth, appears to me to have described it as linariata ; he cer- tainly has not separated the two ; still, from the difference of caterpillars, now distinctly ascertained, I cannot avoid the conclusion that the two species are perfectly distinct. 260. The Lime Speck ^Eupithecia centaureata). 260. THE LIME SPECK. The fore wings are almost white, with two delicate transverse zigzag black lines, and a crescentic black spot between them ; the costal margin has twelve or fourteen short brown markings, three or four of which, uniting with the discoidal, black spot, form a dark and conspicuous blotch ; very similar markings occur on the inner mar- gin ; the hind margin is occupied by a fawn- coloured band, intersected throughout by a white line ; the hind wings are nearly white, with several transverse brown markings on the inner margin ; the thorax is nearly white ; the body variegated with white, brown, and black. The CATERPILLAR is long, rather slender, and tapering towards the head ; it has a slightly wrinkled appearance. In colour it is very GEOMETERS. 121 mable. The following varieties are described Mr. Crewe : " Far. I. Bright yellowish or bluish green, rith a number of dorsal or sub-dorsal spots id lines of a darker shade, the dorsal markings 2ry often forming a series of disjointed szenge-shaped spots. Far. 2. Uniformly yellow, yellowish, or bluish green, without any spots or markings whatever. " Far. 3. Greenish or pinkish-white, with a chain of deep red, trident-shaped dorsal spots, connected together by the central prong, and becoming confluent towards the head ; belly whitish, with a short red line or spot in the centre of several of the segments. It feeds in August and September, upon the flowers of the ragwort (Seneciojacobaa and S. erucifolius], of golden rod (Solidago Virgaurea], Achillaa Millefolium, hemp agrimony (Eupatorium can- nalianuni), Pimpinella magma, and P. saxifraga, Silaus pratensis, Campanula glomerata, and Scabiosa columbaria. Vars. 1 and 2 I have almost invariably found upon the three first- named plants, whilst those on the other flowers were Tar. 3." The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon. There are two varieties, one of which is of an uniform pale red colour. The perfect insect appears more or less from May to August. The MOTH appears on the wing more or less abundantly from May to August ; it is one of our common species of Eupithecia, and is to be seen on every fence or park paling early in the morning, resting with expanded wings ; it certainly occurs more frequently in such situa- tions, but also is to be found on trunks of trees, and stone walls ; it occurs in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Evpi- thecia centaur eat a. ~] 261. THE BORDERED LIME SPECK. The fore wings are white, clouded, and marked with smoky gray, and having a nearly circular discoidal spot, intensely black ; the smoky markings occupy the entire costal margin, except a square white spot, situated at about two-thirds of its length ; the hind margin is also occupied by a broad smoky band, and the inner margin with a lighter ^ smoky area, traversed throughout by delicate transverse white lines ; half-way between the central black spot and the hind margin is a transverse series of black dots, in some specimens scarcely perceptible, in others very manifest ; the hind wings are nearly white, clouded, and delicately barred with smoke-colour ; the crown of the head is white ; the collar brown ; the disk of the thorax white ; the body brown, except near the tip, where it is white, the extreme tip being brown. Three varieties of the CATERPILLAR are thus described by Mr. Crewe : " Far. 1. Dull, dark, reddish brown ; the central dorsal line is dingy black, connecting a chain of dull black inverted, kite-shaped blotches, which become confluent on the an- terior and posterior segments ; sub-dorsal lines dusky, slender, waved, uninterrupted, darker between the dorsal blotches ; median dorsal blotches at some distance from each other ; the border generally pale, and the centre dusky ; the spiracular line is dirty white, in- terrupted ; the head is bordered by a reddish line ; the belly is dusky at the edges, and pinkish white in the middle ; the central ventral line blackish ; the back and sides sprinkled with a few reddish hairs ; the cen- tral area dingy. " Far. 2. Pale reddish brown ; the central dorsal line and blotches being dingy olive ; the sub-dorsal lines dusky, very indistinct. In other respects resembling Var. 1. " Far. 3.- Ground colour dark, dingy olive. In other respects like Var. 1." The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon. It feeds on the leaflets of the mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and occurs in some of our English counties, as also in Scotland and Ireland. Obs. I possess a specimen of the male, in which the hind border has a series of eight ferruginous spots, and it differs also in several minor characters ; this is the Disparata of Hiibner, the Eupithecia succenturiata, Var. di¶ta of Guenee. 122 BRITISH MOTHS. 262. THE TAWNY SPECK. The central disk of the fore wings is bright ferruginous, the base, costal margin and hind margin being smoky brown, and a nearly circular discoidal spot is quite black ; the costal margin is inter- rupted by numerous short, transverse, waved, gray lines, and the hind marginal band is intersected by a zigzag whitish line ; the hind wings are smoke-coloured ; the head, thorax, and body are also smoke-coloured ; the body has a bright ferruginous belt near the base. Two varieties of the CATERPILLAR are thus described by Mr. Crewe : "'Var. 1. Reddish brown; the central dorsal line pale olive, connecting a series of perfectly oval, dusky olive blotches, which become confluent on the anterior and posterior segments; the sub-dorsal lines are blackish red, interrupted ; they are dark opposite the dorsal blotches, and pule and almost, if not quite, evanescent between them ; the median dorsal blotches are pale in the centre, very close together, and almost confluent ; the spiracular line is white ; the back is thickly studded with minute white tubercles, and less thickly with whitish hairs ; the belly is whitish, with a purplish central line. " Var. 2. Ground colour pale yellowish brown. Markings similar to Var. 1." It feeds on the leaves, flowers, and seeds of the common yarrow (Achillea millefolium). The MOTH appears on the wing in August, and occurs not unfrequently in most of our English counties, more especially in gardens, and Mr. Biichall reports it as common in the county Grulway, in Ireland. 263. The Shaded Pug (Etipithiciu ittitniibratu}. 263. THE SHADED PUG. The ground colour of the fore wings is white, intei mixed, es- pecially along the costal and hind margins, with smoke-colour ; there is a very small discoidal spot, but so indistinct that in some specimens it is scarcely to be perceived ; the smoke-colour is arranged transversely, and interrupted by waved whitish transverse lines ; the hind wings are almost white, with a smoke-coloured hind marginal band, but this band is also interrupted with whitish markings; the head, thorax, and body are mottled with white, and smoke- colour, and greatly resemble the fore wings. Mr. Crewe describes t\vo varieties of the CATERPILLAR as under : " Far. 1. Very long and slender, tapering very much towards the head ; ground-colour dull yellowish green ; the central dorsal line is broad, dark green, narrower at the segmental divisions ; the sub-dorsal lines are dusky, very narrow, and indistinct ; the dorsal segmental divisions are orange ; the ventral divisions yellow ; the spiracular line is dusky green. On each side of the head and segment is a yellowish line. " Var. 2. The ground colour is dirty greenish brown ; the central dorsal line dusky olive; the sub-dorsal lines are of the same colour ; and the narrow posterior segments are reddish. In other respects it resembles Var. 1." This singular long thin caterpillar I have been in the habit of taking at intervals for some years past in Buckinghamshire. It feeds in the open spaces between and near beech- woods, on the petals of almost any flower which happens to grow in such localities, for instance, Centaurea nigra, Knautia arvensis, Gentiana amarelht, and G. eatnpettris, Aptn^ia hispida, Origanum vulyare, Prunella vulyarix, Gulium mollttffo, &c., preferring, perhaps, Apargia hixpida, and Crepis taraxicifolia. It is full-led at the end of August and throughout September. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an eaithen cocoon, and has the thorax and wing-cases dark green ; the body is ochreous, with the tip dusky red. The MOTH appears in June, and is not very uncommon in England ; and Mr. Birchall informs us that it is common in the county Galway, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithei ia GEOMETERS. 123 264. Guenee's Pug (Eupithecia. fcniotata]. 264. GUKNEK'S PUG. The fore wings of a delicate pearly gray colour, with an ochreous tinge diffused uniformly over the entire surface, which is also traversed by numerous transverse lines, all of them more or less waved, and more or less oblique ; these transverse lines are paler than the ground- colour, but not very conspicuously so, neither are they quite continuous; the wing-rays are spotted with dark brown ; there is also a series of transverse dark markings between the costal and sub-costal rays, and a slender inter- rupted dark brown line on the hind margin ; the hind wings are of a pearly gray colour, without the ochreous tint, but their markings are very nearly the same as those of the fore wings. I am unable to find the usual discoidal spot on either of the wings; the fringe is spotted ; the head, thorax, and body are ochre- ous-brown, speckled with darker brown, and there is an evident darker belt at the junction of the thorax and body : it is a large and in- teresting species ; although the colours are very ibdued, and present no strong contrast, the ittern, so to speak, is very elegant; when resh from the chrysalis the specimen de- eribed had a distinct reddish marginal band on all the wings. The only specimen I have seen is in Mr. Doubleday's collection ; it was bred from a caterpillar which was found by Mr. Machin, feeding on the flowers of the golden rod. (The scientific name is Eupithecia pernotata.} 265. The Lead-coloured Pug (Eupithecia plun.beolata]. 265. THE LEAD-COLOURED PUG. Ail the wings are lead-coloured, with slightly darker, delicate, transverse waved lines, but these are very indistinct, and tend rather to increase than diminish the plain lead-coloured appear- ance of the insect ; there is a slender inter- rupted black line on the hind margin, just within the fringe ; the hind wings are rather paler than the fore wings. I am unable to find any trace of the discoidal spot on either of the wings. The head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the fore wings. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe : " Somewhat short and stumpy ; the ground- colour is pale yellowish green ; the central dorsal line broad, continuous, dull purplish red, enlarged into a somewhat pear-shaped blotch on the centre of each segment ; sub- dorsal lines narrower, sinuous, dull purplish red ; dorsal and subdorsal lines sometimes merged into one, leaving the whole back and sides suffused with purplish red ; a few slender yellowish hairs sprinkled over the dorsal and lateral segments; the belly is naked, pale, dull greenish yellow ; central ventral line wanting; subventral lines narrow, purplish red. It feeds on the flowers of the common cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense) ; when quite young on the stamens only, afterwards on the whole corolla tube ; it is full-fed from the middle of July to the middle of August. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a slight cocoon, either in a dry corolla tube, or in the surface of the earth ; its general colour is golden yel- low, with the abdominal divisions and tip red." The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of May, and occurs in most of our English counties, also in Scotland; and Mr. Birchall informs us it is common at Killarney, in Ire- land. (The scientific name of this homely little moth has been changed a great many times ; it has been called Plumleolata, Pusil- lata, Scabiosata, Begrandaria, and Talerianata, but I think the oldest intelligible description is Ha worth's, under the name of Eupithecia plumbeolatu .) 266. Haworth's Pug (Eupithecia isogrnmmata}. 266. HAWORTH'S PUG. All the wings are brownish gray, the colour being given by numerous waved and closely approximate J24 BRITISH MOTHS. transverse lines, which are alternately dark and light; the hind wings are, as usual in the genus, less clearly marked than the fore Avings ; the discoidal spot is absent from all the wings; the head and thorax are of the same colour as the fore Avings, but the body has a broad rust-coloured, or fulvous belt at the base, which always fades, and often entirely disappears, when the specimen has been some years in a cabinet. Mr. Crewe says : " The CATERPILLAR seems to be little known, and has not, I think, ever been described. I have, however, taken it in plenty wherever its food-plant occurs : it is very short and stumpy, tLe ground-colour pale blueish, or yellowish green, with three horizontal dorsal stripes of a darker shade ; these stripes are often very indistinct, and sometimes altogether wanting; the head is dusky, spotted with olive, and the body spar- ingly studded with minute black dots : it is full-fed from the middle of July to the middle of August. It feeds inside the unopened flower-buds of Clematis vitalla, commonly known as the Traveller's Joy. When nearly full-fed it frequently feeds among the stamens of the expanded flower, and may then be beaten into an umbrella : it also feeds on the common white garden clematis. The presence of the caterpillar may generally be detected by the blackened appearance of the flower- buds. When it has eaten the inside of one bud, it comes out and bores into a fresh one : I have frequently seen it busily engaged in this operation. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a very tightly-constructed earthen cocoon ; the thorax and wing-cases are green, and the body red." The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and the beginning of July, and is abundant among Clematis vitalba : it flies about with extreme rapidity in the hot sunshine, and it is almost invariably wasted when caught. It occurs in many of our English counties, and Mr. Bir- chall says that it is common at Killarney, in Ireland. Of course the range of its food-plant rules the geographical distribution of the species. (The scientific name is JEupithecia isogrammata.} Obs. Haworth was the first author who characterised this species, but he considered it a variety of E. plumbeolata, the insect last described, and therefore did not name it. Mr. Doubleday very early saw that this was an error, and gave it the name of the distinguished entomologist who discovered it, namely, E. Haworthiata : it has, however, since been identified as the E. isogrammata of Treitschke, and, in accordance with the rule of priority, we must retain that name. 267. The Marsh. Pug (EtqritJtecia pyymceata}. 267. THE MARSH PUG. The fore wings are brownish gray, with numerous paler and darker closely approximate waved transverse lines ; and it is these which communicate the general tint to the wing ; several of the pale lines become white in the costal margin, and are then more conspicuous, but this more conspi- cuous portion of the line is very short ; there is a delicate black line on the extreme hind margin ; very near the hind margin, and pa- rallel therewith, is a waved but rather indis- tinct pale line, which terminates in a white spot at the anal angle; there is no distinct discoidal spot, and, indeed, scarcely a trace of one : the hind wings, head, thorax, and body are nearly of the same colour as the fore wings : it is altogether an extremely plain- looking insect. The MOTH appears on the wing in June, but is not very common ; it has been taken in both the northern and southern English coun- ties, also near Glasgow and Ardrossan, in Scotland, and in the counties Galway and Wicklow, and at Portmarnock, in Ireland : it flies bv day. (The scientific name is Eupithecia pygmceata.} 268. THE EDINBURGH PUG. The fore wings are smoky gray inclining to brown, and adorned, especially in the female, with darker trans- verse markings in the disk, and a very conspi- cuous transverse discoidal spot ; there are a number, generally eight, short transverse GEOMETERS. 12.5 irkings both, on the costal and inner margin, flute spot in the anal angle, and paler as sll as darker markings on all the wing-rays ; 1, moreover, certain transverse gray mark- ;s which alternate with the darker markings the costal as well as inner margin ; there is rery perceptible but not large discoidal spot : hind wings are brownish gray, with a nil! discoidal spot, and the hind margin is darker, which makes an extreme marginal pale line very conspicuous ; the fringe is alter- nated with two shades of brown : the- head, thorax, and body are gray-brown, the body having the margins of the segments much darker, and each terminating in a delicately white and very narrow belt ; the contrast of the very dark brown and pure white makes this annular ornamentation the more con- spicuous. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr- Crewe: "Rather short and stumpy, alto- gether a most dumpy-looking caterpillar; of the same thickness from head to tail ; the ground colour is grass-green ; the central dor- sal line is dark green and slender, the tip ways purplish brown or purple ; the sub- sal lines are broader, dark green, edged .erioiiy with pale straw-colour, and pos- iorly sometimes with purple ; the spiracular line is waved, pale yellow or straw-colour ; e head is slightly bifid, and when at rest, ed inwards ; it is of a dusky purple colour, letimes almost black ; the segmented divi- ns are yellowish. It feeds on the common juniper (Juniperus communing, and is found full-fed from the middle to the end of Sep- tt'inlter." The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and has been taken by Mr. Logan near Edinburgh, but I believe neither in England nor Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia helveticata}. Obs. Mr. Crewe observes that this species is often a month or six weeks earlier than Eupithecia arceuthata ; also that the cater- pillar is shorter and more stumpy, and its colour duller. 269. FREYER'S PUG. The fore wings are brownish gray, with four pale waved bars ; three of them are rather broad and double ; that is to say, they are intersected throughout by a slender dark line ; the fourth, nearer to the hind margin, is single and zigzag ; the extreme hind margin is pale, and the fringe is dark interiorly, and paler exteriorly; the boundary of the two tints being clearly defined ; there is generally no very distinct discoidal spot, but there are two longitudinal series of white dots, extending from tne base of the wing to the third double band ; one of these is about midway between the costal and inner margin, the other is half-way between this first and the inner margin : the hind winga are brownish gray, with a short double trans- verse bar originating at the inner margin, and scarcely reaching the middle of the wing, and half-way between this and the hind margin is a single pale bar extending entirely across the wing ; the extreme margin and fringe are as in the fore wings, and there is a dis- coidal spot slightly indicated; the head, thorax, and body are gray-brown. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe : " Short and plump, of the same thick- ness from head to tail ; the ground-colour is grass-green ; the central dorsal line dark green ; the subdorsal lines pale yellow, or yellowish white, posteriorly dark green ; the spiracular line is white or yellowish ; the . segmental divisions yellow : the head is somewhat bifid, when at rest it is slightly curved inwards, and invariably of a uniform dull green colour ; the belly is bright green ; the central ventral line is yellow, and the tip of the central dorsal line always dark green ; the spaces between the subdorsal and spiracular lines are darker green than the rest of the body. It feeds from the end of September to the middle of November, and is seldom full-fed before the middle of October ; it will feed on cypress if reared from the egg in confinement, but in a state of nature it feeds on the common juniper (Juniperus communis]. The CHRYSALIS is en- closed in a slight earthen cocoon : its wing- cases are transparent yellowish green ; the thorax and body being rather paler ; the tip of the body is dull red." The MOT n: appears on the wing in May : the caterpillar has been obtained in Buckingham- 126 BRITISH MOTHS. shire. (The scientific name is Eupdliecia arceuthata.} 1st Obs. Staudinger, in his catalogue of European Lepidoptera, unites Eupithecia ar- ceuthata of Freyer with E. helveticata of Bois- duval : this opinion is shared by many ento- mologists ; but as the caterpillars seem so dis- tinct, it is desirable to keep them separate. 2nd Obs. It appears to be a most variable species some specimens having the discoidal spot very large, while in others it is scarcely perceptible. 270. THE SATYR PUG. The fore wings are long, and rather pointed ; they are of a brownish smoky gray colour, with numerous paler waved transverse lines ; one of these near the hind margin is paler and much more distinct, although less continuous than the rest, being broken up or divided into whitish spots, which sometimes form a zigzag series ; one of these spots near the anal angle is larger and more conspicuous than the rest : there is an evident, but not very conspicuous, discoidal spot, and the wing-rays in perfect specimens are dotted with dark smoke-colour : the hind wings are obscure smoky gray, with indica- tions of transverse waved lines, and are per- ceptibly darker towards the hind margin ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the fore wings. Par. 1. Three varieties of the CATERPILLAR are thus described by Mr. Crewe : " Ground colour, pale yellowish green, with the segmen- tal divisions yellow ; the central dorsal line is dusky green. Down the centre of the back is a series of Y-shaped dusky green blotches, edged with purplish brown, and becoming confluent or merged in the central line, on the anterior and posterior segments ; the subdorsal lines are very slender and indistinct, and of a dusky green colour; the spiracular line is yellow. Between the subdorsal and spiracular lines is a row of small slanting purplish blotches; the back is studded with very minute yellowish tubercles. Var. 2. The back is greenish white ; the central dorsal line pinkish or rose-colour ; the subdorsal lines the same. Down the centre of the back is a scries of large rose-coloured and rusty red goblet-shaped blotches, becoming faint or merged in the central line on the anterior and posterior segments ; the spiracular line is waved and rose-coloured ; the subdorsal and spiracular lines connected by a number of slanting rose-coloured streaks ; the belly is pale sea-green, or greenish white, with a cen- tral white line ; the back is studded with numerous small white tubercles. Var. 3. The whole of the back is suffused with rose-colour; the subdorsal lines are yel- lowish ; the dorsal blotches are edged with yellow. The spiracular line is interrupted with yellow patches ; the belly is greenish white ; the ventral segmented divisions are white. This caterpillar tapers considerably towards the head; it is very local, but occurs in plenty in some parts of Buckinghamshire, where, however, it is confined to the open spaces between and near the beech woods. It feeds upon the petals of almost any flower which happens to grow in the locality, e.g., Centaurea nigra, Knautia arvensis, Oentiana amarella, and G. campestris, Apargia hispida, Origanum vuJgare, Prunella vulga'-is, Galiuni mollugo, &c., preferring the two tirst-namod. It is full-fed in September. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in an earthen cocoon, has the thorax and wing-cases golden yellow, suffused with red. The divisions of the seg- ments anu the tip of the body are red." The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and occurs plentifully in Buckinghamshire, and is said to have been found in the north of England and in Scotland. Mr. Birchall says, that it is generally distributed and common in Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia satyrata.} 271. THK PAUPKR PUG. Fore wings lead- coloured, with darker transverse lines, four of these are equidistant, and near the base of the wing a fifth originates on the inner margin, and terminates in the discoidal spot, which is very distinct; beyond this is a double line twice elbowed, and again beyond this a single line ; the hind-marginal area is inter- sected by a zigzag whitish line ; the extreme margin of the wing is delicately edged with black, and the basal half of the fringe is GEOMETERS. 127 spotted : the hind wings are of nearly the same colour as the fore wings, with a crescentric discoidal spot ; the hind margin and fringe are as in the fore wings ; the head, thorax, id hody are of the same colour as the fore ings ; the body has a medio-dorsal series of nible black spots. The MOTH appears on the wing at midsum- ler, and is said to have been taken in Wales. It seems to be very rare. I have never seen a specimen, but there is one in the cabinet of Mr. E. C. Buxton. (The scientific name is Eitpitheriit eijenatn.] Obs. In this instance, my description is not taken from the insect itself, but chiefly from Herrich-Schaeffer's figures (Geom. Europ. 279, 280). belly has a central blackish OF purple line running from tip to tail. It fe^ds indifferently on almost every tree, shrub, and flower, in August and September. In almost every particular, it closely resembles the caterpillar of E. vulgala. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; its body is slender, taper- ing, and of a reddish or greenish yellow ; its thorax and wing-cases yellow ; the latter more I or less suffused with green." The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and occurs in most of our English counties, and also in Scotland, and Mr. Birchall says, that in Ireland it is common and .generally distributed. (The scientific name is Enpithecia castiffata.) 272. The Gray Pug (Enpitliciia castiyiita.} \ 2/3. The Golden Rod Pug (Enpithecia virgaureata). 272. THK GHAY Pco.- The fore wings are smoky gray, with several paler gray waved transverse lines, three of which are double, that is, intersected throughout by a distinct darker line; the fourth line nearest the hind margin, is single and more interrupted, and zigzag; it is of the same gray colour as the rest, and has a very indistinct pale spot at the anal angle ; there is a small and rather inconspicuous dis- coidal spot, and a slender interrupted black line on the hind margin ; the fringe is smoky gray, and longitudinally, but indistinctly in- tersected by a darker line ; the hind wings ure paler at the base, darker towards the hind m;irgin, and have a small, but distinct, dis- coidal spot ; the head, thorax, and body are smoky gray. The CATKRPILLAU is thus described by Mr. prewe: ''Long, slender, and tapering; the ground colour is pale or dusky olive, or reddish brown, with a chain of dusky lozenge-shaped dorsal spots, becoming confluent on the anterior and posterior segments; the segmental divi- sions are reddish ; the body is thickly studded with minute white tubercles, and clothed more sparingly with short brislly hairs; the 273. THE GOLDEX ROD PPG. Fore wings brown-gray with a slight tendency to fulvous iu the middle ; on the costal margin are seveial, four to eight, short transverse black markings, which extend distinctly only as far as the subcostal ray, but are slightly indicated on the disk of the wing ; there is a pale, irre- gular, and interrupted line parallel with the hind margin, and this terminates in a rather conspicuous gray mark ; all the wing-rays are more or less dotted with black ; there is also a slender interrupted black line on the hind margin, and the discoidal spot is dark and conspicuous; the hind wings are of much the same colour as the fore wings, but are paler on the costal margin, and have a number of short transverse lines on the inner margin. The folio wing description of the CATERPILLAR was written by Mr. Crewe : " Fulvous, with a series of black dorsal tri- angular spots ; becoming confluent towards the head, and faint or altogether evanescent on the caudal segment. On either side is a row of conspicuous, slanting whitish or yel- lowish stripes, forming a sort of margin to the dorsal spots ; the belly is dusky, reddish in 128 BKITISH MOTHS. the centre, and having a dusky central line running the whole length ; the body is stud- ded with variously-sized white tubercles, and is thinly clothed with short hairs. It feeds upon the flowers of the golden rod (Solidago virgaurta), in August and September. I have found it by no means rare in the Kentish woods, where the underwood is of one or two years' growth, and the golden rod has room to grow and flower freely. In confinement this caterpillar will feed freely upon ragwort (Se- ned> jacobcea) and S. palustt is. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in a slightly-spun earthen cocoon, is verj' distinct from all the rest of the family. The thorax is yellowish green, with a very accurately and distinctly defined bor- der, and looks almost as if set in a frame. When examined with a glass, some singular dark spots and markings are seen, which give it very much the appearance of a skull. The body is a yellowish red, with two indistinct interrupted dorsal, and two more distinct sub- dorsal dusky lines ; the wing-cases are yellow- ish olive, streaked with dusky markings, and having the wing-rays very prominent." The caterpillar is rather slender, and tapers towards the head. In general appearance it resembles E. castigata and E. vulgata. The MOTH appears on the wing in May and the beginning of June, and has been taken by Mr. Doubleday at Epping : it has been re- ported from other southern localities, and is common near Liverpool, but has not occurred in Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific name is Evpithecia virgaureata.} Obs. This insect has for many years stood under the name of E. pimpinellata in our ca- binets, and under that name Mr. Crewe has described the caterpillar ; but this gentleman was, I believe, the first to suspect and to point out the error, for he appends to his description the following judicious remarks : " I am in- clined to suspect that this insect has been wrongly named ; 1 have constantly and most closely examined both the flowers and seeds of Pimpinella magna and P. saxifraga, but could never detect the slightest trace of the caterpillar, but I have repeatedly beaten it from the flowers of the golden rod, and from that plant alone, although both species of Pimpinella are common in this locality." I may state that Mr. Doubleday entirely agrees with this change of name, which I trust will hereafter be generally adopted. 274. THE WHITE-SPOTTED PUG. The fore wings are brown, minutely speckled with darker brown, and the wing-rays are spotted alternately dark and pale ; near the middle of the wing is the usual discoidal dark spot very conspicuous, and almost round, and below the hind margin is an interrupted transverse series of white markings, three of which, situated towards the anal angle, are very conspicuous ; between this series and the fringe the wing- rays are entirely dark ; the hind wings are brown, and very minutely speckled with darker brown, and these have also a transverse and almost marginal series of white markings, terminating in a conspicuous white spot near the anal angle ; the head, thorax, and body are brown ; the thorax being marked with a white bar across the middle, and a white triangle where it joins the body. Mr. Crewe has described two varieties of the caterpillar as under : " Far. 1. Ground colour, palelemon yellow, more or lost suffused with rich brown. .Down the centre of the back is a series of deep brown lily-shaped spots, bordered on either side by a slender sub-dorsal line of the same colour ; on each side is a row of slanting bright yellow stripes and deep brown blotches; the belly is greenish yellow; the central ventral line deep brown ; the sub-ventral line deep brown, much broader than the central one. Body studded with numerous white tubercles. "Far. 2. Ground colour pale yellowish green ; down the centre of the back is a series of semi-lozenge-shaped dusky brown spots, connected by a central line of the same colour, and becoming indistinct on the posterior, and confluent on the anterior segments ; sub-dorsal lines dusky, indistinct. On each side is a series of dusky blotches; the central ventral line dusky, interrupted ; the whole body, especially the back, is studded with minute white tubercles, and a few short blackish GEOMETERS. 129 hairs. The dorsal, sub-dorsal, and lateral blotches, spots, and lines are sometimes almost or entirely wanting, leaving the caterpillar of a uniform pale yellowish green. "This caterpillar tapers towards the head, .nd has a slightly wrinkled appearance. "When full-fed and ready to spin it turns pink." It feeds on the blossoms of the wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris), and common hog- weed (fferacleum sphondylium). The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon ; its thorax is yellowish green, and the wing-cases dark green, furrowed and wrinkled ; the body is tapering, rough, and of a dull red colour; it has a slight ventral protuberance. The MOTH appeal's on the wing in May and June, and has been taken in Suffolk, Kent, and Derbyshire, but not in Scotland or Ire- land. (The scientific name is Enpithecia albi- punctata, under which it was first described by Kaworth (Lep. Brit. 360), but Herrich- Schojffer (Supp. p. 77, fig. 461) has called it E. tripunctaria, and Guenee (Uran. et Phal p. 315, ]S T o. 1,412) and Mr. Crewe (Zool. 7,567 and 7,762) have adopted that name ; the older name must be restored.) 275. THE VALERIAN PUG. "All the wings e ashy brown, with the ordinary discoidal pot in the centre of the fore wings, and a very indistinct pale waved line at the hind argin ; the hind wings are pale brown, with ery faint waved lines." The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe : "Rather short, but tapeiiug very considerably towards the head; the ground culour is bright green, and very translucent; the central dorsal and sub-dorsal lines are dark green, but varying considerably in breadth, and in intensity of colour ; the seg- nieutal divisions are yellow ; the belly is generally destitute of markings, but is occa- sionally traversed longitudinally by two slen- der faint subventral lines, rather darker than the ground colour ; the spiracular line is whitish green ; when young, the ground colour is greenish white ; it feeds on the flowers- and seeds of the common valerian ( Valcriana offici- nalis], in woods and osier beds, and is full-fed from the middle of July to .the middle of August. The MOTH appears in May, and occurs in Buckinghamshire, Dorsetshire, Derbyshire, Devonshire, and Herefordshire. (The scien- tific name is Eupithecia valerianata.} Obs. This insect is the Eupithecia vimt- nata of Mr. Doubleday formerly, but Hubner's is the prior name, and is very appropriate, as the caterpillar feeds on valerian. I have copied Mr. Doubleday's oiiginal description of the moth. 276. THE LARCH PTJG. The fore wings are long, rather pointed, and of a dark, smoky- gray colour, with several transverse pale gray markings, and a distinct transverse discoidal black spot ; the principal pale markings are a vague band just outside the black discoidal spot, a waved bar beyond this, which is double, or intersected throughout by a slender dark smoke-coloured line, and a single slender line, half-way between this and the hind margin ; there is a delicate interrupted black line on the hind margin itself, and the fringe is very indistinctly spotted with two shades of gray ; the hind wings are much the same colour as the fore wings, but paler at the base ; they have a rather indistinct crescentic discoidal spot, and a double series of gray dots parallel with the hind margin ; there is the same interrupted black line on the margin as in the fore wings, and the fringe is indistinctly spotted ; the head, thorax, and body are sprinkled over with the two shades of gray, the dark smoky-gray greatly prevailing ; at the base of the thorax is a semi-circular whitish spot. Mr. Crewe has described two varieties of the caterpillar as under: " Far. 1. The ground colour is bright grass- green, somewhat darker on the centre of the back ; the central dorsal line is dark green ; the anal tip of the central dorsal line reddish ; the sub-dorsal lines are wanting, or so faint as to be scarcely visible ; the spiracular line is whitish, or pale straw-colour ; the seg- mental divisions arc yellowish ; the belly is whitish, with a dark green central line ; it is a long slender caterpillar, tapering towards EDWARD NEWMAN'S BRITISH Moms. .No. it, PBTCK 6D. I LONDON: W. TWKMKI:, t 337, SriiAsu. J30 BEITISH MOTHS. the head, and a good deal resembles in ap- pearance the caterpillar of E. fraxinata. /-,.. 2. The ground colour is yellowish red, or reddish huff; the central dorsal line brownish olive ; the sub-dorsal lines brownish olive, occasionally very faint; the spiracular line is pale greenish yellow ; the anal tip of the central dorsal line reddish ; the belly is whitish, with a dusky central and two broad lateral lines. It feeds on larch and spruce fir, and is full-fed at the end of July. " The cHRYSALisisenclosedin a slight earthen cocoon ; it is rather long and slender ; the thorax is yellowish olive; the wing-cases deep green ; and the body yellowish green, tinged with red ; the abdominal divisions and tip red." The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of May ; it was discovered by Mr. Eedle, in Surrey, only a few years ago, and its name ascertained by Mr. Doubleduy ; it is now found to be very abundant in fir plantations in the south of England, but has not yet been recorded from the north of England, from Scotland, or from Ireland. (The scientific name is E'tpitheeia lariciata.} 277. The Triple-Spot 1'ug (Eupithtcia trisiynata.) 277. THE TRIPLE-SPOT PCG. The fore wings are gray, tinged with ochreous, and having a number of transverse bent lines of a darker colour ; three of these originate about the middle of the costal margin, in as many black spots, and below these is situated the usual discoidal spot which is nearly round, and very conspicuous; the hind wings are slightly paler, but very similar; the under side of this little moth has a discoidal spot, rather conspicuously placed near the centre of each wing. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crowe: "Rather short and stout, tapering but slightly towards the head ; the ground colour is pale green ; the central dorsal and sub-dorsal lines dark green, the latter broader than the former ; the spiracular line is waved, and of a whitish or yellowish colour ; the seg- mental divisions are yellowish ; the head is black, and, when at rest, curved considerably inwards ; the anal tip of the central dorsal line is purplish ; the back is wrinkled, and sprinkled with a very few short bristly hairs ; the belly is green, with a central yellowish line. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; its thorax is pale olive ; its wing- cases are pale olive, and very transparent ; its body tapering, and of a reddish yellow colour ; its tip and segmental divisions blood-red." It feeds on the flowers of the wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris.} The MOTH appeals in June and July, and occurs in Buckinghamshire and Derbyshire, but has not been recorded from Scotland ; Mr. Birchall obtained it at Howth, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupit/iecia trisignata.} 278. THE DWARF PUG. The fore wings are very strongly marked ; the ground colour is pale gray, and there are numerous trans- verse, irregular, interrupted bars of a dark brown colour ; the first of these is more con- spicuous than the rest ; the second is iater- rupted in the middle ; the third includes the usual discoidal spot ; and there is also a series of distinct black lines on the hind margiu, just within the fringe, which is alternately dark and pale ; the hind wings are gray, with waved darker bars and a discoidal spot ; they have also a marginal series of dark lines ; the head, thorax, and body are grayish brown, and speckled ; the body has a black belt near the base. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crowe: "Long, slender, and tapering con- siderably towards the head ; ground colour orange red, or dull ochreous green ; central dorsal line dusky olive, often apparent on the anterior segments ; sub-dorsal line of the same colour; spiracular line yellow; segmental di- visions orange ; central ventral line yellowish. It feeds on spruce fir (Pitnis abies}, and is full-fed the first week in July. The CIIRY- SALIS is enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon ; it is slender and delicate, of a pale ochreous GEOMETEKS. 131 yellow colour, with black and prominent eyes ; the upper edge of the wing-cases is bordered with two black spots, and the lower edge by a slender blackish line." The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and is then very common at West Wickham Wood, in Surrey, and has been taken in Devonshire, but I think not in the north of England, Scot- land, or Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia pmillata.} 279. The Marbled Pug (Enpithecia irriguata.) 279. THE MARBLED PUG. The fore wings are pale gray, almost white, with several dark brown markings; these are, first, a small triangular blotch at the base of the wing; secondly, an elbowed bar near the base; thirdly, a triangle on the middle of the costal margin ; the apex of this brown triangle joins the black discoidal spot; and. fourthly, abroad marginal band intersected by a pale gray zigzag line, which is tolerably perfect on the costal margin, but broken up towards the anal angle ; the hind wings are whitish gray, with a few darker markings, but nothing resembling those on the fore wings. The tliorax and body are prettily variegated with the two shades of colour prevalent on the wings. The MOTH appears on the wing in April and June, in the Xew Forest, in Hampshire, but seems to be rare. (The scientific name is Eupithecia irriguata.} 280. THE PIMPINLL PUG. The fore wings are elongated, but less lanceolate than those of E. innotala, and the hind wings are much more rounded than in that species ; they are bright gray, with a slight tint of reddish brown or clay-colour, especially on the lower part of the wing, and before the'sulterminal line, where it forms almost a baud ; the discoidal spot is large and very black, and the usual lines, which are more or less distinct, originate in black costal spots ; the sub- terminal line is indistinct and irregular, and there is no white spot at the anal angle ; the hind wings are light, with rudiments of lines and a band, especially on the inner margin, - and the second and third wing-rays are inter- sected with black and white; the discoidal spot is very distinct ; the body has a red band on the second segment. Mr. Crewe thus describes the CATERPILLAR : "It is long, rather slender, and tapering towards the head. There are two varieties : " Var. I. Is green, with three purple dorsal lines, the central one of which is broad and distinct, expanding considerably on the anal segment; the two side ones are very indistinct; the head and prolegs are purple ; the segmental divisions and spiracular lines yellowish ; the belly is green ; the back studded with a few minute white tubercles, interspersed here and there with a black one. " Far. 2. Is of a uniform purple, with two lines of a deeper shade on each side of the back. It feeds, as far as my experience goes, exclusively oil the flowers and seeds of the lesser Eurnet saxifrage ( Pimpinella saxifraga), and is full-fed throughout the month of September, and occasionally at the beginning of October. It prefers the hedge sides and banks. It is fearfully infested with ichneu- mons, not above one in ten escaping. The CHRI'SALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; there are two varieties, the one yellowish green, the other red. This caterpillar is by no means rare in the eastern counties. I have also taken it in Derbyshire." The MOTH appears on the wing twice in the year, in April and August. (The scientific name is Eupitheda pimpinellata.} Obs. Mr. Crewe has described this larva under the name of E. denotata, and M. Guenee has described the perfect insect under the same name ; but Mr. Doubleday believes this species to be the Pimpinellata of Hubner, and the food-plant as well as the characters of the perfect insect which I have copied from Gueuee, go to prove the justice of this con- clusion. 281. TIIE ASH-TREE PUG. Fore wings very long, narrow, und rather pointed; smoky- brown, with a distinct, although very narrow 132 BRITISH MOTHS. crescentic discoidal spot; between the costal and sub-costal wing-rays there are a number of short transverse markings, which are el- bowed when they reach the latter, and then are directed for a short distance only towards the tip of the wing ; the wing-rays are spotted with brown and pale gray ; those six which run parallel with each other to the hind margin, are very dark, and each is inter- rupted by a pale gray spot, which six spots form an oblique series from the costal margin near its tip, to the inner margin ; near the anal angle there is a slender interrupted black line on the extreme hind margin, with which the dark wing-rays are united : the hind wings are pale brown, with a small circular discoidal spot, and a number of very indistinct transverse waved lines near the hind mar- gin ; there is a very slender black line on the margin itself; the fringe is dark and intersected by a slender pale line ; the head, thorax, and body are dark brown, and some- what spotted. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe: "Long, smooth, rather slender, and tapering towards the head ; the ground colour is uniform dark green ; the central dorsal line faint purplish, and enlarged into a very dis- tinct purple spot on the anal appendage ; the segmental divisions are yellow ; the spiracu- lar line is waved and yellowish ; the belly is wrinkled and whitish ; the central ventral line, dark green. A variety occurs, in which the central dorsal line is supplied by a series of dusky triangular blotches, very faint, or altogether evanescent, on the anterior and posterior segments ; on each side is a row of slanting faint yellow stripes, tinged with pink. It feeds upon ash, and is full-fed at the end of August and beginning of September. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a slight cocoon, under moss, on the trunks of ash-trees ; it is long, slender, and tapering, wjth the thorax and wing-cases dark olive ; the body is still darker, and almost black, tinged posteriorly with red." The MOTH appears on the wing in June and July. (The scientific name is Eupithecia fraxinata.] 1st Obs. The caterpillars, in confinement, will feed on the flowers of Laurmtinus. 2nd Obs. Mr. Crewe at first supposed this to be the caterpillar of EupitJiecia innotata, and described it as such in the " Zoologist." 282. THE OCHRKOUS Ptro. The fore wings are rather pointed, and of a pale wainscot brown colour, with a distinct oblong discoidal spot, a slender interrupted black line on the hind margin, and seven or eight faintly indi- cated waved, oblique transverse dark lines, all of which originate in dark transverse spots, which connect the costal and sub-costal rays ; the hind wings are very pale, with a gray discoidal spot, and a delicate dark line on the hind margin ; the fringe of all the wings is very pale ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the wings. It is altogether a faded or bleached looking insect. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe: "Long, slender, and tapering con- siderably towards the head ; the ground colour is pale greenish yellow, or yellowish red ; the central dorsal line, dusky reddish brown or olive, frequently very indistinct or wholly evanescent, except on the capital segments : the sub-dorsal lines, pale yellow ; the belly is greenish yellow; the central ventral line, yellow ; the sub-ventral line, reddish brown." The EGGS from which the caterpillars above described were reared, were laid upon the wild juniper and cypress, and the caterpillars were full-fed from the middle to the end pf July. The species is double-brooded, the MOTH appearing on the wing in May and August ; it is by no means uncommon in Yorkshire, and has occurred also in Scotland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia indigata.} 283. THE WILD THYME PUG. The fore wings are rather short, an:l rather rounded at the tips ; all the wings are slightly scalloped at the hind margin ; the fore wings are gray, with a long 'black discoidal spot, ard nine or ten zigzag or waved darker transverse lines, some of which are distinct on the costal margin, but vanish towards the centre of the disk, re-appearing on the inner margin, where ten may be counted without difficulty ; the GEOMETERS. 133 ind wings are precisely the same colour as he fore wings, and have a slender crescentic iscoidal spot, but no distinct transverse lines, xcept the slender interrupted marginal line, which is common to all four wings ; the head, thorax, and body are gray, and scarcely at all spotted. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe, under the name of Eupithecia distinc- tata : " Ilather long and slender, tapering con- siderably towards the head ; the ground colour is dark green ; the central dorsal line, broad, and purplish red; the spiracular line, indis- tinct greenish yellow ; the skin is wrinkled, and the back studded with numerous very short stiff bristly hairs ; down the centre of the belly is a whitish line ; the ventral seg- mental divisions are yellowish." It feeds on the flowers of the wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum.} The CHRYSALIS is yellowish green and olive, and changes on the ground, in a slight earthen cocoon. The JIOTH appears on the wing in July and August. It has been taken in Scotland, and is common and generally distributed in Ire- land. (The scientific name is Eupithecia con- Istrictata. ) 284. THE CAMPANULA PUG. The fore wings are pale dingy brown, with a clearly defined, oblong, discoidal spot, and scarcely any other distinct markings ; there are a few very in- distinct dark marks between the costal and sub-costal rays, and a few dark dots here and there on the wing-rays, the wing-rays them- selves being evidently darker towards the hind margin, and this dark portion being intersected by a slender white zigzag line, which in some specimens terminates in a small white spot at the anal angle of the wing; on the hind margin, just within the fringe, is a slender interrupted dark line ; the fringe itself is dingy brown, interrupted by a few wedge- shaped white spots, very feebly marked ; the hind wings are slightly paler, with a small discoidal spot, a few dark spots on the wing- rays, and a slender interrupted marginal line ; the head, thorax and body are of the same colour as the fore wings, and indistinctly dotted with darker brown. Mr. Crewe thus describes the CATERPILLAR : " Ilather short and stumpy ; the ground colour light ochreous brown ; the central dorsal line very deep brown or black, intersecting and uniting a chain of very strongly defined black or deep brown lozenge-shaped spots, placed in the centre of each segment ; sub-dorsal lines very slender and faint, blackish or deep brown ; head, dingy brown or black; spiracular and central ventral lines, dingy black or brown ; central dorsal spots becoming confluent, and merged in the central line on the anterior and posterior segments ; both spots and ground colour varying considerably in intensity of colouring. The skin is rough and wrinkled, and sprinkled with a few whitish hairs. It feeds upon the unripe seeds and seed-capsules of the nettle-leaved campanula (Campanula tracheliuni). Until nearly full-grown it lives either in the dry corolla-tube, or just at the crown of the capsule. In confinement it will feed upon the garden species of campanula. It is full-fed at the end of August and begin- ning of September. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon ; its thorax and wing-cases are golden yellow ; its body red- dish ; the abdominal divisions and tips are red." The MOTH appears on the wing in July. The caterpillar has been found by Mr. Crewe, who says: "A few weeks since, whilst walking in a beech wood near Tring, I found a number of caterpillars of some species of Eupithecia unknown to me, feeding on the seed-capsules of Campanula trachelium." Mr. Crewe sent them to Dr. Ereyer, who at once pronounced them to be the species described above. (The scientific name is Eupithecia campanulata.} Ob:. Mr. Doubleday seems to have no doubt that this species is the Denotata of Ilubner ; but as this problem can scarcely be solved now, it seems desirable to continue Herrich-Schffiffer's very appropriate name of Campanulata, as there can be no doubt as to the species intended by that eminent lepidopterist. 28-5. THE NARROW-WINGED PUG. The fore wings are rather elongated, rather narrow, and r 134 BRITISH MOTHS. rather pointed at the apex; they ore dark smoke-coloured, with a number of white markings, which are disposed in four irregular transverse bars ; the first, second, and third of these are double, that is, are severally inter- sected by a delicate dark lino ; the first and third extend from the costal to the inner mar- gin ; the second ceases about the middle of the wing ; the fourth, parallel with the hind margin, is single and strongly dentate ; the discoidal spot is very small, nearly circular, quite black, and adjoins the second or abbre- viated double bar ; the hind wings are light gray, with three smoke-coloured transverse bars, the outer of which is marginal ; the fringe of all the wings is dark smoke-coloured, spotted with pale gray; the head is gray, the thorax and body gray, with smoky mark- ings. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewo : " Long and slender, tapering towards the head ; the ground colour white or greenish white, with a chain of pear-shaped red dorsal spots, bordered on either side by an interrupted line of the same colour, and becoming confluent on the capital and anal segments; the sides are spotted with red ; the belly has a central red line, running the whole length ; the body is clothed with a few very short hairs. A very pretty variety of this caterpillar has the ground colour bright green, with a series of tooth or pear-shaped white dorsal spots, inter- sected by a central horizontal dark green line, becoming purple at the anal tip; the spira- cular line is white and broken ; the back is sprinkled with a few short black hairs. It feeds on the flowers of the common ling ( Calluna vulgari*) in August and September. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; its thorax and wing-cases are yellow ; its body deeply suffused with red ; and its thorax considerably elevated. The chrysalis of the green variety is suffused all over with green." The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and has been taken in Suffolk and the north of England, Scotland, and Ireland; it is by no means uncommon. (The scientific name is Eiipithecia nanata.'] 280. The Plain Pug ( EupitJtecia wbnotata'). 286. THE PLAIN Pro. The fore wings are very broad, and of an ochreous tint, with a small brown circular and inconspicuous dis- coidal spot ; there are indications of four white bars, three of which are double, that is, inter- sected with delicate darker lines ; the first is double, very short, and very indistinct ; the second, double, and sharply angled in the middle, the angle pointing to the discoidal spot; the third is double, oblique, but more direct, and acutely dentate along the margin, near to the base of the wing ; each tooth is tipped with black ; the fourth bar is single and very decided, it is bordered by a bright ochreous band towards the base of the wing ; the fringe is gray; the hind wings are ochreous gray, with whitish dentated trans- verse lines ; the head, thorax, and body are pale ochreous. Mr. Crewe thus describes the CATERPILLAR : "Ground colour dull yellowish green, pale green, or reddish gray, with a chain of dull olive lozenge-shaped dorsal spots, becoming confluent towards the head and tail, and often bordered by an indistinct olive line ; the spots and lines are sometimes very faint ; the seg- mental divisions are yellowish or reddish ; the spiracular line yellowish ; the whole body very rough, and thickly studded with minute white tubercles and white spots, and sprinkled here and there with short stumpy hairs ; the belly is pale green, with an interrupted line running the whole length. It feeds on the seeds and flowers of various species of Atriplex and Chenopodium, in August and September. It seems to prefer the banks of tidal rivers. I have taken it in profusion on the banks of the Orwell and the Stour, near Ipswich, but have also met with it in some plenty in waste ground near Bexley. It is not so easy to rear as others of the family, and often pines in confinement. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in an earthen cocoon, has the wing-cases dark GEOMETEE8. 135 reen, and the thorax and body yellowish ; the hitter is not so tapering as many of the other Eupithecice." The MOTH appears in June and July, and is ot uncommon in the south of England. (The ientific name is Eupithecia suhnotata.'] 287. THE COMMON Pus. The fore wings are rather long, rather pointed, and of a dull red brown, with an indistinct discoidal spot which is sometimes entirely black, sometimes entirely white, but more frequently black, with a white surrounding or a white margin: nearly parallel with the hind margin is a transverse series of white crescents, termina- ting in a white spot near the anal angle ; there are six or eight dark transverse bars along the costal margin, but these scarcely reach the middle of the wing, or are very faintly indicated beyond ; the wing-rays are dotted with black ; there is a slender inter- rupted black line on the hind margin, and this immediately followed by a pale marginal ne of the fringe ; then comes a dark line, then a second pale line, and lastly a dark ine. The hind wings are plain brown, with rcely any markings, except the usual emler interrupted dark marginal line. The ead, thorax, and body are brown. The markings of the under side are more distinct an on the upper ; the discoidal spot is much ore strongly developed. Mr. Crewe writes thus of the CATERPILLAR : Common as this insect is everywhere, the terpillar seems to be but little known. I ve never myself beaten it, but have several mes reared it from the egg ; it so closely sembles that of E. castigata that it requires a very practised eye to distinguish them. It is slender, and tapers towards the head; its general colour is reddish brown or dusky olive ; along the centre of the back there is a chain of dirty greenish, lozenge-shaped spots, becoming confluent at the capital and anal segments ; the spiracular line is waved yellowish, and occasionally interrupted with black ; the segmental divisions are orange ; e whole body is studded with minute white bercles, and sparingly clothed with short whitish hairs. It feeds on white thorn ( Cratagns oxyacantha}, and is full-fed in the middle of July. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; it is slender and delicate ; its head, thorax, and wing-cases olive. The body is reddish, and sharply pointed." The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia vulgata.} 288. The Bleached Pug (ISttpithtcia expallidata'} . 288. THE BLEACHED PUG. The fore wings are rather broad, rather rounded at the tip, and of a uniform testaceous gray colour, with a large and most distinct discoidal spot, which is all the more apparent from the extremely pale and bleached appearance of the area around it; there are six or eight dark transverse markings between the costal and sub-costal rays, and these seem to indicate the commencement of as many transverse lines, which, however, I fail to trace ; there is a waved and interrupted white line, parallel with the hind margin ; the hind wings are of the same colour as the fore wings, with scarcely any darker markings, except an in- distinct discoidal spot ; the head and thorax are pale; the body is pule, with a black back and black sides. Mr. Crcwe has described four varieties of the CATERPILLAR as under : " Var. 1. Ground colour, pale canary yel- low ; central dorsal line, pale brown ; down the centre of the back there is a chain of large, deep, rich brown, tooth-shaped spots, united at the points, and bordered on either side by an almost black sub-dursul line ; dorsal spots becoming faint and confluent in the central dorsal line, on the anterior and pos- terior segments, almost obliterated on the latter; below the sub-dorsal lines is a narrow, rich brown line and a row of slanting stripes of the same colour; the spiracular line is yellowish ; the belly is suffused on either side 136 BEITISH MOTHS. with brown, and having a central line of the same colour, running the whole length ; the body is minutely studded with tubercles and very short hairs; it has a wrinkled appearance. " Var. 2. The ground colour is grass or yellowish green. The dorsal spots are brown, and perfectly lozenge-shaped, ceasing on the posterior segments ; the sub-dorsal lines are deeper brown than the dorsal spots, and are interrupted at the segmental divisions ; the spiracular line is yellowish, and bordered on the lower side with brown. " Var. 3. Ground colour various shades of green. All the markings, except the sub- dorsal lines, faint or altogether wanting. " Var. 4. Whole body, with the exception of the posterior dorsal segments, suffused with a deep rich chocolate brown ; the posterior dorsal segments are canary-yellow, with a central pale brown line. On every other dorsal segment are two yellow spots ; on each side are two yellow waved lines, enclosing a brown line. It feeds in September and throughout October on the flowers of the golden rod (Solidago virgaurea). " In confinement it will eat various species of Michaelmas daisy. It has also, I believe, been beaten from the flowers of ragwort ; but I have not my self met with it on anything but Solidago virgaurea. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in an earthen cocoon, is large and thick, and has the thorax and abdomen yellow, the latter deeply suffused with blood red. The wing-cases are more or less tinged with green." The MOTH appears in July and August, and has been taken in "Wales and in the county Wicklow in Ireland, but I know of no recent captures. (The scientific name is Eupithecia expallidata.} Obs. M. Guenee seems to doubt whether it is distinct from the next species, but I confess I am unable to see any great similarity between them, and the discovery of the cater- '4>illar so carefully characterised by Mr. Crewe seems to settle the question. 289. TUK WOUMWOOD PUG. The fore wings are brown gray, the middle of the wing* being suffused with a most delicate tinge of mother- of-pearl, which is due to the presence of numberless minute opalescent scales ; between the costal and the sub-costal wing-rays are several transverse dai'k brown markings ; the most conspicuous of these is situated beyond the discoidal spot (which is transverse and very conspicuous), and is bordered on the outside by a gray, almost white marking, of nearly the same size and shape ; intervening between the other dark costal markings are less distinct pale gray markings ; between the base of the wing and the discoidal spot is a transverse series of three double black spots, all of them on the wing- rays ; beyond the discoidal spot is an oblique transverse series of compound spots, also on the wing-rays, each of them is gray in the middle and black on the outsides, and though the series of com- pound spots is transverse, each individual spot is longitudinal ; between this series and the hind margin is a series of white spots, for the most part imperfect and obscure, but the one nearest the anal angle is always larger and more conspicuous than the others, and always double or nearly double ; there is a pale line on the extreme hind margin, and another along the middle of the fringe ; the hind wings are paler, and have a darker hind margin and discoidal spot, and a still darker marginal line ; the head, thorax, and body are brown ; the collar pale ; the base of the body also pale, but immediately followed by a dark belt; there is a medio-dorsal series of minute crests on the body, all of which are tipped with white. Mr. Crewe has written thus of the CATER- PILLAR : "It would be impossible to give an accurate description of the almost endless varieties of this most variable caterpillar; they run so closely into each other that it would be an almost Herculean task to separate them. The ground colour is either deep rose colour, or dirty reddish brown, with a series of reddish lozenge-shaped spots down the centre of the back, generally becoming faint or con- fluent towards the head or tail ; in the green variety these spots are often entirely wanting ; on each side is a number of narrow slanting GEOMETERS. 137 CO. r th, , How stripes, forming a sort of border to the rsal spots ; spiracular line waved, yellow ; y wrinkled, thickly studded with minute white tubercles, and somewhat more sparingly ith short white hairs ; segmental divisions How : it is thick and stumpy, tapering but tie. It feeds from the end of August to the ginning of November on the flowers of the mon yellow and hoary-leaved ragwort (Seneciojacobcea and S. erucifolius], on the hemp agrimony {Eupatorium cannabinuni}, the mug- wort {Artemisia vulgaris}, the yarrow (Achillea ftillefolium), the golden rod (Solidayo vir- gaurca), and other plants. The CHRYSALIS, which is enclosed in a tightly-spun earthen cocoon, has the wing-cases bright green, the rays very prominent; the thorax yellowish green, and the body reddish yellow, with a dark green dorsal line." The MOTH appears on the wing in Juno and July, and is common in most of the English counties, and occurs also in Scotland and Ireland. 290. THE LING PUG. The fore wings are ther long, narrow and pointed ; they have a dish brown tinge, with a distinct but not ry large discoidal spot ; between the costal .d sub-costal rays are several transverse kings of a dark brown colour, and on the inner margin are other somewhat similar markings ; these form, as it were, the two extremities of transverse lines, the presence of which is slightly indicated on the disk of the wing ; parallel with the hind margin is an interrupted series of white spots, most of them linear and very obscure ; but there is one more distinct and larger at the anal angle ; the hind wings are pale dingy brown, with a whitish spot at the anal angle ; the head, thorax, and body are of the same colour as the fore wings ; the sides of the body are dark brown. The CATEBriLLAit is desciibed by Mr. Crewe as, " Short, thick, and stumpy; the ground colour is dull pink or flesh-tint, with a series dusky Y-shaped dorsal spots, connected by central pink line, and becoming faint on the anterior, and almost obliterated on the sterior segments ; each dorsal segment is studded with four yellowish tubercles ; the spiracular line is yellowish, interrupted at intervals by dusky blotches. The head is dusky olive, marked with black ; the belly is dusky or pinkish whife; the back thickly studded with small white, and a few black, tubercles, and sprinkled here and there with short hairs. It feeds on the flowers of the common ling ( Calluna i-ulgaris), in August and September. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon; it is short and thick, with the thorax and wing-cases golden yellow ; the body yellow, generally suffused with red ; the wing-cases very transparent, and the tips of the body blood- red." The aio'i H appears on the wing in June, and has been taken at West Wickham, in Surrey, at Glasgow, in Scotland, and is common in Ireland. Mr. Crewe believes it to be common wherever its food-plant occurs. (The scientific name is Eupithecia minutata.} Obs. M. Guenee confesses himself unable to define any essential difference between E. absynthiata and E. minutata ; he had united them in his "Species General," until Mr. Doubleday, who has reared both species from the caterpillar, carefully keeping them sepa- rate, induced him to alter his opinion ; in examining long series of both species obligingly sent to him by Mr. Doubleday, he finds the prevailing colour of Absynthiata more of an isabelline brown, and less liver-coloured than in E. minutata ; the costal markings darker, the discoidal spot blacker, oblong and well- defined ; the series of white markings near the hind margin is more or less interrupted, but is always continued to the anal angle ; where it terminates in a large semi-double white spot. Of the present species, E. minutata, M. Guenee says it only differs from E. absyn- thiata in its smaller size, its more cinereous tint of colour, and its markings being more distinct. My own impression, with Mr. Doubleday's specimens before me, is that E. minutata is a less insect ; the fore wings, measured from the costal margin to the anal angle, are decidedly narrower ; relatively, but not actually, longer ; and certainly more pointed ; of the difference in colour, I am not 138 BRITISH MOTHS. prepared to express an opinion, as varieties occur in the series of both insects in this respect. 291. THE CURRANT PUG. The fore wings are broad and rather short, they are rounded at the apex; their colour is dusky grayish brown, with scarcely a tinge of red or fer- ruginous brown ; the discoidal spot is very black and distinct, and transversely elongate ; between the costal ani sub-costal rays are several transverse dark markings, and from these, obscure indications of waved transverse lines descend to the inner margin ; parallel with the hind margin is an interrupted scries of white markings, terminating in a double white spot, which is very conspicuous ; the hind wings are scarcely paler than the fore wings, and have a decided discoidal spot, and several narrow transverse waved lines, and a white spot at the anal angle ; the head, thorax, and body are of the Game colour as the fore wings ; the body has a medio-dorsal row of dark brown spots, and dark brown sides. The CATERPILLAR is described by Mr. Crewe as " slender, and tapering slightly towards the head, and about three-quarters of an inch in length. The ground colour is yellowish green ; segments of rings yellow ; the cen- tral dorsal line dark green ; the two side ones of the same colour, but very indistinct ; these latter are studded, in some instances, at inter- vals with black dots. The whole body is thickly sprinkled with small yellowish green tubercles, and very sparingly strewed with ' short whitish hairs. It strongly resembles a young larva of E. cervinaria. It turns pinkish when ready to spin up ; the CHRYSALIS is greenish brown, and enclosed in an earthen cocoon. The caterpillar feeds, towards the middle of October, on the under side of the leaves of the black currant ; mine were taken in October, from the 13th to the 15th. I am inclined to think it is double-brooded. It eats oblong holes in the leaves, by which its presence may be generally detected. In repose it mostly lies along the mid-rib of the leaf. " Var. 1. Of a uniform pale green colour until the last moult ; afterwards it has a chain of rusty brown dorsal spota running from tip to tail, and these are intersected and united by a central dorsal line ; the ground colour is dirty yellowish green ; the dorsal spots are confluent on the anterior and posterior seg- ments, and bordered on each side by a dusky line ; the sides are suffused with dusky red- dish brown, and streaked with waved lines of the same colour ; the belly is greenish ; the body is covered with small white tubercles, and studded with a few short white hairs; the segmental divisions are orange ; the head is greenish, marked with black ; it feeds on the black currant and wild hops in September and October. " Var. 2. The ground colour is pinkish ; the back and belly are tinged with green ; the central dorsal line is dark green, having on each of the middle segments a black dot on either side ; the segmental divisions are red- dish ; the body is thickly studded with minut white tubercles, and less thickly with short whitish hairs. Head green, transparent, marked with black. I found this caterpillar on the black currant in September, 1859 ; and this spring, as I expected, it produced E. assimilata" The MOTH appears on the wing in May and August ; its geographical range in this country has not been ascertained. (The scientific name is Eupithecia assimilate.") Obs. I am quite unable to write any character of this little moth, by which I can satisfactorily distinguish it from Eupithecia absynthiata, but I think Guenee is right in stating that the fore wings are generally broader and more rounded at the tip ; the discoidal spot is very long and very dark, and is followed by five or six very delicate gray marks, which, however, are not entirely absent in E. absynthiata. The series of white spots near the hind margin is more clearly defined and distinct, and the double transverse white spot at the anal angle more conspicuous; the hind wings have a similar white spot at the anal angle ; the fringe is slightly interrupted : in all other characters the moth resembles E. absynthiata. 292. THE SLENDER PUG. The fore wings GEOMETERS. 139 short, broad, and rounded at the tip ; they gray, with smoky-brown markings, which .re numerous and conspicuous on the costal margin ; the discoidal spot is intensely black, not very large ; there are numerous closely proximate transverse markings between the ,tal and sub-costal wing-rays ; the con- imiity of this series is broken at two-thirds of the distance between the base and tip, by two pale gray markings of similar shape ; the disk of the wing is traversed by narrow waved lines, most of which originate in the costal markings already noticed, but two differ from the rest in originating on the inner margin, and not reaching the costal margin, but uniting before they reach the sub-costal ray, from a loop which touches and encloses the discoidal spot ; there is a pale zigzag line parallel to the hind margin, and a slender interrupted black line on the margin itself: the hind wings are gray, with transverse markings : the head, thorax, and body are. ,y ; the last with the penultimate segment rker, especially on the sides. The CATEKPILLAR is thus described by Mr. ewe : " Short and stumpy ; the ground colour is rty yellowish green. The sides and centre back slightly tinged with rose-colour, down e centre of the back is a row of very indis- ct dusky spots, becoming confluent in a ack line at the anal segment, and bordered y an interrupted black line. On each side is a row of slanting tubercular flesh-coloured ipcs ; the head and fore feet are black ; it 'eeds on the catkins of sallow in spring, and is full-fed by the end of March and beginning of April. In appearance it much resembles the caterpillar of Eupithecia isoyrammata. When full-fed, it comes out of the sallow catkins, and spins a slight cocoon among earth, roots of grass, and moss. The CHRYSALIS is pale golden yellow ; the abdominal divisions dusky ; the thorax and -wing-cases have a slight greenish tinge; the eyes are prominent and blackish; the body short and curtailed." The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and has been found both in the north and west of England, and by Mr. Birchall at Killarney, in Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia tenuiata.) : 293. The Staple Pug (Eupithecia subciliatu). 293. THE MAPLE Pro. The antennrc of the male are very slightly pectinated, or rather ciliated, in this respect differing from all the other British species of the genus ; it is a very small species, the wings scarcely pointed, and the markings very indistinct ; the fore wings are pale grayish brown ; there is an indistinct discoidal spot, and the other markings are transverse, waved and inter- rupted, and, with the exception of the slender interrupted black marginal line, none of them present characters to describe ; the area near the hind margin is the darkest, and is tra- versed by a pale zigzag line, which commences on the costal margin, and descends to the anal angle; the hind wings are paler at the base than the fore wings, but otherwise of the same colour, and the markings, such as they are, are rather more distinct than on the fore wings. The MOTH appears on the wing at the end of July, and was discovered by Mr. Double- day, in Cambridgeshire, and subsequently by Dr. Knaggs, among maple trees, at Saltwood, near Hythe. (The scientific name is Eupi- thecia subciliata.} Obs. Mr. Doubleday says, he believes this insect to be the Dosithea circuit aria of Stainton's "Annual," but it bears no resem- blance to the figures in Hubner's and Herrich- Schrcffer's works. Mr. Stainton has an Etipi- thecia sulciliata also (Manual, vol. ii. p. 90), but I am uncertain whether the present species is intended ; and the reference in the Index to E. subumbrata as a synonyme makes the matter still more obscure. 294. THE OAK-TREE PUG. The fore wings are neither long and pointed, nor broad and rounded ; they are of a pale gray colour, with the slightest possible tint of olive green on 140 BRITISH MOTHS. recent and very perfect specimens ; there is a transverse discoidal spot, but so closely united with one of the transverse bands, that it is very inconspicuous ; there are a number of transverse dark lines, and some of them, crowded between the discoidal spot and the base, communicate to the triangular basal area of the wing a darker tint, which in some specimens is very decided ; beyond the dis- coidal spot, yet absolutely touching it, is a pale double bar; and again beyond this, a darker area, which encloses two pale waved lines ; the inner of these has a tendency to be double, the outer is single and very zigzag ; the hind wings are nearly of the same colour as the fore wings, and both have a slender interrupted black marginal line, the divisions of which are slightly crescentic, giving a some- what scalloped appearance to the margin ; all the markings are indistinct, and must not be regarded as fully described in this brief definition ; the head and thorax arc gray, the body olive brown, and a little variegated. Mr. Crewe has described three vai'ielies of the CATERPILLAR as under : " Far. 1. Ground colour ochreous red; central dorsal line very dusky olive, almost black, interrupted. Down the centre of the back is a series of blackish or dusky olive arrow-shaped blotches, reduced in size on the posterior, and merged in the central line on the anterior segments ; the sub-dorsal lines are slender, dusky, bordered with dull yellow ; the spiracular line alternating between dull yellow and dusky olive. Between the sub- dorsal and spiracular lines is a row of slanting bright yellow stripes, interspersed with dusky blotches ; the segmental divisions are orange red. The body is thickly studded with minute black tubercles, and thinly clothed with whitish hairs. In appearance it strongly resembles the larva of Eupithecia virgaureata. " Far. 2. The ground colour is pale yellowish green, the central dorsal line and blotches being similar to those of Var. 1, but much paler olive; the spiracular segmental divisions and lateral stripes are greenish yellow. " Var. 3. The ground colour is orange red. The back tinged and suffused with dull yellowish green ; the dorsal blotches are wanting; the central dorsal line reddish brown or olive, enlarged in the centre of each median segment ; the sub-dorsal lines are the same colour, and slender ; the spiracular line and lateral stripes greenish yellow, the latter indistinct. It strongly resembles the larva of Eupithecia albreviata. ' ' These caterpillars under Mr. Crowe's care fed on oak, and he has been in the habit of beating them from the same tree for some years. In confinement many of them died when full-fed, a misfortune which he attri- butes to the difficulty of supplying them regularly with the youngest and most succu- lent leaves, which they always seemed to prefer ; but I have been so accustomed to see full-grown caterpillars die, and hang like bags of water from their food-plant, that I think there must be some hitherto undiscov- ered cause for this mortality. The CHRYSALIS is either enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon, or secreted under bark of oak and white thorn ; it is of a dark dusky red colour, the upper edges of the wing-cases being of a brighter red than the rest ; it has a rough wrinkled appearance. The MOTHS appear on the wing in May and June, and have been taken in several English counties. (The scientific name is Eupithecia dodoncata.} 295. The Brindled Pug (Lupithecia abbreviata). 295. THE BRINDLED PUG. The fore wings are broad, and rather prolonged at the apex ; their colour and ornamentation are happily described by the word " brindled," a peculiar coloration formerly seen on cows and some varieties of dog, but now extremely uncom- mon ; the prevailing tint is ochreous brown ; the discoidal spot is narrow, transverse, and very inconspicuous ; the gray transverse burs as well as the dark brown ones arc irregular, GEOMETERS. waved, and interrupted ; the principal gray bar is beyond the middle of the wing, and is very distinctly double, that is, intersected throughout by a delicate zigzag dark line ; the wing-rays before entering this gray band intensely black ; there is a pale gray space the base of the wing, and another smaller e immediately adjoining the discoidal spot ; there is also a broken zigzag gray line parallel with the hind margin ; on the hind margin itself is a slender black line, interrupted where intersected by the wing-rays ; the fringe is pale gray at the base, spotted in the middle, smoky on the outside ; the hind wings are paler, especially at the base, and are inter- sected by transverse series of black spots, which always occur on the wing-rays ; the head is gray, the collar dark brown, the thorax ochreous brown, the body variegated, the dorsal surface is principally umber brown ; there is an interrupted black line on each side, and the tip is pale gray. The CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. Crewe : "Slender, hairy, tapering towards the head ; the ground colour is pale yellowish red ; the central dorsal line is pale olive ; down the centre of the back is a series of pale ive V-shaped spots, sometimes bordered with low ; the spiracular line is yellowish ; the ental divisions are red ; the central ven- line is yellowish, and sometimes altogether nting ; the dorsal spots are frequently erged in a broad central line. The whole of the markings on this caterpillar vary much intensity of colouring, but are usually faint indistinct. It feeds on oak, and it is full- fed at the beginning of July. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon ; it is bright red ; the thorax and wing-cases are paler than the body ; the base of wing-cases is dusky ; the abdominal divisions and tips arc deep red." The MOTH appears on the wing in March and April, and is of common occurrence in many of the English counties ; it is also common in Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia abb rev ia fa.} \-i i and 296. The Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata). 296. THE MOTTLED PUG. The fore wings are rather long and pointed ; they are of a dingy grayish brown colour, with darker transverse lines ; the discoidal spot is oblong and very black, and being unconnected with other dark markings, stands out conspicu- ously ; there is a double pule transverse line between the discoidal spot and the hind mar- gin, and a single pale line still nearer the margin ; this, however, is very indistinct ; the hind wings are pale, with a distinct oblique discoidal spot, and a few short transverse lines on the inner margin ; the slender black marginal line is very distinct ; the head, thorax, and body are brown and somewhat variegated. Mr. Crewe says that the CATERPILLAR " some- what resembles that of the little blue emerald (lodis lactearia), and appears at the same time. It is long, slender, and tapering ; the ground colour is dark green, with a central row of small dull red lozenge-shaped dorsal spots, connected by a central dorsal line of the same colour; the spiracular line is red, bordered with yellow ; the segmental divisions yellowish ; the dorsal blotches are often want- ing on the anterior segments, and their place is supplied by a greenish line ; in the centre of each dorsal blotch is a small yellow spot ; it feeds in September and October on bar- berry, whitethorn, black currant, ash, alder, and sallow. The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon ; it is long, slender, and tapering : its wing-cases are dark olive green : its thorax and body dusky olive ; the abdominal divisions being gray and very conspicuous." The MOTH appears on the wing in May and June, and is rather common in England and Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia cjciguata.} I 142 BRITISH MOTHS. 297. The Juniper Pug (Eupithecia sobrinata). 297. THE JUNIPER PUG. The fore wings are rather long and pointed ; they are of a dull brown colour, with numerous darker lines ; the discoidal spot- is dark, but so united with an oblique band of the same colour that it is very inconspicuous ; the wing-rays are con- spicuously variegated with black, and between the sub-costal ray, which is almost entirely black, and the costal margin, are several transverse dark brown spots ; there is the usual slender interrupted black line on the hind margin; the fringe is pale next the margin, then darker, then paler, and then again darker on the extreme outside ; the hind wings are of the same brown tint as the fore wings, and are adorned with several series of black dots, none of which can be properly called lines, from the absence of continuity ; the head, thorax, and body are brown ; the latter has a darker belt neur the base. The EGGS are deposited in July, on the twigs of juniper; when first laid they are yellow, but shortly turn to a leaden blue; they do not hatch until the end of January, when the young caterpillars immediately begin feeding on the needles of the juniper. Mr. Ore we says this CATEEPILLIK "is rather variable in appearance ; the ground colour is either dark green or yellowish red, with a series of rust-coloured dorsal blotches, inter- sected by a central dorsal dark green hori- zontal line, and bordered on either side by a yellowish one ; these blotches generally dis- appear on the posterior segments, and are sometimes wanting altogether ; the spiracular line is waved, and of a pale yellow or whitish colour ; the belly has a whitish central hori- zontal line. It feeds only on the juniper. I have found it tolerably common on the old trees in gardens and shrubberies in Derby- shire. It is full-fed at the end of May and beginning of June. The CUKYSALIS is enclosed in an earthen cocoon or a slight web, amonj the stalks ; its head, thorax, and wing-cases are dark green; its body yellowish." The MOTH appears on the wing in Jub and is by no means of uncommon occurrence in England, Scotland, or Ireland. (Tlu scientific name is Eupithecia sobrinata.} 298. The Cloaked Pug (EupiMecia toyata}. 298. THE CLOAKED PUG. This is the largest of our English species of Eupithecia, sometimes exceeding an inch in the expam of its spread wings. The colour is pale brown, with a variety of waved transvers lines ; two of the most conspicuous of theg are dark brown, nearly black ; the first com- mences at the costa of the fore wing, at about a third of the distance between its base anc apex ; it is very irregular, and has seven: teeth or projections directed outwards or towards the hind margin ; the second als commences at the costa of the fore wing, am at about two-thirds of the distance betweer its base and apex ; this also is very irregular and has several teeth or projections directet inwards ; this second line is continued througl the centre of the hind wings ; between thes two lines on the fore wings, but much neare to the first or inner one, is a conspicuoi transversely oblong discoidal dark spot ; thei are seven inner marks of the- same darl colour, arranged along the outer margin the fore wings, and six along that of the hinc wings ; midway between the exterior trans verse line and the marginal inner mark, is waved dentated band, extending through botl wings, and this, in the living insect, has beautiful pink tinge ; this however fades afte death ; at the base of the fore wings is short dark brown line, elbowed outwards. Several specimens of the MOTH, were take by Mr. Stevens, Mr. Bond, and others, in June 1845, at Black Park, in Buckinghamshire. (The scientific name is Eupithecia toyata.} GEOMETERS. 143 s. I first described this magnificent Eu- thecia as British, in the "Zoologist" for 15, at p. 1086, and have copied my original iription here ; but it appears to be an insect ' excessive rarity. 299. THE DOUBLE- STBIPED Pro. The fore igs are very varied and distinctly marked, it all the markings are broken up, or inter- rupted, along the costa ; they have a vinous tint in some specimens, almost rosy ; there are three pairs of whitish transverse lines, and two single ones ; the first single line is very short and near the base, the other single line is parallel with the hind margin, and zigzag ; the three pairs are intermediate between these ; the space between the second and third pair of pale transverse lines is grayish brown, with six, and sometimes seven, dark brown longitudinal wedge-shaped streaks, the bases of which rest on the third pair of transverse lines, and the apices point towards the base of tho wing; the other interspaces are all of a vinous red colour ; the hind wings are gray, th transverse zigzag markings, both paler darker : the body is also variegated, 'he CATERPILLAR is thus described by Mr. ?we : " Short and stumpy, tapering slightly rards the head ; ground colour pale yel- rish olive, reddish olive, or rusty red ; cen- dorsal line dusky olive, almost black ; >wn the centre of the back is a chain of dusky arrow-shaped spots, more or less dis- ict, and becoming merged in the dorsal line the anterior and posterior segments ; on ch side is a broad ribbon-like stripe ; yel- ivish in the middle, dusky at the edges ; the sal spots are bordered uninterruptedly witli fellow ; the spiracular line is yellowish. The Caterpillars from which the foregoing de- scription was taken, were reared from eggs su.t me by Mr. Hellins, at the end of May, and fed on flowers of Anthriscus sykestris. They were full-fed at the end of June, and the first perfect insect appeared on the 16th of July. Mr. Ilellins tells me he has reared the caterpillars on flowers of clematis. The ciiHYsALis, which is enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon, has the thorax and wing- cases pale yellow ; the body is short and yellow, with a red tip, and .its divisions slightly so." The MOTH appears in April and May, and again in July and August, flying about the furze bushes in the sunshine ; it occurs com- monly in most of our English counties, also in Scotland, and is common and generally dis- tributed throughout Ireland. (The scientific name is Eupithecia pumilata.} 300. The V Pug (Eupithecia coronata). 300. THR V Pro. The fore wings are green, with numerous black and pale mark- ings ; of these the most conspicuous is a V- shaped black mark, the apex of which points towards the hind margin ; one of the arms of this V, which, however, is rather irregular, touches the costa at about two-thirds of its length, the other vanishes in the middle of the wing; and between this V and the inner margin are four small black longitudinal streaks ; the extreme hind margin has an in- terrupted black line just within the fringe; there are also three pairs of transverse zigzag silvery lines ; the first pair near the base of the wing, the second just within the V mark, the third outside of the V mark ; the hind wings are very pale towards the base, but clouded with smoke-colour towards the hind margin ; the extreme hind margin, as in the fore wings, has an interrupted black line just within the fringe ; the head, thorax, and body are greenish, and adorned with several black markings. Mr. Crewe describes the CATERPILLAR as under: