The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series
by Richard South · English · Gutenberg #41920 · 726,829 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series
Author: Richard South
Release date: January 26, 2013 [eBook #41920]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES, SECOND SERIES ***
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 1.
1. ORANGE-TAILED CLEARWING.
2, 3, 5. _ZYGAENA ACHILLEAE_.
4, 6, 8. BRINDLED BEAUTY, VARIETY; 7. CATERPILLAR OF DO.
THE MOTHS
OF THE
BRITISH ISLES
BY
RICHARD SOUTH, F.E.S.
AUTHOR OF "THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES" EDITOR OF "THE
ENTOMOLOGIST," ETC.
SECOND SERIES
COMPRISING
_THE FAMILIES NOCTUIDAE TO HEPIALIDAE_
WITH ACCURATELY COLOURED FIGURES OF EVERY SPECIES AND MANY VARIETIES ALSO
DRAWINGS OF EGGS, CATERPILLARS, CHRYSALIDS AND FOOD-PLANTS
LONDON
FREDERICK WARNE & CO.
AND NEW YORK
1909
(_All rights reserved_)
* * * * *
{v}
PREFACE.
In the present and previous series of "The Moths of the British Isles,"
over 750 species have been portrayed on the plates and described in the
text--a number that includes all those insects formerly grouped under the
now obsolete term "Macro-Lepidoptera." The task of dealing with so many
species in two volumes has necessarily imposed brevity in their treatment;
but it is hoped that nothing has been omitted that could be legitimately
regarded as falling within the scope of volumes especially designed for the
votaries of Nature Study.
To have comprised in this scheme the large contingent of our moths known as
"Micro-Lepidoptera" would have reduced further the space available for
those species which experience shows appeal to the majority of nature
students in a way that the minuter forms may not do. Even then, only a few
general remarks on each group would have been possible, with, perhaps, a
portrait or two of representative species. Such a course seemed hardly
likely to prove of practical utility. The "Small Fry," as they have been
called, exceedingly interesting though they may be to a limited number of
students, have therefore been left for separate treatment at some more
convenient season.
Both classification and nomenclature are always under revision, and we are
probably a long way from hearing the last word concerning either. These
are, however, matters that {vi} cannot be ignored even in a popular work;
consequently I have ventured to adopt sundry changes in arrangement and in
names which, although not departing from the old style in any very large
way, still approach pretty closely to the new.
I have again to tender my sincere thanks to Mr. Robert Adkin, F.E.S., for
kindly lending specimens of rare species and varieties for figuring; and
also to Mr. B. Adkin, Mr. G. T. Porritt, F.E.S., and Mr. A. J. Scollick,
F.E.S. I desire also to gratefully acknowledge the loan of further
beautiful coloured drawings by Mr. Alfred Sich, F.E.S. These figures have
been most accurately reproduced in black and white by Mr. Horace Knight, to
whom I am greatly indebted for his able assistance in connection with the
numerous drawings of ova, larvae, and pupae. In some cases the preserved
skin of a caterpillar had to serve as a model, and where this occurs the
fact is mentioned. A few figures of larvae have been copied from Dr. G.
Hofmann's _Die Raupen der Schmetterlinge Europas_, 2nd edit., by Professor
Dr. Arnold Spuler. All such reproductions are duly noted in the text.
Mr. Knight is also responsible for the coloured drawings for Plates 1, 13,
36, 61, 96, 98, 100, 104, 134, and 148; the figures on which, except that
of _Zygaena filipendulae ab. chrysanthemi_, are from specimens.
"A Forester," Mr. H. Main, F.E.S., and Mr. W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S., were
good enough to furnish prints of some of their excellent photographs
depicting life-history details of moths and caterpillars in repose, as met
with in nature.
RICHARD SOUTH.
* * * * * {1}
THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES.
NOCTUIDAE.
TRIFINAE (_continued_).
THE HEART MOTH (_Dicycla oo_).
A male specimen of the ordinary form of this moth is shown on Plate 2, Fig.
1. Ab. _renago_, Haworth has the space between the central shade and the
submarginal line more or less suffused with dusky or reddish grey. An
intermediate form (Fig. 2) has a transverse band of darker colour between
the second and submarginal lines of the fore wings (ab. _ferruginago_,
Hubn.). The ground colour varies from a whitish or straw-yellow to reddish
yellow (ab. _rufescens_, Tutt), and the markings are more distinct in some
specimens than in others.
The caterpillar, which feeds from April to early June on the foliage of the
oak, is black above and brownish beneath; there are three white lines on
the back, the central one widest and more or less interrupted; the stripe
along the black-outlined reddish spiracles is yellowish-white; head, and
plate on first ring of the body, black and shining.
The moth appears about the end of June or early July, and has been noted,
in good condition, as late as August 17. It seems to be of very local
occurrence in England, but some of {2} its known haunts nearest to London
are Bromley in Kent, Richmond Park and Norbury in Surrey. At Palmer's
Green, Middlesex, a specimen was found on an oak trunk, July 27, 1902, and
a female example came to light in West London in 1906. In 1888 it was
plentiful at sugar in the Bromley district. The New Forest in Hampshire is
a noted locality for the species, but although it may abound there in some
years, in other years it is scarce or entirely absent. It is rather more
constant in Epping, Romford, and some other of the Essex woodlands, and
occurs also in Berkshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire,
Gloucestershire, and Devon. Odd specimens have been recorded from
Tarrington, Herefordshire; St. Albans, Hertfordshire; and from Tuddenham,
Suffolk. The var. _renago_, and its modifications, has been chiefly
obtained in Essex and Huntingdonshire, but it has been found also in the
Reading district, and elsewhere.
THE LUNAR-SPOTTED PINION (_Calymnia pyralina_).
There are two colour forms of this species; var. _corusca_, Esp., is rather
brighter in colour than the female specimen shown on Plate 2, Fig. 3, which
approaches more nearly the duller coloration of the type as described by
Vieweg. The latter is perhaps the least frequent in England generally, but
it occurs sparingly in Middlesex.
The caterpillar is green, with whitish warts emitting fine hairs, and has
three lines along the back, the central one white and stripe-like; a yellow
stripe low down along the sides is edged above with black. It feeds in
April and May on elm, oak, apple, plum, etc., among the leaves of which it
hides by day, and may be dislodged therefrom by jarring the boughs. (Plate
3, Fig. 2, after Hofmann.)
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 2.
1. HEART MOTH.
4, 5. LESSER-SPOTTED PINION.
2. " " VAR. RENAGO.
6, 7. WHITE-SPOTTED PINION.
3. LUNAR-SPOTTED PINION.
8-11. DUN-BAR.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 3.
1. DINGY SHEARS: _caterpillar_.
2. LUNAR-SPOTTED PINION: _caterpillar_.
3. WHITE-SPOTTED PINION: _caterpillar_.
{3} The moth is out from about mid-July to mid-August. On some nights it
will come freely to sugar and on others it seems more partial to honeydew.
It is obtained most frequently perhaps in Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, and
Hampshire, but it is also known to occur in Devon, Dorset, Sussex, Essex,
Suffolk, Cambs., Hunts, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire,
Herefordshire, and South Wales. A specimen has been taken at a gas lamp in
Chester.
Abroad, the range extends to Japan.
THE LESSER-SPOTTED PINION (_Calymnia affinis_).
This species varies in the ground colour of the forewings from reddish
(typical) to greyish brown (var. _suffusa_, Tutt). A pale ochreous-brown
form has been named _ochrea_, Tutt. The cross markings and stigmata are
sometimes all well defined, but often the latter are hardly traceable, the
cross lines only distinct on the front margin, and the outer one frequently
is conspicuously widened. One example of each sex is shown on Plate 2,
Figs. 4 [male] and 5 [female].
The caterpillar, which feeds on elm from April to June, is of a pale green,
inclining to whitish green above, the raised dots white; there are three
white lines on the back, the central one broader and clearer white than the
others; the lines along the area of the black spiracles are whitish; head
green and glossy, legs black, pro-legs greenish marked with reddish. It
feeds at night, and conceals itself between leaves during the day.
The moth appears in July and August, is very partial to sugar and
"honeydew," and has been taken at light. It lurks among the foliage of
trees and bushes in the daytime, and may occasionally be dislodged
therefrom when the boughs are jarred. Although its range extends northwards
into Yorkshire, where it is local and scarce, the species seems to be
chiefly obtained in the eastern and southern counties of England. No doubt
it flourishes best where the elm (_Ulmus campestris_) is most plentiful. In
Wales it has been noted from Glamorganshire and Flint. {4} Kane states that
it is very rare in Ireland, and I fail to find any record from Scotland.
The range abroad extends to Japan.
THE WHITE-SPOTTED PINION (_Calymnia diffinis_).
This pretty species is shown on Plate 2, Figs. 6 [male] and 7 [female]. Its
colour and marking are little prone to variation. Sometimes the ground
colour has less red and rather more purple in its composition, and in some
specimens the white marks on the front margin are larger than in others.
The caterpillar is pale green, with three whitish lines along the back; the
central of these is rather yellowish, agreeing in tint with the usual
raised dots, and the outer ones are edged above with bluish green; head,
brownish, inclining to black below. It feeds at night, in April, May, and
early June, on the common elm, and rests during the day on the undersides
of the foliage or between leaves. (Plate 3, Fig. 3.)
The moth is out in July and August, and is obtained at sugar or at light,
in almost all parts of England where its favourite tree grows freely. It
seems to be more local in the Midlands, and appears to be but little known
in the northern counties, although a specimen was taken at sugar in
Hazleden Dene, Durham, in the autumn of 1898.
THE DUN-BAR (_Calymnia trapezina_).
On Plate 2 will be found portraits of four specimens of this variable
species. Figs. 8 and 9 represent a male and a female of the more ordinary
forms. Specimens of the typical whitish or greyish buff colour vary in the
matter of cross lines, which are well defined in the type, but absent in
ab. _pallida_, Tutt. Some examples have a reddish central band, and in
others the band is blackish or black; the latter are referable to ab.
_badiofasciata_, {5} Teich. Ab. _ochrea_, Tutt, is of a reddish-tinged
ochreous colour with clearly defined cross lines; and ab. _rufa_, Tutt, is
red with distinct cross lines. Perhaps the rarest form of all is ab.
_nigra_, Tutt, which in ground colour is deep blackish grey, with the cross
lines faint.
The caterpillar is green with black, glossy, raised dots, each encircled
with white; there are three whitish lines along the back, the central one
rather wider than the other two; a pale yellowish line along the area of
the black spiracles; head, green, tinged with dark brown or black about the
jaws. It feeds, from April to June, on the foliage of elm, oak, sallow, and
other trees and shrubs; also, be it noted, on other caterpillars. The
larvae hunter should therefore get to know this cannibal on sight, so that
he may exclude it from the common receptacle.
The moth, which frequents woods and woody country generally, is out in July
and August.
The species appears to be common throughout England and Wales, the south of
Scotland, and more or less frequent northwards up to Moray. It is widely
spread in Ireland.
ANGLE-STRIPED SALLOW (_Cosmia paleacea_).
From the typical pale yellowish ochre, the fore wings range in tint to a
deeper buff, inclining to orange. The transverse lines are brown, or
sometimes reddish, but are not always distinct, especially in the male. The
stigmata are not infrequently obscure, but the blackish spot of the
reniform is generally present. In some examples, chiefly of the female sex,
there is an angulated dark shade crossing the central area, and some dark
clouds or dashes on the outer area. (Plate 4, Fig. 1 [male].)
The caterpillar is pale dingy green, dusted with whitish, and yellow
between the rings; three white lines along the back, and a double white
line along the region of the purplish-edged white spiracles; head, pale
yellow, the jaws black, and a small red {6} spot on each side above them.
(Adapted from Porritt.) It feeds, from April to June, on the foliage of
birch and aspen, and may be found in the daytime between the lower leaves.
The moth flies in August and September, and at night will visit the sugar
patch and also heather blossom. It has but few fixed localities in England,
and these are chiefly in Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Forest), and Yorkshire
(woods near Doncaster, Huddersfield, and Sheffield). There are, however,
records of its occurrence in the south of England. Stainton obtained one at
Lewisham in 1846, and Barrett notes one at Highgate in 1870. One or two
specimens have occurred in Essex, Somersetshire, and Gloucestershire. From
its headquarters in Notts and Yorks. it seems to find its way occasionally
into some of the adjoining and other counties. Forsythe states that he bred
the moth from larvae obtained from oak at Methop, Lancs., and it has been
reared from a caterpillar taken in North Shropshire. It has occurred on
Cannock Chase, Staffs., and rarely in Worcestershire.
From Porritt's _List of the Lepidoptera of Yorkshire_ we learn that the
occurrence of this species in Yorkshire was not noted until 1880
(Doncaster), but it seems to have since extended its range in the county,
as in 1900 it was found in the Huddersfield district, and a few specimens
occurred near York in 1903. As stated, it has been bred at Methop, Lancs.,
and, according to Barrett, it is not scarce in Cumberland. Southwards from
its Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire headquarters it has been noted, more or
less rarely, in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire,
and Somerset; and on the east side in Lincoln, Norfolk, Essex, and Kent. In
Scotland it appears to be not uncommon in Moray, and it is occasionally
recorded from Inverness and Perth. The range abroad extends to Amurland and
to North America.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 4.
1. ANGLE-STRIPED SALLOW.
2, 3. THE SUSPECTED.
4, 5. DINGY SHEARS.
6. THE OLIVE.
7. DOUBLE KIDNEY.
8. CENTRE-BARRED SALLOW.
9. CENTRE-BARRED SALLOW, VAR. UNICOLOR.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 5.
1, 1a. BEADED CHESTNUT: _eggs and caterpillar_.
2. RED-LINE QUAKER: _caterpillar_.
3, 3a. THE BRICK: _eggs and caterpillar_.
{7}
THE SUSPECTED (_Dyschorista suspecta_).
Of this species (Plate 4, Figs. 2 and 3) there are two groups of
forms--plain and variegated. To the first belongs the type with
reddish-brown fore wings; a dark modification of this form is ab.
_nigrescens_, Tutt, which has the fore wings blackish red; a brighter red
form is ab. _rufa_, Tutt. Of the variegated sections three forms have been
named, but the most important of these is var. _congener_, Hubn., with the
inner and the outer marginal areas of the reddish fore wings ochreous; two
other modifications have the ground colour redder or dark purplish
inclining to blackish.
The caterpillar, which feeds on birch and sallow in April and May, is
purplish brown above, and obscure greenish beneath; there are three lines
along the back, the central one white and distinct, the others less defined
but noticeable on the black plate on ring nearest the head; on each side of
the central line are blackish marks; head, ochreous brown, streaked with
black.
The moth flies in July and August, and is partial to sugar and to the
flowers of heather and ragwort. Its chief British quarters appear to be in
Yorkshire, in which county it was first noted in 1841; thence it extends
into Lancashire, Cumberland, and Durham, but is local and scarce in the
latter county. Southwards it is found in the counties of Cheshire (locally
not uncommon on moors and mosses), Derby, Nottingham, Stafford, Shropshire,
Warwick, Gloucester (rarely); more locally in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and
Kent (once at West Wickham). In 1896 it occurred in numbers in the New
Forest, Hants, and I believe that a solitary specimen was secured in
Hayling Island in 1901. In Scotland it occurs up to Inverness and Aberdeen;
and Kane states that in Ireland it is doubtfully recorded from Londonderry,
but that he has seen lovely forms of the species from Killarney. It also
occurs in Co. Wicklow. The range abroad extends to Siberia, Amurland, and
Mongolia. {8}
THE DINGY SHEARS (_Dyschorista fissipuncta_).
In its typical form this species (Plate 4, Fig. 4) has the fore wings pale
greyish brown, but occasionally they assume a reddish tinge. Var.
_corticea_, Esp., is of the latter colour, and has the black edges of the
claviform extended to beyond the middle of the wing. In another form the
fore wings are dark grey brown (Fig. 5), leading up to var. _nigrescens_,
Tutt, with blackish fore wings and the hind wings darker than usual.
Besides the forms just mentioned, I have a bred specimen from Canterbury in
which the fore wings are of a pale whity brown, with very faint markings,
and the hind wings are almost white; it is rather below the average size,
and possibly is an abnormal aberration. This species is the _ypsilon_ of
Borkhausen, and the _upsilon_ of other authors.
The caterpillar is brown, sometimes inclining to reddish marked with black
above, and the under surface is paler; there are three pale lines along the
back, and one low down along each side; head, pale brown freckled with
darker brown. It feeds in April and May on willows, chiefly the
narrow-leaved kind, and also, although less frequently perhaps, on poplar.
These caterpillars may often be found in the daytime under loose bark of
the willow, or lurking among grass roots or _debris_ around the trunk.
(Fig. 1 on Plate 3 is from a coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich.)
The moth is out from late June through July. It is a constant visitor to
the sugar patch, and will put in an appearance even when other species
refuse to be drawn thereto. It appears to be pretty well distributed over
England, and in the southern half at least is not uncommon, wherever there
are old-established willows. In the northern counties it seems to be much
less frequent, but it is recorded as common or plentiful in one or two
Cheshire localities, and is said to be taken by all the Newcastle {9}
collectors. In Scotland it has been noted in only a few localities. Abroad,
the range extends to Amurland.
_Mesogona acetosellae_, Fabricius.--Mr. R. Adkin has a specimen of this
Central and South European species. It was taken at sugar on the evening of
October 26th, 1895, by Mr. T. Salvage, in his garden at Arlington, Sussex
(_Entomologist_, xxviii. p. 316).
THE DOUBLE KIDNEY (_Plastenis retusa_).
This olive-brown species, shown on Plate 4, Fig. 7, has a reddish-tinged
form--ab. _gracilis_, Haw.--but otherwise there is little to be noted in
the way of variation. The caterpillar is pale green with three whitish
lines on the back, and a narrower and more irregular whitish line low down
along the sides; head, yellowish green, or dark brown. Sometimes the body
has a yellowish tinge at each end. It feeds on the foliage of sallow and
willow, from April to June, drawing together the terminal leaves of a shoot
as a retreat.
The moth is on the wing in July and August, and is more frequently
attracted at night to the aphis secretion known as "honeydew" than to the
sugar patch, although it does not ignore the latter altogether, and
occasionally enters the illuminated moth trap. Barrett states that he has
found it at the flowers of figwort (_Scrophularia aquatica_). Apparently a
local species, but found more or less frequently in most of the southern
and eastern counties of England, and through the Midlands to Cheshire,
Lancashire, and Yorkshire; it is, however, rarely seen in the three
last-named counties.
The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE OLIVE (_Plastenis subtusa_).
This moth is shown on Plate 4, Fig. 6. It is somewhat similar in general
appearance to the last mentioned, but the {10} colour of the fore wings is
greyer; the cross lines are not parallel, and the outer margins of these
wings are less irregular. The caterpillar is greenish, with black dots, and
white lines along the back and sides; the head and plate on the first ring
of the body black. It feeds, on poplar and aspen, in April and May. By day
these caterpillars may be found spun up between two leaves or in a folded
leaf. The moth is out in July and August, but is rarely noticed in the
daytime, although at night, when it becomes active, it may be obtained,
sometimes not altogether uncommonly, at honeydew, or in much fewer numbers
at sugar or light. The best way to obtain the species is to search for the
caterpillars, which are not at all difficult to rear. Most of them,
however, prefer the higher foliage of well-grown aspen or poplar, where
they may be seen but not readily secured; but I have generally found as
many as I wanted within reach.
The species seems to have a wide distribution throughout England, and
Scotland up to Moray, its occurrence in any locality depending on the
presence of the poplar or aspen. The range abroad extends to Eastern
Siberia.
THE CENTRE-BARRED SALLOW (_Cirrhoedia_ (_Atethmia_) _xerampelina_).
The typical form of this pretty species has the fore wings yellow, with a
purplish-red central band. The band, which fills up the space between the
first and second lines, is rarely carried through to the front margins of
the wing, but usually is only fragmentary above the reniform stigma, which
forms part of it; it also varies in the intensity of the purple tint. In
most British specimens the band varies as indicated above, but the general
colour of the fore wings is orange-yellow (Plate 4, Fig. 8)--ab.
_centrago_, Haw.--the hind marginal band agreeing in colour with that of
the central band. Or the fore wings may assume the colour of Fig. 9, var.
_unicolor_, Staud., but this form is rare in Britain, although it is known
to occur in the Isle of Man, and has been recorded from Ripon, Skipworth,
and York, also from Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Notts, Lincoln, and
Gloucestershire. The caterpillar is brownish, inclining to greyish above
and to greenish grey beneath, freckled with darker brown; of the three
whitish lines along the back, the central one is widest, but is only really
distinct on the middle part of each ring; the lines are margined with
black, the edging of the central one irregular, but of the others more
complete; the spiracles are whitish, and the area above them is dark
grey-brown enclosing paler spaces on each ring; head, shining grey-brown
freckled with blackish. It feeds, in April, May, and June, on ash, and
until the leaves expand it is content with the buds. After dark it may be
beaten from saplings in the hedgerow, as well as from full-grown trees. By
day it hides among moss or litter, or in the crevices of bark, and at dark
may be found crawling up the trunks of ash trees.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 6.
1. ORANGE UPPER-WING: _caterpillar_.
2. DOTTED CHESTNUT: _caterpillar_.
3. PINK-BARRED SALLOW: _eggs, natural size and enlarged_.
4, 4a. SALLOW: _eggs, natural size and enlarged, and caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 7.
1-4. LUNAR UNDERWING.
5, 6. RED-LINE QUAKER.
7, 8. YELLOW-LINE QUAKER.
9, 10. THE BRICK.
{11} The moths are out in August and September, and in the late afternoon
may be seen, newly emerged from the chrysalis, on ash trunks, or on twigs
and herbage immediately around the tree stems. When on the wing at night it
is attracted by light, especially electric, and by sugar. Now that the
habits of the species are better known than formerly, it has been
ascertained to occur in most English counties. In Scotland it is widely
distributed up to Argyll and Perthshire; it has been recorded from several
parts of Wales, and in Ireland is found in counties Antrim, Tyrone,
Fermanagh, Down, Armagh, Louth, Westmeath, Wicklow, Sligo, Galway,
Tipperary, and Cork.
THE LUNAR UNDERWING (_Omphaloscelis_ (_Anchocelis_) _lunosa_).
In the general colour of the fore wings, this species, of which four
figures will be found on Plate 7, ranges from pale ochreous {12} brown to
dark blackish grey. The typical form (_lunosa_, Haworth) has the ground
colour pale, or bright, reddish (Figs. 1 and 3); the markings are well
defined, and the wing rays are sometimes pale ochreous, or whitish. Four
modifications of this form have been named; one of these has pale veins,
but the general colour is red brown (ab. _brunnea_, Tutt); in another (Fig.
2) the colour is ochreous brown, the veins pale, and the other markings
distinct (ab. _humilis_, Humph. and Westw.). Of the greyish forms, var.
_agrotoides_, Guenee, is the darkest (Fig. 4).
The caterpillar is brownish, inclining to greenish beneath; there are three
whitish lines along the back, the outer edged below with blackish; a thin
whitish line along the sides is shaded above with blackish. It feeds on
meadow grass (_Poa annua_), and other kinds of grass, from October to May.
The moth appears in September and October, sometimes at the end of August.
It is partial to light and to sugar, and where the latter is smeared over
the foliage of trees and bushes it seems better attended by this, and other
autumnal moths, than when painted on tree-trunks in the usual manner.
The species seems to be pretty generally distributed throughout Southern
and Western England, and in some seasons it is very common. Eastward and
through the Midlands it is perhaps less frequent; in the northern counties
it is scarce on the east, but locally common on the west. It occurs in
Wales; also in Scotland up to Perthshire. According to Kane, it is widely
distributed in Ireland, but most common on the coast.
Abroad, it appears to be confined to France and Spain, although it has been
recorded from North-west Africa.
THE RED-LINE QUAKER (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _lota_).
In its typical form this species is of a leaden-grey coloration on the fore
wings, but these wings sometimes have a reddish {13} tinge (ab. _rufa_,
Tutt). In others the ground colour is blackish (ab. _suffusa_, Tutt), and a
rarer form (ab. _pallida_, Tutt) has the fore wings whitish grey with a
distinct black reniform stigma, and red submarginal line. (Plate 7, Figs.
5, 6.)
The caterpillar is ochreous brown, sometimes tinged with reddish or
purplish brown on the sides; of three whitish lines along the back, the
central one is composed of spots, and the outer ones are not well defined,
except on the dark first and last rings; the line along the sides is
reddish. Head, glossy, pale reddish brown, marked with darker brown. It
feeds on willow and sallow, and may be found among the foliage from April
to June, and especially the topmost leaves of a twig, which it spins
together with silk to form a retreat during the day. (Plate 5, Fig. 2.)
The moth comes freely to sugar in September and October, sometimes even
later. It may be found pretty freely also at ivy bloom, and at the flowers
of _Tritoma_. Although apparently commoner in the south, it is generally
distributed throughout England, Wales, and Scotland up to Perthshire and
Aberdeen. In Ireland it is widely distributed, but local.
THE YELLOW-LINE QUAKER (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _macilenta_).
The typical coloration of this species (Plate 7, Figs. 7 and 8) is pale
ochreous brown, inclining to reddish in some specimens; the lower part of
the reniform stigma black. Sometimes, the black spot is absent (ab.
_obsoleta_, Tutt). Another form has the ground colour pale yellowish brown,
and this, with the black lower portion of the reniform present, is ab.
_straminea_, Tutt, while specimens of the same tint, but minus the black
spot, are referable to ab. _obsoleta-straminea_ of the same author.
The caterpillar is reddish brown with white dots, and three white lines on
the back; the line along the spiracles is whitish {14} with a dusky edge
above. Head, ochreous brown; plate on first ring blackish lined with white.
It feeds on beech, oak, and heather. When approaching full growth it
probably feeds on low-growing plants, and it may be found from April to
June.
The moth flies in September and October, sometimes in November. Decaying
apples seem to have a stronger attractive influence at times than either
sugar or ivy bloom. Except that it appears to be local or scarce in the
Midlands, the species occurs, in many parts commonly, throughout England,
Wales, and Scotland to Moray. In Ireland it is generally distributed and
abundant in some localities.
THE BRICK (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _circellaris_).
Yellow or ochreous is the typical coloration, but the most frequent form of
this common species in Britain is ab. _ferruginea_, Hubn., which is
ochreous tinged with rust colour. Sometimes, the fore wings are more or
less suffused with blackish, and with the markings black, such specimens
are referable to _macilenta_ as figured by Hubner, Noct., Fig. 688. The
more usual form is shown on Plate 7, Figs. 9, 10.
At the time it is freshly laid, the egg (Plate 5, Fig. 3a) is yellowish,
but changes in about a week to purplish with a more or less distinct pearly
sheen.
The caterpillar is brown inclining to yellowish, the head is reddish, and
the plate on first ring blackish; there are three pale lines along the
back, the central one more or less interrupted by dusky V-shaped marks, the
others with an interrupted edging above; the stripe along the region of the
blackish spiracles is yellowish grey. It lives on wych-elm and ash, eating
the flowers, seeds, and leaves, but has a decided preference for the first
two. It may be beaten in May and early June, sometimes in numbers, from the
seeds (Plate 5, Fig. 3).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 8.
1. CONFORMIST: _caterpillar_.
2. EARLY GREY: _caterpillar_.
3. RED SWORD-GRASS: _caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 9.
1, 2. FLOUNCED RUSTIC.
3-6. BEADED CHESTNUT.
7-9. BROWN-SPOT PINION.
{15}
The moth is out from late August well on into October, and is to be found,
wherever its favourite trees are established, throughout the British Isles.
THE FLOUNCED RUSTIC (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _helvola_).
On Plate 9 is shown a male specimen of the typical form (Fig. 1). In ab.
_ochrea_, Tutt, the general colour of the fore wings is ochreous with a
greenish tinge, and so it differs from the type, in which the ground colour
is reddish. In another ochreous form the cross bands are of a purplish tint
(ab. _punica_, Borkhausen), and in ab. _rufina_, Hubner, the bands are also
purplish, but the ground colour is of a somewhat brighter red than in the
type. Ab. _unicolor_, Tutt, is dull reddish with indistinct cross markings,
and seems to be a modification of the almost unicolorous form of a bright
red colour, ab. _rufa_, Tutt. (Fig. 2.)
The full-grown caterpillar feeds, in April and May, on the foliage of the
oak, the elm, and some other trees; also on sallow, hawthorn, and,
according to Barrett, on bilberry and heather. In general colour it is
brownish, often tinged with red, and more or less flecked with dark brown;
a fine whitish line along the middle of the back is only clearly traceable
on the front rings, but there is a very distinct white stripe along the
region of the black spiracles. In an earlier stage it is green with three
whitish lines on the back, and another on the sides.
The moth is out in September and October, rather earlier in Scotland.
Though much commoner in some districts than in others, this species is
found in woodlands throughout the greater part of England, Wales, and the
mainland of Scotland. In Ireland it appears to be rare, and has only been
recorded, chiefly in single specimens, from Waterford, Wicklow, Galway,
Armagh, and Derry. {16}
THE BEADED CHESTNUT (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _lychnidis_).
The name of this variable species (Plate 9, Figs. 3-6), long known as
_pistacina_, is now recognised as the _lychnidis_ of Schiffermiller, so, as
the latter name has page priority over the former, it has to be adopted.
Fig. 3 on the plate represents a well-marked reddish specimen of the
typical form. A great many forms have been named, but only a few of the
more distinct of these can be referred to here. Fig. 4 shows the greyish
ochreous aberration known as _serrina_, Fab. Ab. _ferrea_, Haworth (Fig. 5)
has almost uniform reddish fore wings, and ab. _venosa_, Haworth has the
fore wings greyish brown with the veins whitish.
When newly laid the egg (Plate 5, Fig. 1a) is yellowish, but changes to
olive-brown. The caterpillar (Plate 5, Fig. 1) is green inclining to
yellowish, freckled with greyish, and dotted with whitish; there are three
fine whitish lines along the back, and a broad white stripe along the
sides. It is found from March to June, and feeds on grasses, dandelion,
groundsel, buttercup, and a variety of low plants; it will also eat sallow.
The moth is out from September to November, and is often abundant at sugar
and ivy bloom, and not uncommon on gas lamps or around electric lights.
Generally distributed and plentiful over the greater part of England and
Wales, but from Yorkshire northwards and through Scotland to Perthshire it
is very local, and apparently not at all frequent. In Ireland it is widely
spread and common.
THE BROWN-SPOT PINION (_Amathes_ (_Orthosia_) _litura_).
On Plate 9 are shown specimens from Scotland (Figs. 8 [male], 9 [female]).
The male, which has the basal area of the fore wings pale, is referable to
ab. _borealis_, Sparre-Schneider, whilst the female is more nearly typical.
In England the majority of the {17} specimens belong to ab. _rufa_, Tutt,
which is reddish in the coloration of fore wing (Fig. 7). Sometimes the
basal area in this colour form is pale also.
The caterpillar is green, sometimes tinged with olive and freckled with
darker green; there are three dark-edged pale-green lines along the back;
the under surface is tinged with yellowish, and is separated from the green
colour of the upper surface by a whitish stripe, edged above with black;
head, brownish, with darker freckles. It occurs in April and May, when it
feeds on bramble, rose, oak, sallow, and some low-growing plants.
The moth is found in September and October throughout England, and Scotland
up to Moray.
THE ORANGE SALLOW (_Cirrhia_ (_Xanthia_) _citrago_).
The ground colour of the fore wings is generally yellow, but in some
districts the specimens exhibit a tendency towards orange-red. The latter
tint is very decided in var. _aurantiago_, Tutt. There is but little
variation in marking, but the central cross line is broader in some
specimens than in others. (Plate 10, Fig. 1.)
The caterpillar is dark olive-grey above, with white dots, and obscure
greenish beneath; of the three whitish lines along the back, the central
one is rather wider than the other two, which are edged above with black;
along the region of the spiracles the colour is whitish grey. Head, brown,
shining, and darker on the mouth; a black mark on ring of body next the
head. (Adapted from Porritt.) It feeds on lime (_Tilia vulgaris_) in April
and May, and conceals itself between two spun-together leaves during the
daytime. In such retreats I have frequently detected them by simply
standing under the branches and looking upwards and outwards from the
trunk. When nearly full grown they more often descend the tree, and hide by
day {18} among the undergrowth, etc., at the base of the trunk, whence they
return to their feeding quarters by crawling up the tree at dusk.
The moth is out in August and September, and although it does not seem to
care much about the collector's sugar when spread on tree trunks in the
usual way, it seems to accept it freely enough when daubed on the foliage.
The leaves of the lime are, however, generally well coated with a sweet
substance proceeding from _Aphides_, and commonly known as honeydew. This
in itself is very attractive to the moths. The species seems to be widely
distributed over England, and will perhaps be found in most districts where
limes flourish. In Wales it has occurred in Flintshire, Denbighshire, and
Carnarvon. McArthur obtained a specimen in the Isle of Lewis in 1887, and
Renton records it as found in Roxburghshire. Little is known of it from
Ireland, but it has been noted from Wicklow and Galway.
THE BARRED SALLOW (_Ochria_ (_Xanthia_) _aurago_).
The ground colour of the fore wings, which in the type is pale yellow,
ranges through various shades of yellow to deep orange. The basal and outer
marginal bands are pale purplish, in the type, but in the more orange forms
the bands are rather more reddish purple. In ab. _fucata_, Esper, the
purplish colour of the bands spreads over the orange central area, and in
ab. _unicolor_, Tutt, the orange invades the basal and outer marginal
regions, so that the bands are pretty well obliterated, and the fore wings
assume a more or less uniform orange coloration. The latter form is
uncommon, but a rarer one in this country is ab. _lutea_, Tutt, which has
the fore wings almost entirely orange-yellow. (Plate 10, Figs. 2 and 3, the
latter inclining to ab. _unicolor_.)
The caterpillar is reddish brown with pale dots, and with {19} three
whitish lines along the back; a pale stripe along the sides. Head, pale
brown, shining. May be found from April to June on beech, or on maple where
this occurs around beech woods. At first it feeds on the buds, but later on
the leaves; for protection during the day it spins together two of the
leaves, and so forms a suitable resting place. Sycamore, it may be
mentioned, is acceptable to this caterpillar when reared in captivity.
The moth is out in September and early October, and is chiefly found in the
neighbourhood of beech woods, especially those in chalky districts in
Oxford and adjoining counties, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk,
Norfolk, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Wilts, Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. It also
occurs in the counties of Hereford, Worcester, and Cheshire; it has been
found in Yorkshire since 1890 in several localities, including Barnsley,
Doncaster, Huddersfield, and Rotherham. At least one specimen has been
recorded from Pembrokeshire, and others from Flint and Denbighshire, in
Wales.
THE PINK-BARRED SALLOW (_Xanthia lutea_ (_flavago_)).
In some examples of this species (Plate 10, Figs. 4, 5) the oblique band of
the fore wings is purplish, and in others red or reddish; the former are
typical, and the latter are referable to ab. _ochreago_, Borkhausen. Often
the band is incomplete, and sometimes it is only indicated by three more or
less regular series of reddish dots (ab. _togata_, Esper). I have one
example of this form from the Isle of Hoy, and another specimen from the
same locality is somewhat similar, but the spots are not so well separated,
and are purplish in colour.
The eggs (Plate 6, Fig. 3) are yellowish when laid, but become purplish
later, and the ribs then appear whitish.
The caterpillar when young lives on catkins of the sallow, and when these
fall it feeds on low-growing plants, but it will {20} eat the leaves of
sallow and the seeds of wych-elm. It may be found from March to June.
The moth appears in September and October. It is widely distributed, and
often common at the sugar patch, over the whole of England, Wales, Scotland
up to Moray, and Ireland.
The range abroad extends to Amurland, Japan, Kamtschatka, and North
America.
THE SALLOW (_Xanthia fulvago_).
A typical male and female of this species are shown on Plate 10, Figs. 7,
8; Fig. 6 on the same plate represents ab. _flavescens_, Esper. Sometimes
the fore wings are orange-tinged, and such examples having the typical
markings well defined are referable to ab. _aurantia_, Tutt. In _cerago_,
Hubner, the markings are fainter than in the type, and the orange-yellow
modification of this form has been named _imperfecta_, Tutt.
The caterpillar is brown above with a tinge of red or purple, and freckled
with darker; there are three pale lines along the back, but only the
central one is distinct, and this is more or less interrupted by clusters
of darker freckles; there is a darker stripe composed of freckles on the
sides, and below this is a pale brownish stripe; head, brown, plate on the
first ring of the body blackish with pale lines upon it. It feeds when
young in sallow catkins, and later on low-growing plants, also leaves of
sallow and seeds of wych-elm. Early stages are figured on Plate 6. The moth
is out in September and early October. It is widely distributed, and
generally common, throughout England and Wales, Scotland to Moray, and
Ireland. Its range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
NOTE.--It may be stated here that the present species, together with
_aurago_, _lutea_, _fulvago_, _gilvago_, and _ocellaris_, are referred to
_Cosmia_, Ochs. and Treit., by Hampson (_Cat. Lep. Phal._ vi. 497).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 10.
1. ORANGE SALLOW.
6-8. THE SALLOW.
2, 3. BARRED SALLOW.
9, 10. DUSKY-LEMON SALLOW.
4, 5. PINK-BARRED SALLOW.
11. PALE-LEMON SALLOW.
12. ORANGE UPPER-WING.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 11.
1, 2. RED-HEADED CHESTNUT MOTH.
7-10. DARK CHESTNUT.
3-6. CHESTNUT MOTH.
11, 12. DOTTED CHESTNUT.
{21}
THE DUSKY-LEMON SALLOW (_Mellinia_ (_Xanthia_) _gilvago_).
Two examples of this species are shown on Plate 10, Figs. 9 and 10. The
purplish-brown mottling or clouding and greyish suffusion of the fore wings
is much denser in some specimens than in others. Often the suffusion is
quite absent, and the purplish brown is only seen as spots. Again, in an
almost unicolorous form the ground colour is of a pale orange tint, the
cross markings and outlines of the reniform are as in the type, and the
series of blackish points on the submarginal line, usually present in the
type, are more conspicuous, owing to absence of the other usual dark
markings; this seems to be the _palleago_ of Hubner, which has been
considered a distinct species; I think, however, that it is only a form of
_gilvago_. The earliest recorded British specimen of this form was taken at
Brighton in 1856, and it and others captured in the same district were then
thought to be examples of _M. ocellaris_, but their true identity was
established by Doubleday in 1859. Very few specimens of this form have been
reported from other parts of England, but I have recently seen one that was
taken at light in the Canterbury district, Kent, on October 3, 1907. In its
typical form this species has an extensive range in England, spreading from
Yorkshire to Surrey and Sussex. The earliest known British specimens were
captured in the neighbourhood of Doncaster over sixty years ago, but its
occurrence in Surrey seems not to have been noted until comparatively
recent times.
The caterpillar is pinkish grey-brown, with three paler lines and a series
of purplish diamonds along the back; the sides are mottled with purplish
brown above the black spiracles, and striped with ochreous grey below them.
According to Buckler, whose description is here adapted, the four pale
raised dots circled with dark brown, placed within the dark marks on the
back of each ring, serve to distinguish this caterpillar from its {22}
allies. It feeds on the seeds of wych-elm, and may be beaten or jarred from
the branches in April and May. The moth is out in the autumn.
THE PALE-LEMON SALLOW (_Mellinia_ (_Xanthia_) _ocellaris_).
Although sparsely marked yellowish examples of the last species have been
mistaken for the present one, the true _M. ocellaris_ was not known to
occur in Britain until 1893, when three specimens were taken at Wimbledon
and Twickenham. In 1894 a specimen was recorded from Bognor in Sussex, and
another in West Dulwich. The following year one specimen was taken at
Richmond, Surrey, and one at Ipswich, Suffolk. Three specimens were
obtained at sugar in 1899, and five others in 1900, in a locality in North
Kent. Odd specimens have also been noted as follows:--Suffolk, Beccles
(1898), Woodbridge (1899); West Norfolk (1904 and 1906); Cambridge (1907).
The caterpillar, which is ochreous grey with black dots, feeds on poplar,
and is stated by one continental author to live in the buds and catkins
when young, and afterwards on low plants. So far, it has not been detected
in England.
A German specimen of the moth is depicted on Plate 10, Fig. 11. From the
last species this one is easily separated by the more pointed fore wings,
by the white dot at lower end of the reniform stigma, and by the different
shaped cross lines.
The moth has been taken at sugar or light in September and October.
THE ORANGE UPPER-WING (_Xantholeuca_ (_Hoporina_) _croceago_).
This species is shown in its typical form on Plate 10, Fig. 12.
Occasionally a dull reddish-brown form (ab. _latericolor_, Raynor) occurs,
of which I some years ago reared several examples, {23} from eggs laid by a
female taken at sallow in Darenth Wood, Kent.
The caterpillar (Plate 6, Fig. 1) is pale ochreous brown, inclining to
orange, finely freckled with brown, and with brown V-marks on the back of
rings 4 to 11; the line along the middle of the back is pale yellow, and
there are two pale yellow spots on ring 11; head, pale brown, freckled with
darker brown, and sometimes rosy tinged. It feeds on oak, and may be found
in May and June.
The moth flies in September and October, and then visits ivy bloom and
sugar at night; after hibernation it comes to sallow bloom. It has been
found during the winter between dry leaves on oak twigs in the hedgerows.
Females taken late in the spring and enclosed in a chip box will probably
deposit a good supply of eggs; caterpillars hatching from them are not
difficult to rear.
The species does not appear to have been noticed in the eastern or northern
counties of England, but it occurs from Worcester southwards to Somerset,
Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall. From Herefordshire it spreads into Wales.
North of London it is found in Hertfordshire, Middlesex, and to the south
in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire.
It is represented in Japan by _sericea_, Butler, which is considered a
distinct species by some authors.
THE RED-HEADED CHESTNUT (_Orrhodia_ (_Conistra_) _erythrocephala_).
The portraits of this species on Plate 11 are from Austrian specimens. Fig.
1 is typical and Fig. 2 is ab. _glabra_, Hubner.
A specimen was captured at Marlow, Bucks, in October, 1859, by Mr. A. H.
Clarke, who presented it to the British Museum in 1903; but perhaps the
earliest-known British specimen was one taken near Brighton in 1847.
Between the {24} last-named Sussex locality and Eastbourne in one
direction, and Lewes in the other, one or more specimens of the type or of
ab. _glabra_ have occurred from time to time, but there are no records from
the county for a number of years now. The species has also been noted from
Hampshire (New Forest and Bournemouth), Somerset, Devon, Kent (Darenth),
and Hertfordshire (St. Albans). The most recent records refer to two
captures at Bournemouth in 1902.
THE CHESTNUT (_Orrhodia_ (_Conistra_) _vaccinii_).
Figure 3 on Plate 11 represents this species in its typical form, which is
of a dark chestnut colour, and almost without markings. The brighter red
modification of this form has been named ab. _rufa_, Tutt; while another
assuming the blacker hue of _O. ligula_ has been described as ab.
_unicolor_, Tutt. In some of the redder forms the cross lines are dark and
conspicuous, thus approaching ab. _spadicea_, Hubner, which has distinct
black lines as seen in Fig. 6. It should be noted that the figure just
referred to is from a German specimen, as I was unable to obtain a suitable
British example of the form. Another far more frequent form of this
variable species is ab. _mixta_, Staud. (Fig. 4), in which the ground
colour is ochreous, more or less tinged with red; the more yellow-coloured
examples of this form have been separated under the name _ochrea_, Tutt.
Figure 5 shows a form that is rather less common than either of those just
adverted to; the specimen is one of a short series from Kent that I have
labelled ab. _suffusa_, Tutt; as will be noticed, the band on the outer
area is in strong contrast to the rest of the fore wings. Apart from the
above and other named forms, there is considerable aberration in the
markings, and more especially as regards the stigmata. The lower extremity
of the reniform is usually black or blackish, but it may be very faint or
entirely absent, and as a contrast {25} to this, the orbicular sometimes
has a blackish dot at its lower end.
The caterpillar feeds, in May and June, on oak, elm, etc., and also upon
low-growing plants. It is reddish brown above, and greenish beneath,
sometimes the upper surface is tinged with green also; the back is freckled
with pale brown, and the three lines along it are faintly paler, the raised
dots are whitish; head, glossy pale brown, freckled with reddish-brown, and
lined with darker brown.
The moth occurs at sugar, ivy bloom, etc., in the autumn and early winter,
also at sallow catkins in the spring, in probably almost all wooded
localities throughout the British Isles.
Its range abroad extends to Japan.
THE DARK CHESTNUT (_Orrhodia_ (_Conistra_) _ligula_).
Four examples of this species are shown on Plate 11. The typical form has a
white band on the outer area of the fore wings (Fig. 7); sometimes this
band is ochreous (ab. _subnigra_, Haworth), and a modification of this, in
which the outlines of the stigmata and the veins are pale, is var.
_ochrea_, Tutt. Ab. _polita_, Hubner (Fig. 9), has a whitish-grey
submarginal band and greyish cross lines, and ab. _spadicea_, Haworth (Fig.
10), is a dark form without any distinct markings. This species has long
been incorrectly known as _spadicea_, Hubner, which, as noted above, is a
form of _vaccinii_, L. Staudinger, probably to prevent confusion, deposed
_spadicea_, Haworth, and set up _subspadicea_ in its place.
Fig. 8 represents a specimen from North Kent that somewhat suggests ab.
_suffusa_, Tutt, of the previous species. On comparing the outer marginal
contour of the fore wings of these closely allied species, it will be noted
that in all forms of _ligula_ the margin below the tip is always slightly
concave, thus giving {26} the wings a decidedly pointed tip, a character
which will serve to distinguish _ligula_ from _vaccinii_ in nearly every
instance.
The caterpillar is reddish brown, freckled with paler; the three pale lines
along the back are distinctly white on the plate on ring 1, the outer lines
edged below with brownish; spiracles outlined in black, and the stripe
along them is reddish ochreous. It feeds in spring and early summer, at
first on oak, sallow, and hawthorn, and afterwards on low-growing weeds.
The moth flies in October and November, and as it lives through the winter
is seen at sugar on any mild night, but it does not seem to turn up at the
sallow catkins in the spring. The species is rather less generally
distributed than the last, but it is not uncommon in the southern and
eastern counties, and is found throughout England to the Tyne. Recorded
from very few localities in Ireland, and apparently not noticed in
Scotland.
THE DOTTED CHESTNUT (_Orrhodia_ (_Dasycampa_) _rubiginea_).
A pair of typical specimens are represented on Plate 11, Figs. 11 and 12. A
form of the species occurring in Somersetshire has the fore wings reddish
brown, and the usual black dots are largely absent (ab. _unicolor_, Tutt).
The caterpillar (Plate 6, Fig. 2) is purplish brown freckled with blackish;
there are three obscure paler lines along the back from ring 3, and a
central series of black spots; the head is black, and the fine hairs of the
body are yellowish brown. It feeds, in May and June, on apple, plum,
dandelion, etc. The fact has been noted that, if supplied with apple until
about half grown, and afterwards with dandelion, it attains full size more
quickly than when kept to one kind of food only.
The moth appears in October and November, retires during the cold weather,
and comes forth again in the spring. When {27} reared in confinement, it
emerges from the chrysalis about a month earlier. Ivy bloom, ripe yew
berries, and also sugar attract it in the autumn, and in the spring it
visits the blossoms of sallow, damson, and sloe. There are several records
of its having been taken at light, perhaps the latest of these being that
of a specimen captured at Exeter on April 11, 1906.
Except in Devonshire, where it is of more regular occurrence, the species
is far from common in England, but is taken in, or has been recorded from,
the counties of Dorset, Wilts, Gloucester, Hereford, Monmouth (S. Wales),
Hants and Isle of Wight, Sussex, Surrey, Berks, Bucks, and Cambridge. In
Ireland it is noted from Dublin, King's County, Kerry, Wicklow, and Galway.
It is represented in Japan by the larger ab. _fornax_, Butler.
THE SATELLITE (_Eupsilia_ (_Scopelosoma_) _satellitia_).
An example of each sex of this species is shown on Plate 12, together with
a less common form. Although specimens vary in the amount of red in the
colour of the fore wings, there is more striking aberration in the colour
of the lunular marks representing the reniform stigma; these are frequently
white, but may be yellow (typical), or reddish orange in either sex. The
dull brownish specimen (Fig. 3) is from Yorkshire, and appears to be
referable to var. _brunnea_, Lampa.
The caterpillar is dark brown, with indistinct paler lines on the back; the
line along the spiracles is white or whitish, but often reduced to a series
of spots on rings 1, 2, 5, and 11. Head, ochreous-brown, darker about the
mouth. It feeds, in May and June, on the leaves of oak, beech, elm, and
other trees, also on low plants; and has a keen appetite, it is said, for
other caterpillars when the opportunity offers.
The moth is out in September, and may be seen at ivy bloom or sugar during
that month, and also in October and November {28} if the weather is
favourable; it is early on the wing again in the spring.
Although apparently uncommon in some few parts, the species seems to be
generally distributed and plentiful throughout England, Wales, Scotland up
to Ross (recorded from Stromma, Orkney), and Ireland.
In Japan, a greyish form with larger spots (ab. _tripuncta_, Butler)
occurs.
THE TAWNY PINION (_Lithophane_ (_Xylina_) _semibrunnea_).
An example of this species is represented on Plate 12, Fig. 4. The black
streak from above the middle of the inner margin towards the hind margin
should be noted, as this character distinguishes _semibrunnea_ from dark
forms of the following species--_L. socia._
The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a broad creamy stripe along the
middle of the back, and two indistinct fine lines on each side; below the
black-outlined white spiracles is a yellow stripe. Head, bluish green,
freckled with darker green. It feeds on ash in May and June.
The moth appears on the wing, and may be seen at ivy bloom and sugar, from
September to November, and is sometimes captured at sallow, after
hibernation, in March or April.
It is on record that two specimens taken in November were kept in
confinement, and three other captives were added in February. All continued
to live until June, and two were still alive on the 23rd of that month.
Although this species is found more or less regularly in most of the
English counties south of Worcester on the west, and Huntingdon on the
east, it is always very local, and never plentiful. It has been reported
from Carmarthenshire in South Wales; and Kane states that in Ireland it has
been taken in Galway and Kerry.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 12.
1-3. THE SATELLITE.
6. GREY SHOULDER-KNOT.
4. TAWNY PINION.
7. EARLY GREY.
5. PALE PINION.
8, 9. GOLDEN-ROD BRINDLE.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 13.
1, 2. THE CONFORMIST.
3. THE NONCONFORMIST.
4, 5. THE CUDWEED.
{29}
THE PALE PINION (_Lithophane_ (_Xylina_) _socia_).
The pale ochreous-brown insect shown on Plate 12, Fig. 5, is without the
dark, sometimes blackish suffusion on the inner area which is
characteristic of the type of this species. Var. _rufescens_, Tutt, is a
reddish form.
The caterpillar is pale green with three white lines, the central one broad
and stripe-like; the line along the spiracles is yellow. Head, pale green,
variegated with white. (Adapted from Porritt.)
The moth comes to ivy bloom, sugar, etc., in September and October, and
even later if the weather is mild. After hibernation it reappears as early
as February, and visits the sallows as soon as the catkins open.
Although it seems to be absent from the eastern counties, except
Cambridge--where, however, it is scarce--this species is found in most of
the other counties mentioned for the last species. It is generally more
plentiful, especially in the west. Occasionally specimens have been taken
in Cumberland, and single examples have been recorded from the Liverpool
and Hartlepool districts. It seems to be not uncommon in South Wales, and
has been reported from Capel Curig, in Carnarvonshire. As regards Ireland,
Kane says that there are few Irish localities where this species is not
found.
THE CONFORMIST (_Graptolitha_ (_Xylina_) _furcifera_).
The typical form of this species has the fore wings of a pale slaty grey
colour; this, however, does not seem to occur in Britain. Our form, var.
_suffusa_, Tutt (shown on Plate 13, Figs. 1 and 2), is much darker grey
with blackish mottling, a yellowish mark at the base and a reddish cloud in
the reniform stigma; the outer area is more or less tinged with violet, and
this tint sometimes spreads over the whole of the fore wings; {30} the
inner margin is tinged with reddish orange at the base, or along the basal
half, and there are some clouds of the same colour on the black submarginal
line. This is _conformis_ of British authors.
The caterpillar (drawn from a skin, Plate 8, Fig. 1) is olive brown, tinged
with green above, and paler brown, tinged with pink beneath; the dots are
yellowish in black circles, and there is a dark olive-brown mark on ring 1;
there are three yellow lines along the back, the central one interrupted by
darker brown freckles, clustered so as to form a series of diamond-shaped
patches, and the others are edged above with dark olive. It feeds on alder,
from April to June.
The moth is out in September and October, and, after hibernation, in March
and April. Ivy bloom and sugar attract it in the autumn, and it has been
taken at sallow catkins as well as at sugar in the spring.
Since 1861, when its occurrence in Wales was first announced, it has been
found more or less regularly in Glamorganshire, South Wales, or the
adjoining English county of Monmouth. The latest record is that by Mr. P.
J. Barraud, who took a male specimen at sallow bloom in the Wye Valley on
March 31, 1907. The capture of a specimen at sugar, near Brighton,
September 13, 1898, has been reported. One specimen has been recorded from
Yorks., another from Westmoreland; and in 1902, two from near Lancaster.
Wales, however, appears to be the home of this species in the British
Isles.
THE NONCONFORMIST (_Graptolitha_ (_Xylina_) _lamda_).
The example of this species shown on Plate 13, Fig. 3, is of the typical
form, and hails from the Continent. Of the six specimens observed in
England the majority have been recorded as _zinckenii_, Treitschke, a form
having the fore wings more variegated with white. Another form, ab.
_somniculosa_, Hering, {31} has most of the typical markings, especially on
the outer area, absent.
The earliest occurrence of this species in Britain appears to have been
that of a specimen on the trunk of a poplar tree in the northern environs
of London, October, 1865. Then on September 30, 1866, one was detected on
the bole of a willow tree in a locality not indicated more definitely than
"near New Cross"; another specimen was taken in the same year in the
Guildford district, at sugar. On October 3, 1870, a fourth was found on the
reverse side of a tree that had been sugared, at Dartford, Kent; and a
specimen, labelled Erith, September, 1875, was in the collection of the
late Mr. Bond. Lastly, a specimen came to sugar at Copdock, Ipswich, in
late September, 1895.
The range of this species abroad extends through Scandinavia, Belgium,
North Germany, and North Russia, to East Siberia, and Amurland. It is found
in North America, where it is known as _thaxteri_, Grote.
THE GREY SHOULDER-KNOT (_Graptolitha_ (_Xylina_) _ornithopus_).
The moth, of which a portrait will be found on Plate 12, Fig. 6, emerges
from the chrysalis in the autumn, and may then be found at night on ivy
bloom or at the sugar patch; and in the daytime it may frequently be seen
on tree trunks, palings, etc. After hibernation, it is again seen in the
spring, on fences, pales, etc., and visits the sallow catkins at night.
Females of this species, and other hibernating kinds, taken in the spring
generally deposit fertile eggs pretty freely; often such specimens are not
in the best condition, but one female, if she has not already parted with
most of her eggs, will as a rule deposit quite as many as the collector is
likely to need.
The caterpillar is of a blue-green colour with whitish freckles; {32} three
broken whitish lines along the back; head, green, with a paler mark on each
cheek. It is to be found in May and early June on the leaves of oak.
The species is widely distributed throughout England and Wales, but is more
frequently met with in the south than in the north. It is found in
Scotland, but only rarely, and the same remark applies to Ireland
generally, although the species is not uncommon in some parts of Wicklow,
Cork, and Kerry.
Its range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE GOLDEN-ROD BRINDLE (_Lithomoia solidaginis_).
On Plate 12, Fig. 8 represents a Lancashire specimen, whilst Fig. 9 is
taken from an Aberdeen example. The first, having the central area suffused
with brown, is more nearly typical, and the other varies in the direction
of ab. _virgata_, Tutt, in which form the central shade is black. Other
named forms are--ab. _cinerascens_, Staud. = _pallida_, Tutt (pale
ashy-grey, central shade almost or quite obsolete), ab. _suffusa_, Tutt
(similar to _virgata_, but the basal area also black or blackish).
The caterpillar is brown, with a purplish or violet tinge, and freckled
with grey; an indistinct line along the middle of the back and a creamy
stripe along the sides, the latter is edged above with black; head, shining
reddish-brown, freckled with darker brown. It feeds on bilberry, bearberry
(_Arctostaphylos uva-ursi_), heather, sallow, birch, and hawthorn, and is
to be found from May to July.
The moth is out in August and September, and in its woodland and moorland
haunts is to be seen sitting about on the dead stems of bracken, charred
twigs and stems of heather, or on birch trunks, rocks, walls, etc. When
thus resting, however, they very closely resemble twisted birch bark,
grouse droppings, and other common objects occurring in the haunts of the
species, so that its detection is not easy at first. {33}
In England this species is found from Shropshire and Staffordshire
northwards to Cumberland; thence through Scotland to Aberdeen and
Sutherland. In Wales it has been obtained commonly near Rhos in the north.
Abroad its range spreads to Amurland; and it occurs in North America, where
it is known as _germana_, Morrison.
THE EARLY GREY (_Xylocampa areola_).
A typical specimen of this widely distributed and, at least in the southern
half of England, rather common species, is shown on Plate 12, Fig. 7. A
dark form has been named ab. _suffusa_, Tutt, and one with the fore wings
of the typical grey colour, but with a pinkish flush, is ab. _rosea_, Tutt.
The caterpillar (figured from a skin, on Plate 8, Fig. 2) is
yellowish-brown, with a fine pale central line along the back, often only
distinct on rings 1, 11, and 12, and always obscured by dark brown patches
on 7 and 8; a blackish line low down along the sides. The body tapers
towards each end, and especially so towards the small head. It lives upon
honey-suckle, and feeds on the leaves at night, during May and June, or
sometimes later.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.
EARLY GREY AT REST.
(Photo by W. J. Lucas.)]
The moth appears in March and April, and, in the daytime, is often met with
at rest on posts, fences, and the trunks of trees; also upon stone walls,
but seemingly less frequently, probably owing to the moth being then less
easy to detect. At night it flies around sallow bushes and sometimes
settles on the catkins, but is always on the alert. {34}
THE SWORD-GRASS (_Calocampa exoleta_).
Except that the pale grey brown fore wings are more clouded with blackish
in some specimens than in others, there is little of importance to note.
Usually there are two black wedges pointing inwards from the indistinct
submarginal line, but occasionally one, or more rarely both, may be absent.
(Plate 14, Figs. 3 [male] and 4 [female].)
The caterpillar is green, with two series of white spotted black marks, the
line below these is yellow, and that lower down on the side is bright red;
the spots between the lines are white, encircled with black. From April to
May it feeds, often in the sunshine, as well as at night, on restharrow,
thistles, stonecrop, groundsel, dock, in fact on almost all low-growing
plants, as well as the foliage of some trees. The caterpillars of this and
the next species are exceedingly pretty creatures, and are sure to attract
attention whenever met with. Dr. Chapman notes that the caterpillar will
feed on stale leaves.
The moth emerges in the autumn, and seems to be on the wing until quite
late in the year, and is seen again as early as March, and thence on until
May. One male and two females captured at sugar, March 12 and 13, were
placed in a glass cylinder with various food plants, and a sprig of sallow
catkins, moistened occasionally with syrup, afforded nourishment for the
moths every evening. On April 13, two batches of eggs were noted on nettle,
but these were not fertile. On April 15 and 20 pairing took place; and by
May 3 over three thousand eggs had been deposited. On May 13 the two
females, being still alive, were set at liberty (Goodwin).
Although it certainly appears to be less frequently seen in the south than
northwards, the species is known to occur pretty well all over England and
Wales. In Scotland, where it is generally commoner than in England, except
perhaps in the {35} northern counties of the latter, its range extends to
the Orkneys.
Abroad, it is found throughout Europe (except the most northern parts);
Asia to Japan; and the Canaries.
THE RED SWORD-GRASS (_Calocampa vetusta_).
In this species the ground colour of the fore wings varies from whity brown
to ochreous brown with a slight reddish tinge. A greyish shade spreads from
the base along the median vein to below the reniform stigma in the paler
and more typical specimens; the inner area is dark brown, but widely broken
below the reniform by the grey suffusion. The specimens figured on Plate 14
(Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]) are from Sligo, Ireland, and are referable to
var. _brunnea_, Tutt. The inner area in this form is red-brown, or
inclining to blackish brown.
The caterpillar is green, with three yellow lines along the back, and a
reddish orange stripe along the area of the spiracles; a series of
black-circled white dots on each side of the central line; in the form
figured (from a skin) on Plate 8, Fig. 3, the lines on the back are white,
and the spaces between them black, dotted with white; the stripe along the
reddish spiracles also white, edged above with black; head, shining light
reddish brown. It feeds, from May to July, on various low herbage, such as
dock, persicaria, knotgrass, etc., also sedges and yellow flag.
The moth appears in September and October, and again in March and April,
but seems to have been noted at various times both earlier and later.
Mathew records that a female captured at sugar on June 11, deposited 36
eggs during the following week. These were laid in a chip box, and the
caterpillars hatched out on June 24, fed up quickly on knotgrass, attained
full growth by July 24, and pupated about that date. {36} One moth emerged
September 29, and five others, including three cripples, later.
This species is most frequent in Ireland and Scotland, being distributed
throughout the latter country to Orkney and Shetland. It has been noted
from almost every part of England, but does not seem to be plentiful
generally in the country.
The distribution abroad ranges to East Siberia and to North America.
THE MULLEIN (_Cucullia verbasci_).
Two specimens, representing both sexes, of this species are shown on Plate
15, Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]. Sometimes the darker colour on the marginal
areas, especially the inner, inclines to blackish; while in some specimens
the whole of the fore wings is suffused with brownish.
The caterpillar is white with a greenish tinge, each ring of the body is
banded with yellow, has four black spots on the back, and some black dots
and lines on the sides; the head is yellowish, dotted with black. It may be
found in June and July quite exposed on mullein (_Verbascum thapsus_, and
_V. pulverulentum_); also figwort (_Scrophularia nodosa_, and _S.
aquatica_). Barrett states that it has been noted on _Buddlaea globosa_, an
American plant sometimes grown in gardens. These caterpillars are certainly
attacked by parasitical flies, but do not seem to be quite so frequently
"stung" as those of some other species of the "Sharks." The caterpillar
figured on Plate 18, Fig. 1, was obtained at Box Hill by Mr. Norman Riley.
The moth is out in late April and in May, and, except an occasional capture
at light, is rarely seen in the open. The caterpillars are probably
obtainable in most English and Welsh counties, especially the southern ones
of both countries, wherever there is an abundance of its food plants.
Except that McArthur found the species in the Isle of Lewis, in 1901, there
is no record from Scotland. In Ireland it has been recorded from Dublin by
Birchall; and in 1901 three moths were taken at Timoleague, Co. Cork, and
caterpillars later on were plentiful in the district.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 14.
1, 2. RED SWORD-GRASS, _male and female_.
3, 4. THE SWORD-GRASS, " " "
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 15.
1, 2. THE MULLEIN MOTH.
4, 5. THE STRIPED LYCHNIS.
3. THE WATER BETONY.
6. THE STARWORT.
{37}
THE WATER BETONY (_Cucullia scrophulariae_).
A good deal of confusion exists both in Britain and on the Continent as to
the identity of the _Cucullia_ figured and described by Capieux in 1789,
and by most authors since that time. I have received over twenty specimens
from Austria, Germany, and other parts of Europe, sent to me as
_scrophulariae_. As I have been unable to separate the majority of these
specimens from _C. lychnitis_, and the others from _C. verbasci_, Mr. F. N.
Pierce has been good enough to examine the genitalia of six of the males,
and of these he reports four are _C. lychnitis_, and two are _C. verbasci_.
In England we certainly have a _Cucullia_ sometimes appearing in the moth
state rather later than _C. verbasci_ and always earlier than _C.
lychnitis;_ the caterpillar producing it feeds on _Scrophularia nodosa_ in
July. It is, however, very local, and is found chiefly in North Kent, and
occasionally in the Eastern Counties. Mr. Pierce finds that the male
genitalia of a North Kent _scrophulariae_ sent to him do not differ from
these parts in _C. verbasci_, but Dr. Chapman informs me that he detects a
slight difference in one that he examined.
It must be admitted that the identity of the North Kent and East Anglian
_Cucullia_ with the _scrophulariae_ of Capieux is very doubtful, but we
evidently shall not be greatly opposed to Continental methods if we
continue to allow April and May moths resulting from Scrophularia nodosa
caterpillars to do duty for _C. scrophulariae_. I have therefore figured as
this species a specimen that was reared, with others, in April and May,
1877, from larvae obtained in the Dartford marshes. (Plate 15, Fig. 3.)
{38}
The caterpillar is of a whitish-grey colour; along the middle of the back
is a series of broad deep yellow triangles pointing backwards, each edged
on both sides by large confluent deep black spots, usually forming a
somewhat C-shaped marking, which encloses another yellow spot, and below is
followed by several black spots; behind all these, on each segment, is a
deep green transverse spotless band. The forms of the black markings,
composed of united spots, vary in the degree of union of these spots; each
anterior spot is confluent with the posterior one below it, but does not
unite transversely with the others; in one variety they resemble tadpole
forms united by the tails, in another these tails are as thick as the spots
and form blotched curves; and in still another they are so thick and
confluent as to include some of the side spots, thus completely edging two
sides of the yellow triangle with a blotched black border. (Adapted from
Buckler.)
THE STRIPED LYCHNIS (_Cucullia lychnitis_).
An example of each sex of this species is shown on Plate 15, Figs. 4 and 5.
The general colour of the fore wings is paler, and the streaks along the
front and inner margins are darker than in _C. verbasci_; and the outer
margins of the wings are less jagged.
The caterpillar (figured on Plate 18, Fig. 2, from a photo by Mr. H. Main)
is greenish white or yellow; the rings are cross banded with yellow and
spotted with black; usually the spots are united as in the figure,
sometimes they are smaller and well separated, and occasionally all but
those low down along the sides are absent. Coupled with decrease in size
and number of the black spots, there is variation in the width of the
yellow bands. _Verbascum nigrum_ is the more usual food plant in Britain,
but it will also eat _V. lychnitis_. It feeds, in July and August, on the
flowers and unripe seed capsules in preference to the foliage. {39}
Between sixty and seventy years ago, the late Mr. Samuel Stevens obtained
the caterpillars on mullein growing in a chalk pit at Arundel in Sussex,
and this seems to be the earliest notice of the species occurring in
Britain. It is now known also to inhabit Hampshire, Surrey, and
Oxfordshire; has been reported from Norfolk, Suffolk, and Gloucestershire.
THE STAR-WORT (_Cucullia asteris_).
The silvery-grey fore wings of this moth (Plate 15, Fig. 6) are broadly
suffused with reddish brown along the front margin, and more narrowly with
purplish brown inclining to blackish along the inner margin; the latter is
separated from a purplish brown blotch at the outer angle by a whitish
edged black curved mark.
The caterpillar (figured on Plate 18, Fig. 3, from a photo by Mr. Main) is
green with a black-edged yellow stripe along the back, and another along
the white spiracles; between these stripes are two pale greenish lines;
head, green, sprinkled with blackish. In another form the body is suffused
with reddish, inclining to purplish on the back; yellow markings pretty
much as in the green form. It feeds chiefly on golden-rod (_Solidago
virgaurea_) and sea star-wort (_Aster tripolium_), showing a decided
preference for the flowers, but will eat the foliage of the plants
mentioned. In confinement it can be reared on garden asters and Michaelmas
daisy. It may be obtained on its food plants from July well into September.
The moth emerges in June and July as a rule, sometimes in early August, but
has been known to come from the chrysalis during September up to the 23rd
of that month. The species is found often abundantly in the caterpillar
state in the seaboard counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex,
Hants, and Dorset. In Surrey it has occurred at Haslemere, and in {40} the
Croydon district (?); and it has been recorded from Herefordshire and North
Lancashire.
The range abroad extends to East Siberia, Amurland, and Japan.
THE SHARK (_Cucullia umbratica_).
On the fore wings of this greyish species (Plate 16, Figs. 5 [male] and 6
[female]) there is some variation in the short black streaks on the basal
and outer areas, and in the dots around the stigma; the front margin is
sometimes brownish tinged. The hind wings of the female are always darker
than those of the male.
The caterpillar feeds on plants of the sowthistle (_Sonchus_) kind, also on
garden lettuce and the wild species. It may be found in August and early
September, but, as it feeds only at night, it should be searched for in the
daytime on the undersides of the lower leaves. In general colour it is
ochreous inclining to greyish, with an intricate raised pattern in blackish
on the upper surface; the head is black, and there is a yellow spotted
sooty brown plate on the first ring of the body.
The moth is to be seen in June and July, sitting on the upper parts of
palings, and other kinds of wooden fencing; also on tent pegs, etc.; but it
is not easy to detect even when its whereabouts is indicated. At night it
visits flowers of campion, sweet william, honeysuckle, etc.
Widely distributed throughout the British Isles to the Orkneys, but
seemingly more plentiful and regular in occurrence in the south of England
than in the north.
THE CHAMOMILE SHARK (_Cucullia chamomillae_).
Although somewhat similar to the last species, this moth may be
distinguished by the more brownish tinge of its grey fore wings. The hind
wings are also brown-grey in both sexes, but darkest in the female. {41}
Sometimes the central area of the fore wings is clouded with blackish from
the front to the inner margin; such specimens are referable to ab.
_chrysanthemi_, Hubn. (Plate 16, Figs. 1 typical, 2 ab.)
The caterpillar, which may be found in the summer months, is greenish white
with zigzag olive markings, the lines on the back meeting in the middle of
each ring, where there is a small pinkish blotch; head, pale yellowish,
striped with brown on the face. It feeds on wild chamomile (_Matricaria_),
stinking mayweed (_Anthemis_), and _Pyrethrum_ (Plate 18, Fig. 1). The Rev.
Miles Moss, writing his experience of this species at Rossall, near
Fleetwood, Lancashire, notes that until half-grown the caterpillars live
exposed, and are then found lying in a half-circle on the crowns of
unexpanded flower heads. At this time they are green with dark and also
white markings. He adds that caterpillars measuring about an inch in length
when collected, were preparing for pupation a week later.
The moth is out in April and May, and has been captured even in July. When
chrysalids are kept indoors, but not dry, the moths sometimes emerge in
March, and occasionally in the earlier months of the year. A habit more or
less general among the species of this genus is to remain in the chrysalis
state for two or more winters; the present species has been known to emerge
during March of the first, second, and third years following that in which
the caterpillars were found.
Widely distributed over England and Wales, but apparently most frequent in
the seaboard counties. In Scotland it occurs up to Perthshire, and it is
found on various parts of the Irish coast.
THE CUDWEED (_Cucullia gnaphalii_).
Portraits of two specimens of this very local species, kindly lent by Mr.
R. Adkin, will be found on Plate 13, Figs. 4 and 5. {42} The general
coloration is usually silvery grey, but occasionally it inclines to
yellowish. The moth has rarely been noted by day, and only one specimen
seems to have been captured on the wing. Even caterpillars are by no means
common in their best-known localities, and of those obtained after much
labour a large proportion may frequently prove to have been the victims of
parasitic flies.
The caterpillar is green, inclining to olive green, thickly freckled with
pale yellow atoms; a purplish-brown stripe along the middle of the back and
two faint purplish lines along the sides; a pale yellow line along the
region of the black-edged spiracles, which are set in purplish-brown
blotches. (Adapted from Buckler.)
Its food plant is golden-rod (_Solidago_) and it feeds at night and hides
by day, low down on the stems or under the leaves: July to September. In
confinement the caterpillars will eat garden aster and Michaelmas daisy.
The British haunts of the species are chiefly in Kent (Sevenoaks, Tunbridge
Wells, etc.), and Sussex (Tilgate Forest, etc.); but according to Barrett
it is also known from Hampshire, Surrey, and Essex. Abroad, the range
extends through Central Europe to Southern Scandinavia, Livonia, Southern
Russia, the Altai Mountains, Italy, and Armenia; but the species is nowhere
plentiful.
It may be mentioned here that a very closely allied, and on the Continent
common, species--_C. xeranthemi_, Boisduval--might easily be mistaken for
_C. gnaphalii_.
THE WORMWOOD (_Cucullia absinthii_).
This moth is shown on Plate 16, Fig. 4. The fore wings are usually tinged
with purplish over the greyish ground colour; black dots on the stigmata
give to each of these marks some resemblance to the figure 8. {43}
The caterpillar, which feeds on the flowers and seeds of wormwood
(_Artemisia absinthium_) and will eat mugwort (_A. vulgaris_), is best
found on sunny days. It is yellowish green, suffused with purplish grey on
the back of each ring; there are three pale green lines along the back, and
an ochreous grey plate on ring 1. To be found in August and early
September, but on dull days it must be sought for among the lower leaves,
or on the ground. When resting among the flowers it so closely harmonises
with them that it might easily escape detection.
The moth is out in July.
The species is perhaps most abundant on the South Devonshire coast, but its
range extends into Cornwall, and eastward to the Isle of Portland and the
Isle of Wight; it is not uncommon along the coasts of North Devon (Lee and
Croyde), Somerset (Minehead), and South Wales. It has also been recorded
from North Wales, and from parts of the Suffolk coast. In Ireland, a
specimen was taken in a garden at Cromlyn, Westmeath, in 1873, and more
recently two specimens of the moth, and also some caterpillars, were
obtained at Timoleague, Cork.
_Cucullia artemisiae (abrotani)_.
This species, of which a Continental example is represented on Plate 16,
Fig. 3, is apparently exceedingly rare in this country, and most probably
is not a native.
In the collection of the late Dr. Mason, which was dispersed at Stevens' in
1905, there were three specimens, each of which had seemingly been included
among series of _C. absinthii_ purchased at three separate sales. A fourth
specimen, also mixed with _C. absinthii_, was in the collection of the late
Rev. H. Burney. Two other specimens have been reported from Devonshire,
where, it is said, they were found sitting on a fence. {44}
The caterpillar feeds, in August and September, on wormwood and other kinds
of _Artemisia_. It is green with red raised spots, a white line along the
middle of the back, and a yellow stripe low down along the sides; head,
brown inclining to blackish above. The moth is out in June and July.
THE BEAUTIFUL YELLOW UNDERWING (_Anarta myrtilli_).
In its typical form (Plate 17, Figs. 1, 2) this species has the fore wings
purplish brown or blackish brown, whilst in var. _rufescens_, Tutt, the
general colour of the fore wings is reddish inclining to crimson, and the
white markings are clearly defined. In some dark specimens the markings are
more or less obscure, and in others only the central white dot is distinct.
The caterpillar is green, dotted and marked with white; there are three
rows of yellowish bars along the back, those forming the outer series
slightly curved. It is to be found on ling (_Calluna vulgaris_), also on
heath (_Erica_), from July to October, but it seems to be more frequently
obtained in early autumn. Occasionally it has been found in the spring.
Hawthorn has been mentioned as a food-plant (Plate 20, Fig. 1).
The moth has been taken in each month from April to August, but it is
perhaps most plentiful from May to July. The species occurs on heath and
moorlands throughout the British Isles, but so far it has not been recorded
from the Shetlands. It flies on sunny days and is very active on the wing,
but when the sun is obscured, or towards evening, it may be found at rest
on the heather sprays, usually at their tips.
THE SMALL DARK YELLOW UNDERWING (_Anarta cordigera_).
The pretty moth represented on Plate 17, Fig. 7, is only found in the
British Isles, on the mountains of Scotland, chiefly in Perthshire and
Aberdeenshire. Sometimes the basal area of the fore wings is suffused with
black, and to a lesser extent the outer area also (var. _aethiops_, Hoffm.
= _suffusa_, Tutt); on the other hand, typical examples have both basal and
outer areas silvery grey, and the central area black. A form, which I have
not seen, is described as having the black central area broken by an ashy
cross band passing between the stigmata (var. _variegata_, Tutt).
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 16.
1, 2. CHAMOMILE SHARK.
4. THE WORMWOOD.
3. _CUCULLIA ARTEMISIAE_.
5, 6. THE SHARK.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 17.
1, 2. BEAUTIFUL YELLOW UNDERWING.
3, 4. SMALL YELLOW UNDERWING.
5, 6. BROAD-BORDERED WHITE UNDERWING.
7. SMALL DARK YELLOW UNDERWING.
8, 9. THE PEASE BLOSSOM.
10, 11. BORDERED SALLOW.
{45} The caterpillar is reddish brown, with three white lines along the
back, and a reddish-freckled ochreous stripe low down on the sides.
Sometimes the general colour is blackish. It feeds on bearberry
(_Arctostaphylos_) in June and July; also said to eat _Vaccinium
uliginosum_; in confinement it will thrive on _Arbutus unedo_, commonly
known as the "strawberry tree."
The moth is out in May, when it flies in the sunshine, and in dull weather
sits about on the rocks, stones, lichen, etc. Mr. Cockayne notes that at
Rannoch he met with it from May 17 in numbers, but always in isolated spots
where bearberry was plentiful. Here the moths were either feeding on the
flowers or settled on the ground. He further remarks that this species
occurs at the comparatively low elevation of 800 to 900 feet, whereas the
next species ascends to 2000 feet.
The distribution abroad extends to Amurland and Labrador.
THE BROAD-BORDERED WHITE UNDERWING (_Anarta melanopa_).
This species has the ground colour of the fore wings greyish in the type
and brownish in var. _wistromi_, Lampa. Specimens with the fore wings more
or less typical, but with the normally white area of hind wings dark
greyish, are referable to ab. _rupestralis._ I remember seeing a specimen
of the last-named form in the collection of the late Mr. S. Stevens, but I
believe that it is very rare in the British Isles. In all forms there is
variation in the stigmata, and in the orbicular especially. (Plate 17,
Figs. 5 [male] and 6 [female].) {46}
The caterpillar is of a purplish pink colour, with a black-edged
ochreous-brown line along the middle of the back, broken up by
reddish-brown triangles; the stripe along the region of the black spiracles
is yellowish white flecked with red; the sides of the body above the stripe
are flecked with reddish, and above them is a yellowish-white line and some
black marks. Head, brownish, freckled with darker. It feeds at night, in
July, on bilberry (_Vaccinium myrtillus_), cowberry (_V. vitis-idaea_), and
can also be reared on strawberry tree, sallow, knotgrass, etc. In the
daytime it must be searched for under the leaves.
The moth is out in May and the early part of June, and is most active in
the sunshine, but flies on dull days when the weather is warm. It seems
confined to the higher level of the mountains, and its habits are similar
to those of the last species, but its range extends to the Shetland Isles.
The species was not recognised as British until about 1830, and the same
remark applies to _A. cordigera._
THE SMALL YELLOW UNDERWING (_Heliaca tenebrata_).
The fore wings are a little more reddish in some specimens than in others,
and occasionally the yellow of the hind wings is much reduced in area by
the expansion of the black border, or it may be suffused with blackish.
(Plate 17, Figs. 3 and 4.)
The caterpillar is green, with three lines along the back, the central one
dark green and the others whitish, bordered below with dark green; the
stripe low down along the sides is yellowish white, edged above with dark
green. It feeds, in June and July, on mouse-ear chickweed (_Cerastium_),
devouring the blossom and seeds, when young boring into the unripe capsule.
The moth flies on sunny days in May and early June, and is more or less
common in grass-bordered lanes, hay meadows, etc., in most counties
throughout the southern part of England. {47} In the midland counties it
appears to be far more local, thence to Durham (its northern limit in
England) it is generally scarce. It has been recorded from Pembrokeshire
and Flintshire, in Wales. A specimen has been reported from Robroyston,
near Glasgow, in Scotland. As the species has been obtained in Kerry and
Sligo, the probability is that it occurs in other parts of Ireland.
THE PEASE-BLOSSOM (_Chariclea delphinii_).
The beautifully tinted moth represented by Figs. 8 and 9 on Plate 17 was
known as British to Haworth (1802), but it had been figured by Wilkes in
1773, and by Moses Harris in 1775. In 1829 Stephens remarked that there
were then but few native specimens in British cabinets, among which were
examples from the Windsor district "caught about fifteen years since, in
June." He adds, the interest and value of these, and older specimens, was
lessened by "the execrable practice of introducing Continental insects into
collections." Stainton (1857) refers to the Windsor specimens only, and
Newman (1869) ignores the species altogether. In 1902 two specimens were
presented to the British Museum by Mr. J. F. Bennett, and are now in the
National Collection of British Lepidoptera. These were obtained at Brighton
in 1876 by the donor's father, but whether captured or reared is not known.
THE BORDERED SALLOW (_Pyrrhia umbra_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 17, Figs. 10, 11) in its typical form
are yellow inclining to orange, with the outer area more or less tinted
with purplish. In a paler form, ab. _marginata_, Fab., the fore wings are
without the orange tint, and the outer area is rather greyish brown. {48}
The caterpillar (Plate 20, Fig. 4) is grey or greenish, speckled with
white, and with raised black dots; there are three lines along the back,
the central one white edged, broader and darker than the outer ones, which
are sometimes white; a white-edged pale yellow stripe low down along the
sides. In some examples the general colour is pinkish brown.
It feeds on restharrow (_Ononis_) in July and August, but can be reared on
knotgrass, and has been known to thrive on the green pods of the scarlet
runner bean (_Phaseolus vulgaris_). The moth flies at dusk in June,
sometimes earlier or later. It visits the flowers of various plants,
especially those of _Silene_ and _Lychnis_; also comes to the sugar patch
and may be attracted by light. Although not generally common, it seems to
be widely distributed over England and Wales, but is most frequent in the
seaboard counties, and this is more particularly the case in the north. In
Scotland it appears to occur from Berwick northwards to Moray, and in
Ireland it has been noted from several of the littoral counties, chiefly
southern, but also from Sligo.
The range abroad extends to the North-west Himalayas, Amurland, Corea, and
Japan; the species also occurs in North America from the Atlantic to the
Rocky Mountains.
THE MARBLED CLOVER (_Heliothis dipsacea_).
The ground colour of this species (Plate 19, Figs. 1, 2) ranges from
yellowish to ochreous with a greyish, or olive, tinge; the central band
including the reniform stigma is olive, or reddish brown, terminating on
the inner margin in a cloud extending towards the hind margin; submarginal
line preceded by a shade-like band similar in colour to the central one,
but often only well defined on costal and inner margins; the whitish area
of the hind wings is sometimes much reduced. The darker specimens are
typical of the species, whilst those with the paler ground colour and
brighter cross bands are referable to var. _maritima_, Grasl.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 18.
1. MULLEIN: _caterpillar_.
2. STRIPED LYCHNIS: _caterpillar_.
3, 3a. STARWORT: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
4. CHAMOMILE SHARK: _chrysalis and cocoon_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 19.
1, 2. MARBLED CLOVER.
3. SPOTTED CLOVER.
4, 5. BORDERED STRAW.
6-8. SCARCE BORDERED STRAW.
9. PALE SHOULDER.
10. THE FOUR-SPOTTED.
{49} The caterpillar varies in colour, green of various shades, pinkish, or
purplish brown; three lines along the back, the central one with dark
edges, and the outer ones whitish, with dark lower edge; the line low down
along the sides is often whitish; but this, and also the other white lines,
may be replaced by greenish or yellowish. It feeds on various low-growing
plants such as restharrow, scabious, toadflax, white campion, bladder
campion, clover, etc., preferring the flowers and seeds. It has been found
from July to September. Sometimes it has been reared on the pods of the
scarlet-runner bean.
The moth, which is out in June and July, dashes about rapidly in the
daytime, and as it is partial to the flowers of the bugloss, or those of
clover, etc., it may be netted when feasting on the blossoms. It occurs in
meadows, on heaths, and on sandhills by the sea, in most of the southern
and eastern counties of England, but is only rarely seen northwards, and
has not been recorded from other parts of the British Isles.
Distribution abroad: the whole Palaearctic region less the extreme north;
also represented in North America by _phlogophagus_, Grote and Robinson.
THE SPOTTED CLOVER MOTH (_Heliothis scutosa_).
The very distinct-looking moth shown on Plate 19, Fig. 3, is exceedingly
rare in Britain, only about eleven specimens being authenticated. The
earliest-known British specimen was captured in a locality near Dalston, in
Cumberland, July, 1835. The next record is of three examples near
Skinburnness, also in Cumberland. Then, in 1875, one occurred in Norfolk,
at the Cromer lighthouse, and this was followed by another in 1876. In 1877
one was captured as it flew over clover at Weston-super-Mare. On September
19, 1878, a specimen was netted at {50} the flowers of ragwort on the shore
of Lough Swilly, near Buncrana, Ireland, and one is recorded as taken near
Aberdeen, Scotland, in July of that year. The late Dr. Mason had a specimen
said to have been taken at Attleborough, in Norfolk, June, 1880. The latest
recorded capture is that of a specimen taken by Mr. F. Capel Hanbury in a
clover field near Dartmouth, South Devon, September 4, 1900.
The range abroad extends through Central and Southern Europe eastward to
North India, North China; and southwards to North-west Africa. It occurs
also in the Western United States of America.
THE BORDERED STRAW (_Heliothis peltigera_).
Two examples of this species are shown on Plate 19, Figs. 4, 5. The fore
wings are pale ochreous brown, with a more or less reddish tinge; the cross
lines are not always distinct, but there is generally a dark dot on the
costal end of the first line, and a large olive-brown spot between the
second and submarginal lines; following the submarginal line is a pale band
of variable width, but always with a black dot (sometimes double) towards
its lower end. Very pale specimens are referable to ab. _pallida_,
Cockerell.
The caterpillar (Plate 20, Fig. 3, figured from a coloured drawing by Mr.
A. Sich) is green, with three darker green or reddish stripes along the
back; the stripe along the area of the spiracles is dark green, edged below
with white, but when the other stripes are reddish this is also marked with
that colour. Several other forms have been described, and the caterpillar
seems to be a most variable one. It feeds, from June to August, and again
in September and October, on many kinds of low-growing herbage, such as
restharrow (_Ononis_), clover (_Trifolium_), _Matricaria inodora_, etc.;
also on furze or gorse (_Ulex_), and thorn apple (_Datura_). The blossoms
and unripe {51} seeds are preferred in almost all cases, and flowers of the
garden marigold will be found useful when these caterpillars are reared in
confinement.
From eggs deposited by a female moth taken at Deal in the evening of June
17, 1904, the caterpillars hatched out in due course, fed up on wild
convolvulus, pupated at the end of July, and the moths emerged during the
last week of August and the first week of September. In another case, moths
were developed in about forty-seven days from eggs laid in mid-July. In
1907 six caterpillars were found in South Devon during the second week in
August, and one of these attained the moth state on September 3. Previous
to 1906, which was a notable one for the species, the moth seems not to
have been observed earlier than June, but in the year mentioned several
were taken at the flowers of valerian during May, at Torquay. Caterpillars
were plentiful on restharrow in the same district during June and July, and
an example, presumably, of a second generation was captured at bramble
blossom on August 11. In the same year and on the 15th of the month just
noted, a specimen was reared from a caterpillar found on _Ononis_, July 18,
and another specimen captured, August 24, as it flew in the sunshine on a
slope of the South Downs. In Clarendon Wood, near Salisbury, Wilts, one
example was taken at sugar, September 2, 1906. The species seems to be of
fairly regular occurrence in Devonshire and Cornwall, but it has also been
observed, more or less rarely, in many other English counties, chiefly
those on the coast; in Pembrokeshire and Glamorganshire, South Wales; a few
specimens have occurred in Co. Cork, and one in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. All
that appears to be known of this species in Scotland is that one specimen
has been recorded from Markton, Ayrshire.
Abroad, its distribution is extensive, ranging from Africa, the Canaries,
and Madeira to Central and Southern Europe, and through Asia to India. {52}
THE SCARCE BORDERED STRAW (_Heliothis armigera_).
This species (Plate 19, Figs. 6-8) has an almost universal distribution. It
is found in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia. As regards the
British Isles, it was first recorded by Mr. Edleston, who noted a specimen
taken at Salford, Lancashire, by Mr. John Thomas, in September, 1840. This
specimen, also one captured at Mickleham, Surrey, and others "taken in
various localities," are referred to in the _Entomologist's Annual_ for
1855. The following year one was reported from Exeter and one from the Isle
of Wight. The summer of 1859 was a hot one (as were the two previous
summers), and the species was recorded from the following localities:
Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edmonton, Isle of Wight, Ramsgate, Torquay,
Weston-super-Mare, Worthing, and other places. Apart from the captures on
the Devonshire coast, chiefly at Torquay, where the moth seems to occur
pretty nearly every year, the records since 1859 are: 1866 (Scarborough);
1871 (Wakefield); 1876 (Hartlepool, and Kentish Coast); 1877 and 1881
(Gloucester); 1890 (Chatham); 1895 (Tunbridge Wells); 1901 (Isle of Wight);
1902 (Chester and Harwich); 1903 (Lewes). In all cases only single
specimens. The species has been noted once in South Wales, and twice in
North Wales; several specimens were secured in 1898 near Berwick-on-Tweed,
and odd specimens have been recorded from Ireland.
The caterpillar is variable in colour; in one form it is green with a
yellowish stripe along the sides, and in another the colour is purplish
brown. The form figured (Plate 20, Fig. 2) is pinkish brown with a
black-edged whitish line along the back, and a pinkish freckled and
brownish edged yellowish stripe along the sides; the raised dots are white
as a rule, but sometimes in the darker forms they are blackish. In some
examples of the green form the dots and lines are black. {53}
In 1869 two specimens of the moth were reared from caterpillars imported
with tomatoes from Spain; twenty-three years later Mr. Arkle referred to
the arrival here of _H. armigera_ in the larval state with consignments of
tomatoes, from Valencia, landed at Liverpool in the months of June and
July. The late Mr. Tugwell reared larvae, from eggs deposited by a captured
female moth, on scarlet geranium; and there is a record of the finding of
caterpillars on such plants, in the autumn of 1876, in the Isle of Wight.
Specimens of the moth found at large in Britain occur in the autumn.
In the United States of America, where it is known as the "Cotton Boll
worm," "Corn-ear worm," and "Tomato fruit worm," this caterpillar is
chiefly destructive to corn crops, as of the five generations stated to
occur during the year in the States three occur in cornfields. It also
attacks beans, tobacco, pumpkins, melons, oranges, garden flowering-plants,
and many kinds of wild plants. The British nurserymen and farmers are
perhaps to be congratulated on the fact that this moth is only an
accidental visitor and not a native.
THE PALE SHOULDER (_Acontia_ (_Tarache_) _lucida_, var. _albicollis_).
Only eight specimens of this species seem to have been noted in Britain,
and all these are apparently referable to the summer form, var.
_albicollis_, Fabricius. (Plate 19, Fig. 9.) Stephens, who figured it as
_solaris_, Wien Verz. (Haustellata iii., Plate 29, Fig. 3), states that the
specimen was in Marsham's collection, but that nothing farther was known
about it. He, however, mentions two other specimens "taken within the
Metropolitan area about ten years ago [that would be 1820] and four others
near Dover above six years ago." Dale fixes the date of Dover captures as
June, 1825. On August 25, 1859, a specimen was taken in a clover field at
Brighton. {54}
The species has an extensive range abroad, being found in Southern Europe
and North-west Africa to Madeira and the Canaries; also in Central Europe,
through Western and Central Asia to North India and East Siberia.
THE FOUR-SPOTTED (_Acontia_ (_Tarache_) _luctuosa_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 19, Fig. 10) are sometimes finely
powdered with white, but more often the outer marginal area is distinctly
flecked with white. The conspicuous central spot is usually white, but
occasionally it has a pinkish ochreous tinge; very rarely it is reduced to
a narrow streak with a short spur from its outer edge. The white band on
the hind wings is sometimes narrowed and contracted below the middle.
The eggs are shown on Plate 23, Fig. 2. They were, when laid on June 17,
whity brown marked with reddish brown.
The caterpillar is ochreous greyish inclining to reddish or brownish; three
dark-edged stripes along the back, a dark-brown line along the black
spiracles, with two finer wavy lines above it; lower down there is a broad
stripe of reddish brown; head marked with four lines of black dots. It
feeds, at night, during June, July, and August (later in some seasons), on
the small bindweed (_Convolvulus arvensis_), and although it will eat the
leaves when nearly full grown it prefers the flowers and seeds in its
infancy.
The moth appears in May and June, and a second generation in August and
September. In the sunshine it is active on the wing, but in dull weather it
hides under herbage, in clover fields, chalky slopes, and rough places
where its food plant occurs.
The female will often lay her eggs in a chip-box when she is thus secured
after capture; the caterpillars are not difficult to rear if flower buds of
the bindweed can be obtained to start them upon.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 20.
1. BEAUTIFUL YELLOW UNDERWING: _caterpillars_.
2. SCARCE-BORDERED STRAW: _caterpillar_.
3. BORDERED STRAW: _caterpillar_.
4. BORDERED SALLOW: _caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 21.
1, 2. PURPLE MARBLED.
3. SMALL MARBLED.
4. SILVER-BARRED.
5. SILVER HOOK.
6. _THALPOCHARES PAULA_.
7. MARBLED WHITE-SPOT.
8. STRAW DOT.
9. ROSY MARBLED.
10, 11. SMALL PURPLE BARRED.
12. SPOTTED SULPHUR.
{55}
The species is especially common in the south-west of England, chiefly on
the coast, but it seems to occur in most suitable localities in nearly all
the southern counties, and its range extends to Gloucestershire on the west
and to Norfolk on the east. About seventy-five years ago Stephens used to
obtain specimens on a chalky ridge near Hertford, and recently the moth has
been found at Hitchin in North Hertfordshire.
THE PURPLE MARBLED (_Thalpochares ostrina_).
Two Continental specimens of this little moth are shown on Plate 21, Figs.
1 typical, 2 ab. _carthami_. An example of this species was obtained in
June, 1825, in a lane near Bideford, Devonshire, and Stephens refers to
this as the only specimen of the species that up to that time (1830) had
been noted in England. Nothing more was heard of _T. ostrina_ until 1858,
when another Devonshire specimen was taken, this time near Torquay, on June
8, and during the month several others were captured on the coast; two were
also secured in the Isle of Wight, and one in Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1865,
a specimen was recorded as taken in July a few years previously at Pembrey,
South Wales; 1880, one at Dover in September, and one near Swanage; Barrett
mentions specimens taken on the Culver Cliffs, Isle of Wight, in 1859.
It seems unquestionable that examples of this species captured in Britain,
and also of the other two _Thalpochares_ to be presently referred to, are
immigrants, and it is quite conceivable that besides the specimens captured
here, others which have escaped detection may also have arrived with them.
The distribution abroad is extensive, embracing South Europe, Turkey, Asia
Minor, Egypt, North-west Africa, Madeira, and the Canary Isles. It has also
been found in France and Germany, but its occurrence in the latter country
has been even less frequent than in England. {56}
THE SMALL MARBLED (_Thalpochares parva_).
This species, of which a foreign example is represented on Plate 21, Fig.
3, has a similar distribution to that of _T. ostrina_, only it does not
seem to occur in Madeira or the Canaries, and its eastward range extends to
Central and Southern India.
The fore wings are pale reddish ochreous; first line, oblique, dusky,
slightly waved on lower half, bordered inwardly with brownish and outwardly
with white; second line, dusky and irregular.
The earliest specimen noted in Britain was captured at Teignmouth, South
Devon, in July, 1844; another was said to have been captured at
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, but it has been suggested that this specimen
might probably be referable to _T. ostrina._ Mr. E. Bankes has a specimen,
taken by himself on a salt marsh in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, June 8,
1892. This seems to be all that is definitely known of this species in
Britain, but others have been noted from the Isle of Wight and the Isle of
Man.
_Thalpochares paula._
The fore wings are white, clouded with pale brownish grey beyond the almost
straight and rather oblique first line, and also beyond the angulated
second line.
Of this species (Plate 21, Fig. 6) a specimen, now in the collection of Mr.
E. R. Bankes, was taken at Freshwater, Isle of Wight, in June, 1872. Two
other specimens, one of which seems to have been captured by a boy who was
collecting on the south coast, were recorded in 1873; these insects were at
that time in the collection of the Rev. H. Burney, and had been caught
several years earlier.
The range abroad extends through Europe and Asia to South Siberia. The
specimen figured is from Dresden. {57}
THE MARBLED WHITE SPOT (_Hapalotis_ (_Erastria_) _fasciana_).
The ground colour of the fore wings of this species (Plate 21, Fig. 7) is
brownish grey, more or less clouded and sometimes suffused with blackish;
the white patch on the outer marginal area is, in some examples, much
obscured by dark-grey markings, and in occasional specimens the only trace
of white on this part of the wing is a thin edging to the second line (ab.
_albilinea_, Haworth).
The caterpillar is pale yellowish, with a greenish, sometimes red, tinged
line along the middle of the back, and a brown one on each side; a reddish
line under the black spiracles; head, brownish; the raised dots of the body
are dusky edged with reddish. It feeds from July to September. A reddish
form of this caterpillar has been noted. Buckler, from whose description
the above has been condensed, states that the food-plant is blue
moor-grass, or purple melic-grass (_Molinia caerulea_), and this is
confirmed by Bignell, who remarks that in Devonshire he easily finds the
caterpillars "feeding about half way up the blades" of this grass.
The moth is out in June and July, or in forward seasons in late May. It is
partial to pine and larch trunks as a resting place during the day, and is
local and more or less frequent in most of the southern counties, from Kent
to Cornwall, through Somerset and Gloucester (extending into Oxford), to
Hereford and Worcester, on the west, and from Essex to Norfolk on the east.
A specimen was taken at light in Chester in June, 1901.
The range abroad extends to Japan.
THE SILVER BARRED (_Bankia_ (_Erastria_) _argentula_).
In its typical form this species (Plate 21, Fig. 4) has the colour of the
fore wings olive brown, but occasionally it is {58} tinged with reddish in
some English, and more generally in Irish, specimens. The silvery oblique
lines, or bands, vary in width, and sometimes there is a distinct spur from
the lower outer edge of the first band.
The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a rather darker green line along
the middle of the back, and a yellow one on each side of it. It feeds on
grasses, such as _Poa aquatica_ and _P. Pratensis_, etc., in July and early
August.
The moth is out in June, and may be found during the day sitting about on
the herbage in its marshy haunts, or flying over the vegetation towards the
evening.
The species is exceedingly local in Britain. In ancient times it occurred
in Norfolk, but in the present day it seems to be confined to
Cambridgeshire, in which county it was first noted rarely in Wicken fen
about thirty years ago, but in 1882 it was found plentifully in Chippenham
fen, and in that locality (which is a private one) the species still
flourishes. In Ireland it is well distributed over co. Kerry, and is
especially abundant on the bogs of Killarney.
The range abroad extends to Amurland, where the brownish form var.
_amurula_, Staud., is found.
THE SILVER HOOK (_Hydrelia_ (_Erastria_) _uncula_).
The usually olive brown central area of the fore wings is sometimes reddish
tinged, and in fresh specimens the whitish front marginal streak is
distinctly rosy; the reniform stigma, which appears to be a spur of the
costal streak, is also white or rosy tinged, and sometimes encloses a
greyish mark. This stigma is the so-called "hook" to which both the English
name and the Latin specific name refer. (Plate 21, Fig. 5.)
The caterpillar feeds in July and early August on sedges (_Carex_) and
coarse grasses. It is green, with three lines along the back, the central
one rather darker green, and the other two whitish; low down along the
sides is a broader yellowish line; the head is green with a yellowish
tinge.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 22.
1. THE HERALD.
2. THE DARK SPECTACLE.
3. THE SPECTACLE.
4. GOLDEN PLUSIA.
5, 6. BURNISHED BRASS.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 23.
1. CHAMOMILE SHARK: _caterpillar_.
2. THE FOUR-SPOTTED: _eggs_.
3. STRAW DOT: _caterpillar_.
{59}
The moth is out from late May to early July, sometimes later.
This is also a marsh-loving species, and is generally plentiful in the fens
of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire; in the Southern counties it is
either very local or, owing to its small size, has escaped detection, but
has been noted as occurring in Surrey (Wisley), Kent (Deal), Hants (New
Forest), Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, and Somersetshire; also in Yorkshire
(Askham bog), and in Cumberland. The Welsh counties in which it has been
found are Pembroke, Glamorgan and Carnarvon (Abersoch). It is locally
common in Clydesdale, and has also been reported from Kirkcudbrightshire,
and Perthshire. In Ireland it abounds in the boggy parts of Kerry, and is
more or less frequent in several other parts of Ireland. Near Castle
Bellingham, co. Louth, where it is common, a second brood was observed on
Aug. 1st, 1894.
Its range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE ROSY MARBLED (_Erastria venustula_).
Another local species, but a frequenter of drier localities than the last
two. This delicate rosy-flushed whitish moth first became known as a native
of Britain by the capture of a few specimens in Essex. Stephens, writing in
1830, remarks, "I have hitherto seen four examples only--a pair in my own
cabinet; one of the latter taken, I believe, in Epping forest by the late
Mr. Honey, the other by the late Mr. Bentley." No other British specimens
seem to have been recorded until 1845, when the late Mr. H. Doubleday, in
July, noted several of the moths disporting themselves over, or settling
upon, bracken in Epping Forest. For many years Loughton and some other
parts of the forest remained the only known English haunts of the species,
but in 1874 it was found commonly in {60} St. Leonard's Forest, Sussex;
later still, it was discovered in the Brentwood district, Essex. It still
occurs in all these localities, but appears to be now less frequently
noticed in the original one than formerly (Plate 21, Fig. 9).
The caterpillar feeds in July and August on the flowers of cinquefoil
(_Potentilla_), and is said to eat bramble blossoms also. Hellins describes
it as rich brown, with a row of eight dusky-red diamonds down the back,
enclosing the dorsal line of brighter red. The moth is out from the end of
May and in June; it may be put up from herbage during the day, but its
proper time of flight is in the early evening, and then only when the
weather is favourable. If cold or damp the insects will not get on the
wing. (Plate 25, Fig. 3; after Hofmann.)
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE STRAW DOT (_Rivula sericealis_).
This pale ochreous species, an example of which is represented on Plate 21,
Fig. 8, varies in the amount of darker shading or suffusion on the outer
marginal area of the fore wing; sometimes this is grey-brown or pale
reddish brown, but often there is no shading whatever, and in such
specimens the ground colour is usually very pale. The dark brown reniform
mark is always present, but the cross lines are more often absent than
present.
The caterpillar is green, with a darker green line along the middle of the
back, and a white stripe on each side of it, the inner edge of each of the
latter irregular; head, greenish grey, and the bristle-bearing raised dots
are shining green with a dusky cap. It feeds on _Brachypodium sylvaticum_,
but seems to accommodate itself to a diet of _Phalaris arundinacea_, and
would perhaps eat other grasses: August to May. (Plate 23, Fig. 3; after
Hofmann.)
The moth is out all through the summer months, and {61} frequents marshes,
damp rides and borders of woods, heaths, and where there is plenty of tall
grass.
The species is widely distributed over England and Wales, although it
appears to be rather scarce in the midlands and northwards. In Ireland it
is generally abundant, but in Scotland it has only been noted from the
south, and is there local and rare.
The distribution abroad includes Amurland, Corea, and Japan.
THE SMALL PURPLE BARRED (_Prothymnia viridaria_).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 21, Figs. 10 [male], 11 [female])
range in colour from olive grey to olive brown, and are frequently adorned
with two rosy-red (typical) or purplish bands (_aenea_, Haw.). In some
specimens the bands are of a dusky hue and not very distinct, whilst in
others the wings are of a uniform dingy brown tint (ab. _fusca_, Tutt).
The caterpillar (Plate 25, Fig. 2) is velvety-green above and paler
beneath, yellowish between the rings, with a dark green slender line
bordered by paler lines along the back, and three pale lines along the
sides; below the yellowish spiracles there is a broader pale line becoming
whitish on rings 9-12; head, green mottled with brown (adapted from
Hellins).
It is to be found in August and September on the common milkwort (_Polygala
vulgaris_). On May 31, 1906, I met with the moth in some numbers on a
marshy bit of heath in Surrey, where there was a plentiful growth of
lousewort (_Pedicularis_), but, so far as I know, no _Polygala_. All the
moths were much below the average size, the bands were mainly purple, but
in no case rosy. The moth flies in May and June, and specimens have been
captured both earlier and later. Except that it does not appear to occur in
the extreme north of Scotland, the species seems to be pretty generally
distributed over the British Isles, and is often very common in many parts.
The eastern distribution extends to E. Siberia. {62}
THE SPOTTED SULPHUR (_Emmelia trabealis_).
Although this pretty black and yellow moth (Plate 21, Fig. 12) was noted by
Stephens (1830) as being occasionally captured in Battersea fields, and as
occurring near Margate, and elsewhere in Kent, it was not until 1847 that
the Breck-sand district of Norfolk, adjoining parts of Suffolk, and
Cambridge, became known as being inhabited by The Spotted Sulphur. The
vicinity of Brandon and Tuddenham is especially favoured by the species,
but it occurs in several other parts of the area. Occasionally, specimens
have been captured in various Kentish localities, and between thirty and
forty years ago single examples were taken in Hackney Marshes, Lower
Clapton (August 2), also in Wandsworth (at light, July 26). From these
facts it would appear possible that the species occasionally strays from
its haunts in the eastern counties and sometimes to a considerable
distance. Once, indeed, a specimen was found on a gas lamp at Exeter. On
the other hand, it is quite conceivable that such wanderers may have come
from abroad.
Some specimens are of a paler yellow than others, but there is rather more
noticeable aberration in the number and intensity of the black markings.
The caterpillar is reddish brown, with three darker lines along the back,
the central one pale edged; a pale yellow stripe runs along the region of
the spiracles, and has a fine brownish line running through it from end to
end. Another form is green with white lines. It feeds on the bindweed
(_Convolvulus arvensis_) in July, and has a second brood in September. The
moth, which rests among herbage by day, and flies towards evening, is found
in June, July, and August.
The species is found throughout Central and Southern Europe, its range
extending to Denmark and South Sweden; eastward it occurs in Asia Minor,
Syria, and through Asia to Japan. {63}
GONOPTERINAE.
THE HERALD (_Scoliopteryx libatrix_).
Haworth (1802) gave this attractive species the English name of "Furbelow
Moth," but Harris (1782) had named it Herald Moth (Plate 22, Fig. 1).
In the majority of specimens the purplish, or grey-brown fore wings, are
more or less reddish tinged throughout, but occasionally the outer marginal
area is free of this tint; the orange red marks on the central and basal
areas are brighter in some specimens than in others.
The caterpillar, which feeds on sallow, osier, willow, and probably poplar
(a chrysalis having been found in a curled leaf of black poplar), is a
long, rather thin, greenish creature without any distinct markings, except
that when full grown the front rings have two black spots. It may be found
reposing on the upper leaves of its foodplant, from June to August. (Plate
25, Fig. 1, from a coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich.)
The moth may be obtained at sugar, ivy-blossom, etc., from August to
October, and it seems that the earliest to emerge are those that first take
up hibernating quarters in barns, outhouses, roofs, belfries, and under
arches. In the spring it reappears, and may be met with even in June. A
specimen was taken at sugar on July 20, 1899, but whether this is to be
regarded as a very late date or an unusually early one, I cannot say.
Generally distributed throughout Great Britain and Ireland, but of the
Scottish Isles only recorded from Shetland. Abroad it ranges through Europe
to North-West Africa, and through Asia to Amurland and Japan; also in
temperate North America.
NOTE.--Stephens (1829) referred this species to the genus _Calyptra_,
Ochs., but in 1831 he adopted _Scoliopteryx_, Germar (1811). _Gonoptera_,
Latr., which has been frequently used, only dates from 1825. {64}
QUADRIFINAE.
THE GOLDEN PLUSIA (_Plusia moneta_).
[Illustration: FIG. 2.
GOLDEN PLUSIA AT REST.
(Photo by H. Main.)]
The British history of the grey tinged pale golden species, shown on Plate
22, Fig. 4, dates back only to 1890. In that year, on July 2, Mr. Christy,
of Watergate, Emsworth, found a specimen in his illuminated moth trap; this
was noted in the _Entomologist_ for August, 1890. From subsequent records
it appears that a specimen had been taken on the same date at a gas lamp
near Reading, by Mr. W. Holland; whilst one was captured, at a light, near
Tunbridge Wells on July 1. The earliest British specimen, however, was one
netted whilst hovering over flowers of _Delphinium_ at Dover, on June 25 of
the same year, but this was not announced until October. Since its arrival
here the species seems to have spread over England at a great rate, and it
has recently been reported from Cheshire. In some southern gardens the
caterpillars abound to such an extent that they are regarded as a plague.
On the continent it is said to feed on sunflower, artichoke, burdock, and
cucumber.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 24.
1. SCARCE BURNISHED BRASS.
2. GOLD SPANGLE.
3, 4. GOLD SPOT.
5, 6. BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN Y.
7, 8. PLAIN GOLDEN Y.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 25.
1. HERALD: _caterpillar_.
2. SMALL PURPLE-BARRED: _caterpillar_.
3. ROSY-MARBLED: _caterpillar_.
{65}
The caterpillar is green, dotted with white; a dark line along the back and
a white one along the sides. In the early stage it is black or sooty brown,
and hides itself among the spun together flower buds, or in a turned down
tender leaf. It feeds in May and June, occasionally found in late April,
after hibernation, and a second generation sometimes occurs in July and
August. Monkshood (_Aconitum_) and larkspur (_Delphinium_) are the usual
food plants, and it is curious to note that whilst some observers state
that larkspur alone is eaten, others say that monkshood is the only food.
The moth flies in June and July, and sometimes there is an emergence in
August and September. It visits the blossoms of various garden plants, and
is also attracted by light.
The caterpillar, represented on Plate 27, Fig. 1, was found with others on
larkspur in Mr. Herbert Smith's garden at Wallington, Surrey. The cocoon
and chrysalis is from a photo by Mr. H. Main. Another photo by Mr. Main
shows the young caterpillar constructing its retreat.
According to Duponchel this species occurred in Normandy, Central and
Northern Europe, as far back as 1829. A much paler form inclining to
silvery, var. _esmeralda_, Oberthur, is found in Ussuri, North China, and
other parts of East Asia.
THE BURNISHED BRASS (_Plusia chrysitis_).
Two forms of this metallic-looking species are represented (Plate 22); 5 is
typical and 6 shows the ab. _juncta_, Tutt. Between these are various
intermediate stages leading to the complete division of the central band.
The broken central band is a character of var. _nadeja_, Oberthur, from
Amurland and {66} Japan, but that form has also a more or less complete
series of ochreous-brown dots on the outer area. The metallic colour is
sometimes greenish in all forms.
The caterpillar is pale green, with a darker green line along the middle of
the back, bordered on each side by an irregular white line; an oblique
white streak on the sides of each ring from 4-11; a stripe low down along
the sides is white; head, yellowish tinged. It feeds on stinging nettle,
probably on other plants, and after hibernation attains full growth about
May. In favourable seasons caterpillars also occur in July and August. The
moth is out in June, July, and August, less frequently in September, and
may be found flying along the sides of hedges and ditches, especially where
flowering weeds are plentiful, throughout the British Isles; so far,
however, it has not been recorded from the Hebrides, Orkneys, or Shetlands.
THE SCARCE BURNISHED BRASS (_Plusia chryson_).
The more or less square golden (sometimes green-tinged) patch on the
velvety purplish brown fore wings, distinguish this species (Plate 24, Fig.
1) from any other British _Plusia_.
The caterpillar is green, with a darker line along the middle of the back,
and a fine white line on each side of it; there is a dark green stripe low
down along the sides, edged below with white, and oblique white lines run
from it to the central line on rings 3-11. It feeds on hemp-agrimony
(_Eupatorium cannabinum_), hibernates when small, and completes its growth
in May or early June.
The moth is out in July and August, and is said to be occasionally seen, on
sunny days, flying about, or resting on, the flowers of the hemp-agrimony
and other plants. Night, however, is its more usual time of activity, and
it may also be found at the blossoms of the larval food plant, and at those
of honeysuckle, etc. {67}
The species has been found, chiefly in the past in most of the southern
counties of England from Kent (Deal district) to Cornwall, also in
Gloucestershire, and in South Wales. Chippenham fen in Cambridgeshire is
the most noted locality for it in the present day, and it has been found in
Norfolk and Suffolk. There is even a record of a specimen having been
beaten out of honeysuckle near Preston, Lancs., but this happened nearly
forty years ago.
The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE GOLD SPANGLE (_Plusia bractea_).
The purplish brown fore wings of this moth have a bright solid-looking
golden mark on the upper edge of a velvety, deep brown patch. This metallic
"spangle" varies a little in size and in shape, but not to any noteworthy
extent (Plate 24, Fig. 2).
The caterpillar is bright green, dotted with white, above, and dull darker
green below; there is a fine dark green line along the middle of the back,
some indistinct and irregular white lines followed by a whitish stripe
lower down, along the sides. It seems to feed upon a variety of low-growing
plants, among which are groundsel, dandelion, white dead-nettle (_Lamium
album_), and stinging nettle, also on honeysuckle, from August to May. In a
state of nature, it hibernates when small, and becomes full grown in May or
early June, but when reared from the egg it can be induced, by keeping it
in a warm place, to continue feeding, grow up quickly, pupate, and assume
the winged state in the late autumn. Under such artificial conditions it is
said to eat lettuce and plantain.
Normally, the moth is out in June and July, and has been met with in
August. Like all members of this group it is partial to flowers, and has
been frequently taken at those of the honeysuckle, although all sorts of
blossoms, down to the lowly _Viola cornuta_, have attraction for it. {68}
The species is more especially a denizen of Ireland and Scotland, but it
occurs in most of the northern counties of England, and has been recorded
from Worcestershire and Herefordshire; also from Carmarthenshire in South
Wales.
Abroad, its range extends to Central Asia; and in Amurland and Japan it is
represented by P. excelsa, Kretschmar.
THE GOLD SPOT (_Plusia festucae_).
In this species (Plate 24, Figs. 3 and 4) the fore wings are golden brown,
clouded with purplish brown; sometimes the purplish brown is confined
almost entirely to the broad area. Besides the large central metallic
marks, there are more or less conspicuous patches of metallic colour at the
base of the costa, on the middle of the inner margin, and towards the tips
of the wings. Usually the central spots are clearly apart, but I have one
example from Bishop Auckland, Durham, in which they are only separated one
from the other by a slender brown line.
The caterpillar is green, with a white-edged dark-green line along the
middle of the back, and some slender yellowish lines on each side of it; a
whitish or yellow tinged stripe low down along the sides; head, tinged with
brown.
It feeds on sedge, coarse grasses, bur-reed (_Sparganium ramosum_), and
yellow-flag (_Iris pseudacorus_); also said by Collins to eat water
plantain (_Alisma plantago_): April to June, and in some localities and
seasons, again in July and August. The black chrysalis is enclosed in a
rather long greyish cocoon, spun up on the undersides of the leaves of
sedge or reed; usually placed towards the tip of the leaf, which droops
over and so hides it.
The moth is out in June and July, and in some years there seems to be an
emergence in August and September; this has been more particularly noted in
Cheshire, where Arkle has had moths emerge in June, July, August, and
September. A second flight has been noted in Ireland by Kane and others;
and late examples have also been recorded from Scotland.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 26.
1, 2. SILVER Y.
3. NI MOTH.
4, 5. SCARCE SILVER Y.
6, 7. MOTHER SHIPTON.
8, 9. BURNET COMPANION.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 27.
1, 1a, 1b. GOLDEN PLUSIA: _caterpillars and chrysalis_.
2. DARK SPECTACLE: _caterpillar_.
{69} Although it has been recorded from some of the southern counties, it
is most frequent in the eastern and northern parts of England, and in South
Wales. Occurs throughout Scotland up to Moray; and in Ireland it is found
in most localities, though not often common, except by the sea in Co.
Kerry, and in Connamara, Co. Galway.
Abroad, it extends to East Siberia, Amurland, and Japan.
THE PLAIN GOLDEN Y (_Plusia iota_).
In typical specimens the metallic mark is V-shaped, with a dot below and a
little to one side (Plate 24, Fig. 8). In ab. _percontationis_, Treit.
(Fig. 7), these spots are united and form a Y-like mark. Sometimes the spot
is absent and the V-mark much reduced, and more rarely the V also
disappears (ab. _inscripta_, Esp.).
The larva is yellowish green, white dotted, with a white-edged darker line
along the middle of the back; a band composed of whitish irregular lines
runs along the sides, and a thin yellow line along the area of the
spiracles. It hatches from the egg in the late summer, hibernates when
quite small, and feeds up in the spring. The food plants comprise the dead
nettles (_Lamium_), woundwort (_Stachys_), mint, stinging nettle,
honeysuckle, hawthorn, etc. There is a record of sixteen larvae which
hibernated among dead leaves of _Lamium album_, resumed feeding on February
18, spun up April 23-25, and produced moths May 27-June 4. Usually the moth
is on the wing in June and July.
The species seems to be pretty widely distributed throughout the British
Isles to the Orkneys; it was not known to occur in the Hebrides until 1901,
when McArthur obtained it in the Isle of Lewis. {70}
THE BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN Y (_Plusia pulchrina_).
This species (Plate 24, Figs. 5 and 6) so closely resembles the last that
it has been considered a variety thereof; there is no question, however,
that it is quite distinct. The fore wings in both species are somewhat
similar in general tints, but the following points of difference
distinguish _pulchrina_--the darker colour is less evenly displayed, and
gives the wings a more mottled or marbled appearance; the cross lines,
especially those on the basal area, are almost invariably golden edged; the
second cross line is more acutely bent inwards above the inner margin, the
reniform has a more or less complete golden outline, and it is placed in a
dark cloud; the golden V-mark and dot below are generally thicker. As a
rule, the fringes of all the wings are more distinctly chequered, but this
feature cannot be relied on alone in separating one species from the other.
In ab. _percontatrix_, Aurivillius (= _juncta_, Tutt), the golden V and dot
are united and so form a Y-mark (Fig. 5).
The caterpillar is green with a broad central white stripe and several
finer white lines along the back; a yellowish-tinted white stripe low down
along the sides; head shining, marked with black on each side of the mouth.
This caterpillar has the bristles rather more in evidence than they are in
the larva of _P. iota_. It feeds on various low-growing plants, such as the
dead nettles, groundsel, etc., also on honeysuckle and bilberry.
The moth occurs in June and July, and is found more or less frequently all
over the British Isles to Orkney, but in England is more plentiful from the
Midlands northwards than in the southern counties.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE NI MOTH (_Plusia ni_).
The present species (Plate 26, Fig. 3) bears a strong resemblance to a
small pale specimen of _P. gamma_; but, as {71} will be noted, the silvery
central Y-mark is differently formed. Here it is made up of a curve
somewhat like the letter U, and an oval or round spot, the latter very
close to and sometimes, as in the example figured, united with the former.
The caterpillar, which feeds on cabbage and other Cruciferae, also on
lettuce, tomato, etc., is green, inclining to yellowish green and dotted
with white; three white lines along the back, and a white stripe along the
sides. It is said to be more slender in form than the caterpillar of _P.
gamma_. (Plate 28, Fig. 1.)
The earliest British specimen was taken at flowers of red valerian in a
garden at Exeter, August, 1868. The next year a specimen occurred, also in
a garden, at Penzance. Then followed captures in Dorset, one 1885, and one
(Isle of Portland) 1888. Two caterpillars were found in the Isle of
Portland in 1894, and these produced moths in September of that year. At
least eight moths were secured at Penzance in 1894, and specimens were
subsequently reared from caterpillars found on cabbages in the gardens
around Lynwood. In May, 1896, one example of the moth was taken by Mr.
Percy Richards at Norbiton, Surrey. The last recorded capture appears to be
that by Mr. Finzi of a female specimen at Tenby, South Wales, on June 9,
1906. She deposited a few eggs in the collecting-box, and the caterpillars
that hatched from them were reared on broccoli and lettuce, and produced
moths, July 24-30.
_Plusia ni_ ranges through south-east and southern Europe, to Asia Minor,
North Africa, and the Canaries. In the Isle of Capri it is said to be
almost as common as _P. gamma_. _Brassicae_, Riley (1870), is a well-known
_Plusia_ in America, where it is classed among noxious insects. It is
somewhat larger and browner in colour than European _ni_, but in every
other respect it seems to agree so exactly that it can hardly be considered
specifically distinct. {72}
THE SILVER Y (_Plusia gamma_).
This species, represented by portraits of two specimens on Plate 26, Figs.
1 and 2, varies somewhat in the ground colour of the fore wings, which
ranges from a whitish grey through various tints of grey and brown to
velvety black. The melanic form last referred to is very rare, but I caught
one example of it at Eastbourne in the late summer of 1888, and I saw, but
did not secure, another near Esher in the autumn of 1906; one taken at
Dartmoor in September, 1894, is in Mr. F. J. Hanbury's collection.
Occasionally a purplish red tinge, often present below the silvery Y,
spreads over a larger area of the fore wings. The Y-mark is well defined as
a rule, but now and then specimens are found in which only the tail of the
Y is distinct.
The caterpillar varies in general colour from pale green to a dark olive
green approaching black. In the white dotted paler green forms there are
several transverse whitish lines, some of them wavy, between the yellowish
spiracular line and the dark green line along the middle of the back; head,
marked with black on each cheek. It will eat almost every kind of
low-growing vegetation, either wild or cultivated, and in some years may be
found throughout the summer. Small larvae were recorded as seen at the end
of October, 1901. The blackish chrysalis is enclosed in a whitish cocoon,
often placed under leaves of thistle, burdock, etc.
The moth is seen in the spring and early summer (most probably immigrants),
and again in the autumn, when it is generally more abundant.
This well-known migrating species has been observed in greater or lesser
numbers over the whole of the British Isles. Its distribution abroad
embraces the Palaearctic Region, North Africa, and North America. {73}
THE SCARCE SILVER Y (_Plusia interrogationis_).
Portraits of two examples of this species will be found on Plate 26, Figs.
4 and 5. The metallic central marks on the fore wings vary a good deal in
size and in form, and are sometimes almost absent; these wings have the
general greyish colour more clouded or suffused with blackish in some
specimens than in others. Kane states that Irish specimens, when freshly
emerged, have a tinge of violet purple, and Tutt notes some British
specimens as beautifully tinted with rose colour (ab. _rosea_).
The caterpillar, which feeds on heather (_Calluna_) and bilberry
(_Vaccinium_), is green inclining to blackish on the sides and underparts,
with six white lines along the back; two of which are irregular; the raised
dots are white and the bristles therefrom dark; head, green dashed with
purple, shining. (Fenn.) After hibernation it may be found without much
difficulty in May and June on its food plants, either in the daytime, or by
the aid of a lamp at night. Large numbers fall victims to parasitical
flies. (Plate 28, Fig. 2.) The white cocoons enclosing the black chrysalids
are spun up on or under the twigs of bilberry and heather. The moth is out
in July and August, and may be found on moorlands, in the north of England
from Shropshire (with Radnor) and Staffordshire on the west, and
Lincolnshire on the east, through Scotland to Sutherland, and in all
suitable localities in Ireland.
THE DARK SPECTACLE (_Abrostola triplasia_).
The fore wings of this moth are blackish grey inclining to purplish and
rather shining; the basal area is pale reddish brown, edged by a curved
dark chocolate brown cross line; a reddish grey band on the outer area
clouded with ground colour {74} and edged above the inner margin by a dark
chocolate brown curved line; raised scales on the central area and on the
cross lines. Two oval reddish brown marks on the front of the collar have
some resemblance to a pair of spectacles, hence the English name. (Plate
22, Fig. 2.)
The caterpillar is green, sprinkled with white dots; on rings 4, 5, and 11
are whitish-edged darker marks, and there is a dark line, also
whitish-edged, along the middle of the back between rings 5 and 11; a white
line on the back from ring 4 to the brownish head, and white-edged dark
oblique lines on the sides of rings 6 to 11; the line low down along the
sides is whitish with an ochreous tinge. A purplish brown form also occurs
(Plate 27, Fig. 2), in which the pale markings are ochreous tinged. It is
found from July to September on nettle and hops, the latter more
especially. The earlier caterpillars, in some years, attain the moth state
in August or early September, but the bulk of them remain in the chrysalis
state during the winter, the moth emerging in June or July of the following
year.
The species is not uncommon in most southern English counties, but becomes
less frequent or more local northwards from the Midlands to Cumberland,
Northumberland, and South Scotland. It occurs in Wales, and is widely
spread in Ireland.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE SPECTACLE (_Abrostola tripartita_).
This species, known also as _urticae_, Hubner, has the basal and outer
marginal areas of the fore wings whitish grey, finely mottled with darker
grey; the central area is greyish brown, mottled with darker brown. The
spectacle mark in front of the thorax is whitish grey, ringed with black,
and the raised scales on the cross lines and central area of the fore wings
are more distinct in this species (Plate 22, Fig. 3). The {75} caterpillar
is pale green, with white-edged dark-green V-shaped marks along the back,
most in evidence on rings 4-11; two slender whitish lines on each side,
only distinct on rings 1-4; a white stripe low down along the sides, edged
above with dark green and with whitish streaks from it to the white edging
of the marks on the back. Head, green, rather shining, with dusky marks on
each cheek (adapted from Fenn). It feeds in July, at night, on the common
stinging nettle, from the foliage of which it may be beaten out, or, by
searching, found on the undersides of the leaves. In some years there is a
second brood in September.
The moth is out in June, sometimes late May, and, when there is a second
emergence, in August. Occasionally it is seen on fences, etc., but at night
it visits the blossoms of various plants, both wild and cultivated; the
flowers of spur-valerian (_Centranthus ruber_), honeysuckle, and woundwort
(_Stachys_) being especially attractive, as also they are to the Dark
Spectacle, and most of the species of _Plusia_.
Although apparently commoner in some counties than in others, this species
ranges over the British Isles to the Orkneys.
The distribution abroad extends to Amurland.
THE MOTHER SHIPTON (_Euclidia mi_).
The ancient fathers of British Entomology were sometimes happy in their
selection of names in the vernacular for those of our moths that were known
to them at the time, and the present species is a fair example of this.
Moses Harris first dubbed it the Shipton Moth, but afterwards changed the
name to the "Mask Moth." Both names refer to the peculiar shape of the
markings which adorn the fore wings and bear a more or less fanciful
resemblance to a grotesque mask, and even more closely to the profile of an
historical dame yclept {76} Shipton. This character, also supposed to be
like the letter M, hence the specific name _mi_, stands out very distinctly
in the paler specimens, but in some of the darker individuals it is
somewhat obscured. On the hind wings the spots are whitish or yellowish,
and those composing the central series are sometimes united, and form a
band. (Plate 26, Figs. 6 [male], 7 [female].)
The egg is greenish, and the caterpillar is pale ochreous-brown, with
darker brown lines along the back and sides: head, ochreous, with brown
lines. It feeds on clover and grasses, in July, August, and September, and
the chrysalis, which is covered with a whitish powder, is enclosed in a
brownish cocoon spun up in a blade of grass. All the early stages are
figured on Plate 30. The enlarged chrysalis, Fig. 1, is from a photo by Mr.
H. Main. The moth flies in May and June, and is often common in meadows, on
railway banks, and other sloping banks and such-like places where wild
flowers abound. The species is widely distributed over England, Wales, and
South Scotland; also Ireland.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE BURNET COMPANION (_Euclidia glyphica_).
The ground colour of the fore wings is purplish brown, sometimes becoming
greyish on the outer area; the space between the dark brown or blackish
cross bands is sometimes filled up with the darker colour. Some specimens
are much greyer than others, and all the examples in a series from the Lake
district that I have seen were distinctly grey, with very dark bands. The
yellow on the hind wings sometimes inclines to orange, and sometimes it is
so pale as to be almost whitish; there is also variation in the amount of
black marking and shading on these wings. (Plate 26, Figs. 8 [male], 9
[female].)
The caterpillar is somewhat similar to that of the last species; it feeds
on clovers and trefoils in July and August, but so far does not seem to
have been noted to eat grasses.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 28.
1. THE NI MOTH: _caterpillar_.
2. SCARCE SILVER Y: _caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 29.
1. LUNAR DOUBLE STRIPE.
2. THE ALCHYMIST.
3. CLIFDEN NONPAREIL.
{77} The moth is on the wing at the end of May and in June, and inhabits
similar kinds of places to those mentioned for the last species, often in
company with it, and also with the Burnet moths. Widely distributed over
the greater part of the British Isles; common in some southern localities.
Its distribution abroad extends to Amurland, and in Japan it is represented
by the larger and paler form _consors_, Butler.
_Leucanitis_ (_Ophiusa_) _stolida_, Fab.--An example of this species, which
is a native of Africa and South Europe, was captured by Mr. J. Jager in the
neighbourhood of Dartmouth, S. Devon. It was in fine condition, and came to
sugar on September 23, 1903.
THE LUNAR DOUBLE STRIPE (_Pseudophia lunaris_).
The portrait of this species on Plate 29, Fig. 1, is taken from a Spanish
example. Exceedingly few British specimens have been recorded. The earliest
seems to be the following: "Among my cabinet specimens there is one example
of _Ophiodes lunaris_, captured at the Lowestoft Light in 1832. I conclude
this is a great rarity, having seen many cabinets without it.--E. Chawner."
_Entom._ vi. p. 147 (1872-73). Presumably this is the same specimen as that
mentioned by Stainton (1857), Newman (1869), and later authors, as taken in
Hants by Captain Chawner. In 1860 one example was obtained at sugar at West
Wickham; and in 1864 Bouchard caught two specimens at Killarney. On June
17, 1873, one came to sugar in Abbots Wood, Sussex; one at Brighton in
June, 1874, and another in Sussex, May, 1875. One specimen came to light in
Norfolk, May, 1878; and one to sugar at Folkestone, May, 1892. In June,
1901, a specimen was secured in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, also at sugar.
Dr. B. White's record of a capture at Perth makes a total of eleven
specimens. {78}
The caterpillar is ochreous brown, sprinkled and lined with reddish brown;
a stripe low down along the sides is reddish orange. It feeds, in July and
August, on the leaves of oak and poplar, but it has not been found in our
Isles.
THE ALCHYMIST (_Catephia alchymista_).
This moth seems to have been known as a British species to Haworth, but he,
and subsequently Stephens (1830), referred it to _Noctua leucomelas_, Linn.
At all events, Stephen's description of the specimen in Haworth's cabinet
bearing this name applies exactly to _C. alchymista_. In the _Ent. Ann._
for 1860 there is a figure of a specimen that was taken at sugar in the
Isle of Wight, September, 1868. Seven years later, one was captured in an
oak wood near Horsham, Sussex (June 4), and another found on the trunk of
an oak tree near Colchester (June 9). In 1882, a specimen was taken at
sugar in a wood near Dover (June), and on June 24, 1888, one came to sugar
at St. Leonards, Sussex. In the last-named year, two other specimens, said
to have been taken in the Isle of Wight, July, 1867, were recorded.
Fig. 2, Plate 29, represents a specimen from Dalmatia.
THE CLIFDEN NONPAREIL (_Catocala fraxini_).
This handsome species (Plate 29, Fig. 3) seems to have been known to quite
the earliest writers on, and delineators of, British moths, and a specimen
in the Dale collection, now in the Hope Museum, Oxford, was obtained in
Dorset in 1740. Stephens (1830) mentions captures in the years 1821, 1827,
and 1828. Since that time the occurrence of the species in the British
Isles, chiefly in single specimens, may be tabulated as follows:
England--London, 1842, 1870, 1872. Kent, 1889, {79} 1893, 1895, 1900.
Sussex, 1838, 1869, 1889, 1895. Isle of Wight, 1866, 1900. North Devon,
1895. Somerset, 1850. Shropshire, 1872. Suffolk, 1868, 1872, 1901, 1905.
Norfolk, 1846, 1872, 1894, 1900. Lincoln, 1872. Yorkshire, five specimens
in all, the most recent in 1896. Lancashire, six specimens, latest 1868.
Cheshire, four specimens, latest 1868. Scotland--1876 (Berwick); 1896
(Aberdeen and Orkney); 1898 (Roxburghshire). Ireland--1845, 1896.
It may be noted that during a period of seven years--1866 to 1872
inclusive--1867 and 1871 were the only years in which a specimen was not
recorded from some part of England.
The caterpillar is pale ochreous, tinged with greenish and freckled with
brown; head, pinkish, inclining to purplish above. It feeds on poplar in
May, June, and July. From eggs (obtained from abroad) the caterpillars
hatched April 27 till May 9, pupated between June 17 and 27, and the moths
emerged July 20 to August 4.
The range abroad extends through Central Europe to Scandinavia, and
eastward to Amurland.
_Catocala electa._
Only two specimens of this moth are known to have occurred in Britain. One
of these was taken at Shoreham, near Brighton, Sussex, September 24, 1875,
and the other at Corfe Castle, Dorsetshire, September 12, 1892. The
specimen shown on Plate 31, Fig. 1, is from Saxony.
In a general way this species is not unlike (_C. nupta_), but the fore
wings are smoother looking, of a softer grey coloration, and the black
cross lines are more irregular; the black markings on the crimson hind
wings are similar, but the inner edge of the marginal border is more even.
This Central European species ranges to Amurland and Corea, and is
represented in Japan by a larger form, _zalmunna_, Butler. {80}
THE RED UNDERWING (_Catocala nupta_).
[Illustration: FIG. 3.
RED UNDERWING AT REST.
Photo by H. Main.]
Both sexes of this species are shown on Plate 31, Figs. 2 and 3. The fore
wings are darker in some specimens than in others, and very rarely, in
connection with a change in the hind wings from red to brownish, there has
been a purplish tinge over all the wings. Specimens with the hind wings of
a brown tint have only so far been noted in the environs of London. In 1892
one was taken at Mitcham (warm brown), another at Wandsworth, 1895, a third
at Chingford, 1896 (dusky black-brown), and a fourth at Brondesbury in
1897. At a meeting of the South London Entomological and Natural History
Society, held on January 10, 1889, a coloured sketch of a specimen with
blue hind wings, taken at Colchester, was exhibited (ab. _caerulescens_,
Cockerell). Sometimes the hind wings are a dingy red, or they may incline
to an orange tint; the central black band usually terminates just beyond
the middle, but there is often a detached blackish cloud on the inner
margin; and I have two specimens in which the band unites with this cloud.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 30.
MOTHER SHIPTON: _eggs, natural size and enlarged, caterpillar, and
chrysalis, natural size and enlarged_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 31.
1. _CATOCALA ELECTA_.
2, 3. RED UNDERWING.
{81} The eggs which are deposited on bark of poplar trees, as Fig. 2a on
Plate 33, are deep purplish with a whitish bloom, and inclining to
yellowish on the top. The caterpillar (Plate 33, Fig. 2) is whitish-grey
clouded and mottled with darker brown; the head is rather paler grey,
marked with black. It feeds at night on willow and poplar, and, although
rather difficult to detect, may be found in the chinks of the bark from
April to July. The pupa is brownish, thickly powdered with bluish-white,
and is enclosed in a strong, coarse, cocoon, spun up between leaves.
The moth is out in August and September, sometimes later, and in
confinement has emerged in July. It is more abundant in some years than in
others, and is fond of sitting on walls, pales, etc.; occasionally quite
large numbers have been observed at rest on telegraph poles by the
roadside, only one on a pole, as a rule, but sometimes in twos and threes.
Mr. W. J. Lucas, when at Oxford in August, 1900, counted six on one post,
and five on each of two other posts.
The species is found in suitable localities, that is, where poplars and
willows grow, throughout the south and east of England. The only clear
record from Ireland is that of a worn specimen at sugar, September 16,
1906, at Passage West, co. Cork; but Kane mentions two others.
Represented in North India by var. _unicuba_, Walker, and in Amurland by
var. _obscurata_, Oberthur. {82}
THE DARK CRIMSON UNDERWING (_Catocala sponsa_).
The fore wings of this species vary in general colour from ashy grey to an
almost olive brown; the dark clouding is much in evidence in some
specimens, but absent in others; the white or yellow marks in the vicinity
of the white outlined reniform are noticeable features. Hind wings,
crimson, more or less tinged with purple; the upper half of the central
black band is acutely angled on its outer edge, and bluntly so on its inner
edge, thence curved to the inner margin. (Plate 32, Fig. 1.)
The caterpillar is greyish-brown with a greenish tinge, and dusted with
black; paler on the fourth ring and between rings 7 and 8, and 10 and 11;
the hump on ring 8 has an ochreous tip; raised spots, red, bearing black
bristles; head, pale brown, (Fenn.) It feeds on oak in May and June.
The chrysalis is reddish, dusted with purplish grey, enclosed in a rather
open silken cocoon between leaves. (Plate 33, Fig. 1 larva, 1a pupa.) The
moth is out in July and August. Its chief home is the New Forest, Hants,
where it abounds, in some years, and in others is so scarce that few
specimens can be found. It has been taken occasionally in one or other of
the southern English counties adjoining Hants, and has been noted in
Oxfordshire and Suffolk; but such occurrences seem to be exceptional.
THE LIGHT CRIMSON UNDERWING (_Catocala promissa_).
Generally smaller, and the fore wings are usually greyer, than the last
species; the first black cross line is inwardly shaded with blackish; on
the hind wings the central black band is straighter, and the upper half,
although sometimes slightly expanded, is not angled; in some examples the
band does not quite reach the inner margin, and such specimens have been
referred to ab. _mneste_, Hubner. (Plate 32, Fig. 2.) {83}
The caterpillar is of a greenish-tinged greyish coloration, freckled with
darker grey, and with yellowish brown patches on rings 4, 8, and 9. It
feeds, at night, on oak, boring into the buds at first, but afterwards
attacking the foliage: May and June. The moth occurs in oak woods in July
and August, but it does not seem to be met with anywhere in England so
frequently as in the New Forest, Hampshire. Even in that favourite locality
it is seen but rarely in some seasons. It is, or has been, found in several
other southern and eastern counties, but, as a rule, only in a casual way.
THE BLACKNECK (_Toxocampa pastinum_).
In some examples of this species (Plate 32, Fig. 3) the ground colour of
the fore wings, usually pale grey sprinkled with brown, is inclined to
whitish, and but little powdered with brown, except the outer fourth, upon
which there is generally some brown shading. The reniform stigma varies in
shape; in some specimens it is lunular, and in others triangular, with the
apex directed inwards; the orbicular, represented by a black dot, is
occasionally absent; the cross lines are usually traceable, but the central
shade is not often distinct.
The caterpillar is rather long, and tapers slightly from the middle towards
each end. In colour it is greyish, inclining to ochreous on the back, and
dusted with black; there are three reddish lines along the back, the outer
ones edged below with white; the spiracles are black, and the line along
their area is white. It feeds at night on the tufted vetch (_Vicia
cracca_), and after hibernation attains full growth about May, when it
pupates in a cocoon among leaves on the plant, or on the ground. The moth
comes out in June and July, and in its haunts, which are the borders of
woods or the clearings therein, it flutters about at early dusk, when it
can be easily netted. Unlike the species next referred to, it does not seem
to have any great partiality {84} for flowers, but it has been taken at
sugar, and the females are found at night upon the food plant. It is known
to occur in Berkshire and most of the southern counties from Kent to Devon,
and eastward from Essex to Norfolk, Cambs., and Hunts.; has also been
recorded from Yorks., Hereford, and South Wales.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE SCARCE BLACKNECK (_Toxocampa craccae_).
This species (Plate 32, Fig. 4) is similar to the last, but the wings are
rather less ample, the tint is slightly more brownish, and the veins are
paler, especially on the outer area. Distinguishing features are the
heavier and deeper black collar, and four blackish dots on the front edge
of the fore wings. Var. _plumbea_, Bankes, the usual form in Cornwall, is
darker than the type, having the fore wings bluish-grey mixed with
chocolate, instead of pale ash-grey mixed with light walnut brown; hind
wings brownish grey, instead of pale greyish brown. The caterpillar, which
in shape is similar to that of the last species, is ochreous brown, with
darker brown lines along the back and sides. It feeds at night on the wood
vetch (_Vicia sylvatica_), but is said to eat other kinds of vetch in
confinement. It may be found resting on stems of the food plant by day, or,
when feeding at night, by the aid of a lantern, but it quickly falls off
when disturbed. The moth flies at dusk in July and August, and has a strong
liking for the flowers of the wood-sage, but visits golden-red and other
flowers also, and will sometimes turn up at the sugar patch. It is not
uncommon in some parts of the rocky coast of North Devon, as near Lynmouth,
where it was first met with by the late Rev. E. Horton in 1861. It has
since been found commonly on the Cornish coast. From what I know of its
habits, I should say that the species would be found all along the North
Devon and Cornish coasts, wherever the food plant occurs; but it does not
seem to inhabit in any other part of Britain. Abroad, its range extends to
East Siberia and Amurland.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 32.
1. DARK CRIMSON UNDERWING.
2. LIGHT CRIMSON UNDERWING.
3. THE BLACK NECK.
4. SCARCE BLACK NECK.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 33.
1, 1a. DARK CRIMSON UNDERWING: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
2, 2a. RED UNDERWING: _eggs, natural size and enlarged, and caterpillar_.
{85}
HYPENINAE.
THE BEAUTIFUL HOOK-TIP (_Laspeyria flexula_).
Some specimens are browner and others greyer than that shown on Plate 36,
Fig. 1; the pale even lines are generally edged with reddish brown, and the
notch under the tip of the wing is margined with the same colour.
The caterpillar has the first and second pairs of prolegs very short, and
below the brown-ringed spiracles there is a projecting ridge, fringed with
a row of fleshy greenish-white filaments, some of which are forked.
Bluish-green, sometimes tinged with ochreous; raised dots, black at the
tips, on a base of whitish green; along the middle of the back is a series
of darker green spear-points, and beyond this on each side a pale line,
edged above by a fine wavy black line, and below by a darker green line;
the eighth and eleventh rings of the body darker than the others. (Abridged
from description by Buckler.) It feeds on lichens growing upon larch,
spruce, hawthorn, sloe, fruit trees, etc., from September to May. The moth
is out in June, July, and August, and may be beaten from the branches of
trees, and from hedges, but the flushing of a specimen in this way is
always a more or less casual event. It has been taken on several occasions
at street lamps, and also in illuminated moth traps.
In England the species seems to be widely distributed over the southern
counties to Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire; and in the east to Norfolk. It
has also been recorded from Derbyshire (one), and Yorkshire (two).
The range abroad extends to Amurland. {86}
THE WAVED BLACK (_Parascotia fuliginaria_).
In the shape of its wings and general appearance the dingy insect
represented on Plate 36, Fig. 2, would seem to belong to the Geometridae
rather than to the present group, and, indeed, has been mistaken for a dark
form of _Ematurga atomaria_. However, the long, projecting palpi are
evidence of its being a member of this sub-family.
The caterpillar, which is moderately stout, and tapers slightly towards
each end, has only twelve feet. Ground colour, sooty black, with
orange-coloured raised dots, from which arise long recurved hairs. The late
Mr. W. H. Tugwell (from whose description of the larva that given above has
been adapted), in 1884, was shown caterpillars upon a black sooty-looking
fungus (determined by Dr. M. C. Cooke as an effused _Muscedine_), growing
in masses on rotten wood in an old wooden building in Bermondsey, near the
river. He afterwards reared the moths.
The caterpillar hatches from the egg in August, but it is not full grown
until May or June, when it spins a fairly compact cocoon of greyish silk,
which is coated with particles of decayed wood and dried fungus.
The moth is out in June and July, and most of the known British specimens
have been captured in London, or reared from caterpillars found therein.
Stephens (1831) mentions three or four examples taken during the previous
thirty years, and gives as localities--Blackfriars bridge, and Little
Chelsea; Stainton (1859) adds, Fleet Street. Other specimens have been
taken in the City in 1855, 1859, 1862, 1870, 1879, and 1881. One occurred
at Clapham in 1864, and one has been reported from Crome in Worcestershire.
More recent records are--one specimen flying around a sugared post at
Walthamstow, July 29, 1901; eight, chiefly at light, at Camberley, 1904-5;
and lastly, a specimen at St. Katharine's Docks, July, 1906. {87}
THE FAN-FOOT (_Zanclognatha tarsipennalis_).
This species is shown in both sexes on Plate 35, Figs. 1 [male], 2
[female]; it is the _Pyralis tentaculalis_ of Haworth, and also that
author's _tarsicrinatus_, and the _tarsicrinalis_ of Stephens. The general
colour is brownish, sometimes inclining to ochreous, and occasionally with
a greyish cast. The submarginal line starts from the front edge, before the
tip, of the fore wing.
The caterpillar is greyish brown, darker freckled, and dotted with black,
downy; three broken darker lines along the back, the central one broad and
inclining to black, and lower down along the sides is a series of blackish
streaks; head, darker. It feeds in July and August, and hibernates when
nearly or quite full grown. Among various foods that have been mentioned
for it are raspberry, ivy, and knotgrass. Some years ago I had some moths
emerge in the autumn; these resulted from caterpillars that I had reared
from the egg on blackberry, and I remember that they showed a decided
preference for the withered leaves left in the cage for them to pupate
among. (Plate 34, Fig. 2.)
The moth is out in June and July, but individuals of a second generation
seldom occur in the open. Although it occurs in woods, it is far more
frequent in lanes and hedgerows. Common and generally distributed, from
Worcester southwards, and to the east and west; northwards its range
extends to Yorkshire, but it is local and uncommon.
In Scotland it is not scarce in some parts of Ayrshire, and has been
recorded from Kircudbrightshire. Kane mentions it as fairly common in
Ireland.
The range abroad extends to Amurland, Corea, and Japan. {88}
THE SMALL FAN-FOOT (_Zanclognatha grisealis_).
This species (Plate 35, Fig. 3) is somewhat similar to the last in colour,
but it is smaller, and the submarginal line is rather curved, and runs to
the tip of the fore wing. The caterpillar is obscurely greyish, with a
pinkish tinge; three darker lines along the back, the central one broadest,
but not distinct on the first three rings; head, brown, freckled with
darker brown, plate of first ring of the body, blackish brown. It feeds on
oak, and may be beaten from the foliage in August and September. Buckler
states that this species passes the winter in the chrysalis state, and this
has been confirmed by Plum. (Plate 34, Fig. 1; after Hofmann.)
The moths emerge in June and July, and may frequently be dislodged from
trees, hedges, and undergrowth in the daytime. Pretty generally distributed
over the southern half of England, plentiful in many parts, and widely
spread over the northern half of the country. It is not scarce in some
parts of Wales, but seems to be uncommon in Scotland, and has been recorded
from the south only. In Ireland it has a wide range, but does not appear to
be noted as common in any locality.
THE OLIVE CRESCENT (_Zanclognatha_ (_Sophronia_) _emortualis_).
The species depicted on Plate 36, Fig. 8, from a continental specimen, is
exceedingly rare in England, in fact, apart from the specimens mentioned by
early authors, only three authentic British examples appear to be known.
These are--one captured at Brighton, Sussex, in June, 1858; one in June,
1859, in Epping Forest, Essex; and one taken at sugar by the Rev. B. H.
Binks, of Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, in July of the year last mentioned.
Stephens (1834), who gives a very unsatisfactory description {89} of the
species, refers to two specimens, of which one was in his collection, from
Devonshire. Wood's figure (768) of _emortualis_, in the Westwood edition of
the _Index Entomologicus_, does not represent this species, but is far more
like _Herminia derivalis_, Hubner.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland.
THE LESSER BELLE (_Madopa salicalis_).
A portrait of this uncommon British moth will be found on Plate 35, Fig. 4.
The greyish fore wings are crossed by three paler edged reddish-brown
lines, the outer one running to the tip of the wing, and the inner one is
sometimes faint or absent.
The caterpillar is said to feed in July and August on sallow and aspen, and
is described by Hofmann as having only fourteen feet; green, inclining to
greyish, in colour, with black spiracles, and the ring divisions yellowish.
(Plate 39, Fig. 3; after Hofmann.)
The moth is out in May and June, and in its few known localities in England
it is found in moist woods, hiding among grass and varied undergrowth.
Stephens (1834) wrote, "A very rare and local insect: I have specimens
taken many years since in the neighbourhood of Bexley, in which vicinity I
believe my friend Mr. Newman has captured it within these few years; it has
also been found at Charlton." Since that time other localities in Kent have
been mentioned, among which were Darenth Wood and West Wickham; the species
was also noted from Birch wood, Surrey. A specimen was found in a gas lamp
at Dulwich in 1858 by the late Mr. C. G. Barrett, and one was taken in
Shooter's Hill wood, Kent, in June, 1859.
Between 1862 and 1868 specimens were obtained at Haslemere, Surrey, and
near Sevenoaks, Kent. According to Barrett {90} it occurred at Petersfield,
on the borders of Sussex and Hampshire, in 1877.
It has also been recorded from Dunham, Cheshire.
Abroad, its distribution extends to Amurland, Corea, and Japan.
THE DOTTED FAN-FOOT (_Herminia cribrumalis_ (_cribralis_)).
The fore wings of this species (Plate 35, Fig. 5) are whitish tinged with
brown, inclining to purplish on the outer margins; beyond the blackish
central dot there are two series of blackish dots crossing the wings, but
these are not always distinct.
The caterpillar, which feeds on various marsh grasses, _Carex_, _Luzula_,
etc., hatches from the egg in late summer, hibernates when about
half-grown, and feeds up in the spring. It is pale greyish brown with fine
yellowish freckles; there are three lines along the back; the central one
dark, finely edged on each side with pale greyish, the outer ones pale; the
usual dots are dusky and the spiracles are black.
The moth may be found in June and July in fens and marshes, where it hides
among the herbage in the daytime, but is easily seen and netted when it
takes wing at dusk, or sits on the sedges, etc., before or after flight.
It is most frequent in the fens of Cambridge and Norfolk, (Stalham), but
occurs also in Suffolk; Essex (Shoeburyness); Kent (Deal); Surrey (recorded
from marshes near Redhill, Dorking and Guildford); Sussex; Hants (bogs near
Lyndhurst), and, according to Barrett, Somerset.
THE CLAY FAN-FOOT (_Herminia derivalis_).
This local species has the wings pretty much of the same shape as those of
_S. emortualis_, and has been mistaken for that species; but the colour is
ochreous-brown, and the cross lines {91} are dark brown. Its favourite
haunts appear to be woods in Kent and Sussex, and in the last-named county
it is perhaps most frequently met with in Abbots wood, Guestling, and
Lewes. It has also been recorded from Essex (Colchester). (Plate 35, Fig.
6.)
The caterpillar feeds on dead oak leaves, chiefly those that have fallen to
the ground. After hibernation it becomes full grown about June, and is then
brown with a downy appearance; there are three faintly darker lines along
the back, and the usual dots are dusky. (Plate 34, Fig. 3; after Hofmann.)
The moth is out in June and July, and in the daytime may be put up from its
lurking place among herbage in wood clearings, or netted as it flies in the
gloaming. It is also attracted by sugar and light.
The species has been erroneously recorded from Chester and Barmouth (North
Wales); and Mr. Carr informs me that he is not quite sure that a specimen
he recorded from Dawlish, South Devon, was correctly identified. In the
catalogue of Malvern Lepidoptera _H. derivalis_ is stated to be rather
common in that district, but the occurrence of the species in the Midlands
requires confirmation.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland.
THE COMMON FAN-FOOT (_Pechipogon barbalis_).
The fore wings of the species shown on Plate 35, Fig. 7, are greyish brown,
crossed by three darker lines, the outer one almost parallel with the hind
margin, and edged with whitish.
The caterpillar feeds on the dead leaves of oak and birch, and has almost
attained full growth when it retires for the winter. In the spring it has
been known to eat birch catkins. The general colour is reddish ochreous,
with diamond-shaped markings, forming a series along the back and two
series along each side. {92}
The moth, which is out from late May until early July, frequents the more
open parts of woods, and in the daytime may be induced to show itself by
tapping the lower branches of trees or brushing the bushes and undergrowth
as we pass along.
The species is widely distributed over England, from Staffordshire
southwards, but it is apparently most frequently met with in some of the
woods of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
The distribution abroad extends to Amurland.
THE BEAUTIFUL SNOUT (_Bomolocha fontis_).
The portraits of this species on Plate 35 show each sex in its most usual
form: Fig. 8 representing the male, and Fig. 9 the female. The outer and
inner areas of the fore wings are generally ashy grey, more or less
brownish tinged, in the male; and the same parts are whitish in the female.
Although some examples of the male have the outer and inner areas whitish,
as in the female, they can be distinguished by their darker hind wings and
the blackish central crescent thereon. A form of the female in which the
large central patch of the fore wings is reddish brown has been named
_rufescens_, Tutt; there may be males also of this form, but I have not
seen any. In both sexes, the brown patch extends nearer to the inner margin
in some specimens than in others, and not infrequently there is a spur from
the lower edge of the patch to this margin.
The caterpillar is green, with darker green lines, one along the middle of
the back, and two along each side; the usual raised dots are green or
brownish, and each emits a fine hair; the head is green and rather glossy.
It feeds on bilberry (_Vaccinium myrtillus_) in August and September.
(Plate 37, Fig. 1; after Hofmann.) The moth, which is out in June and July,
hides by day among heather, bilberry, etc., especially where these plants
overhang the edges of banks or trenches. It may be found locally in most of
the southern counties of England from Kent to Cornwall; also in Berks,
Stafford, and Leicester. It has been recorded from Suffolk, Worcester,
Cheshire (one at electric light, Chester, July, 1900), and North Wales. In
Ireland it is widely distributed, and is not uncommon in Co. Kerry.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 34.
1. SMALL FANFOOT: _caterpillar_.
2. FANFOOT: _caterpillar_.
3. CLAY FAN-FOOT: _caterpillar_.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 35.
1, 2. FAN-FOOT.
3. SMALL FAN-FOOT.
4. LESSER BELLE.
5. DOTTED FAN-FOOT.
6. CLAY FAN-FOOT.
7. COMMON FAN-FOOT.
8, 9. BEAUTIFUL SNOUT.
10. THE SNOUT.
11, 12. BUTTONED SNOUT.
{93}
THE SNOUT (_Hypena proboscidalis_).
This species (Plate 35, Fig. 10) is more generally distributed and common
than any other of the group. Wherever nettles grow in quantity there we may
expect to find this moth in its season, that is, in June and July. In
favourable years there is sometimes a second flight, on a small scale, in
the autumn; this was the case in 1905.
The caterpillar is green, with raised dots, from each of which a brownish
hair arises; the line along the middle of the back is dark, and those along
the sides are yellowish; the head is ochreous brown. It feeds on nettles in
May and June. (Plate 37, Fig. 3; after Hofmann.)
In Amurland, and some other parts of eastern Asia, the species is
represented by the brown-sprinkled yellowish form, var. _deleta_,
Staudinger.
THE BLOXWORTH SNOUT (_Hypena obsitalis_).
The fore wings of this species are brown, crossed by a number of darker
lines and a thicker angulated line beyond the middle; the latter is
outwardly edged with pale brown, chiefly towards the costa; some white dots
on the veins represent the submarginal line, and below the tips of the
wings there are some black streaks.
One example of this form of the species, which is a variable one, was taken
by the Rev. O. Pickard, Cambridge, in {94} September, 1884. He found it
sitting on a door-jamb in his garden at Bloxworth, Dorset.
The specimen shown on Plate 36, Fig. 9, hails from Mogador.
Abroad, the range of the species includes southern Europe, Asia Minor,
Egypt, North-West Africa, Madeira, and the Canaries.
THE BUTTONED SNOUT (_Hypena rostralis_).
Two forms of this species are shown on Plate 35. The typical one is
represented by Fig. 12, and Fig. 11 shows ab. _palpalis_, Tutt (?), Fabr.
and Stephens. The front margin of the fore wings is often streaked with a
pale colour, and in ab. _radiatalis_, Hubner (134), which is otherwise
similar to the last-named form, this is pale or ochreous brown. A uniform
pale greyish form has been named ab. _unicolor_, Tutt, and one almost
entirely ochreous or greyish-ochreous, ab. _ochrea_, Tutt.
The caterpillar is green, with blackish dots; a darker line along the
middle of the back, and white lines along the sides; head, yellowish green
dotted with black. It feeds on hop (_Humulus lupulus_) in June and early
July, and in the daytime may be found on the undersides of the leaves.
(Plate 37, Fig. 2; after Hofmann.) The moth is out in August and September,
and after hibernation reappears in the spring, and may be met with until
June. It may be obtained at sugar, or at ivy bloom. Given the food plant,
the species will probably be found in most of the counties of England from
Worcester southwards, but its occurrence northwards appears to have been
very rarely noted.
The range abroad extends to East Siberia.
THE WHITE-LINE SNOUT (_Hypenodes taenialis_ (_albistrigalis_)).
This species, and also the two immediately following, are so small in size,
and so obscure in appearance, that they are {95} probably more often
neglected than secured when met with. The moth under consideration, and of
which the sexes are figured on Plate 36 (Figs. 3 [male] and 4 [female]) has
brownish fore wings which are crossed by two rather irregular blackish
lines, sometimes hardly traceable on the front margin; the outer line is
edged externally with whitish, and the space between the lines is often
somewhat darker; the black central mark is more or less X-shaped.
The caterpillar does not seem to have been noted in this country, and it is
not well known on the continent. It is said to feed on the flowers, chiefly
the withering ones, of heather and thyme, in August and September.
The moth is out in July and early August, sometimes in September. Its
haunts are the edges of woods, hillsides, and sloping banks, where there is
plenty of bushes and herbage to hide in. From such retreats it may be
disturbed, but is more easily obtained at sugar, or honey dew, and
sometimes at ivy bloom. It is widely distributed over the southern half of
England; occurs in South Wales, and has been recorded from Cheshire and
Yorks.
Abroad, the species is found in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria,
Armenia, and the Canaries; also recorded from south Sweden and Corea.
THE PINION-STREAKED SNOUT (_Hypenodes costaestrigalis_).
Although somewhat similar in the general colour of the forewings, this
species (Plate 36) may be distinguished from the preceding by the whitish
dash from the tips of the wings and the black streak running inwards from
it; this black streak is to be seen clearly in Fig. 6 [male], but owing to
the darker ground colour is less distinct in Fig. 7 [female].
The caterpillar is shining purplish-brown, inclining to yellowish-brown
below, with three pale brownish lines along {96} the back, the central one
rather broad, and that on each side is edged below with dusky. What the
food may be in a natural state has not been ascertained, but the
caterpillars have been reared from the egg on a diet of thyme flowers,
supplemented by the bodies of a few brothers or sisters. July and August.
The moth has been noted in June (end), July, August, September, and
October; but whether there are two generations or only one in the year is
not definitely known; the assumption is that there are two.
This species is partial to moist localities, and its favourite haunts are
fens, mosses, or marshy heaths, and the outskirts of damp woods. It ranges
over the greater part of England, and is found in Wales (Pembrokeshire). In
Scotland it has been noted from Roxburghshire, and is locally common in
Clydesdale. It is known to occur in Cork, Kerry, and Sligo, and probably is
to be found in other parts of Ireland.
THE MARSH OBLIQUE-BARRED (_Tholomiges turfosalis_).
The species shown on Plate 36, Fig. 5, is much smaller than either of the
last two. The narrow fore wings are whitish-ochreous, more or less thickly
sprinkled with brown; the first of the three dark cross lines is often
indistinct, the second is bent under the black central dot, and the third
runs obliquely to the tip of the wing; the last two are each outwardly
edged with whitish.
Nothing seems to be known of the early stages.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 36.
1. BEAUTIFUL HOOK-TIP.
2. WAVED BLACK.
3, 4. WHITE-LINE SNOUT.
5. MARSH OBLIQUE BARRED.
6, 7. PINION-STREAKED SNOUT.
8. OLIVE CRESCENT.
9. BLOXWORTH SNOUT.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 37.
1. BEAUTIFUL SNOUT: _caterpillar_.
2. BUTTONED SNOUT: _caterpillar_.
3. THE SNOUT: _caterpillar_.
{97} This species was first made known as an inhabitant of the British
Isles by Doubleday, who described it as _Hypenodes humidalis_, in 1850,
from specimens taken in Ireland by Weaver in 1848. In 1850 it was found
plentifully on one of the Cheshire moors; and Harrison, in _The Zoologist_
for 1851, writes: "From the middle of July up to the 8th of August, it
might be seen any fine evening, between the hours of six and eight, flying
on most of our swamps [Keswick] in plenty." He goes on to state that the
moths were so common that he boxed forty in less than an hour, and could
have secured as many dozens. At the present day the species is to be found
on boggy heaths and moors in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, and from Somerset
through Gloucestershire into Berkshire, and thence northwards through
Warwick and Staffordshire to Cheshire, Lancashire, and Cumberland. Barrett
mentions Perthshire as a Scottish locality, and Kane states that it is
common at Killarney in Ireland. When this species and its allies receive
more of the collector's attention they may probably be found in many
localities from which there are no records at present.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
BREPHIDAE.
By some systematists this small group of moths is treated as a subfamily of
the Geometridae. _Brephos_, however, which is typical of the family, does
not seem to have any close affinities with the Noctuidae or with the
Geometers, and is therefore better considered as apart from both those
families. Meyrick includes _Brephos_ with _Aplasta_, _Erannis_, and
_Baptria_, in his family Monocteniadae.
Only five species are known to inhabit the Palaearctic Region, and two of
these occur in Britain.
THE ORANGE UNDERWING (_Brephos parthenias_).
The white markings of the fore wings vary a good deal in size; in some
specimens, chiefly males, they are very small and confined to the front
margin; in others, mainly females, they are much enlarged, and the central
one is continued as a band across the wings. On the orange hind wings the
blackish {98} central band is usually more or less complete, but sometimes
it is nearly or quite absent above the blackish triangular patch on the
inner margin. Occasionally, there is a yellow blotch at the anal angle, and
frequently another on the costal area. Still more rarely the whole ground
colour is yellow. (Figured on Plate 38, Figs. 1 [male] and 2 [female].) The
caterpillar is green, with six white lines along the back, and white
stripes along the sides. When young it feeds on the catkins of birch, and
afterwards on the foliage. April to early June. (Plate 39, Fig. 1.)
The moth is out in March and April, and on sunny days the males may be seen
flying, generally pretty high up, on the lee side of the birch trees
growing on heaths; also in open spaces in or around birch woods. The
females rest on the twigs, as also do the males when the sun is obscured.
Both sexes have been found sitting on the ground in sunny glades.
The species is widely distributed over the southern and eastern counties,
common in many parts; but its range extends through England to Durham, and
it has been recorded from Wales. Although it does not seem to have been
noted in Scotland south of Kincardineshire, it occurs on the east to Moray.
Westmeath is the only Irish locality that has so far been mentioned.
Its distribution abroad extends to East Siberia and Amurland.
THE LIGHT ORANGE UNDERWING (_Brephos notha_).
Very similar to the last species, but rather smaller in size, and the fore
wings are much less variegated. The antennae of the male of this species
are bipectinated, whilst those of _parthenias_ are finely serrated. (Plate
38, Figs. 4 [male] and 5 [female].)
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 38.
1, 2. ORANGE UNDERWING.
3. THE REST HARROW.
4, 5. LIGHT ORANGE UNDERWING.
6-8. GRASS EMERALD.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 39.
1. ORANGE UNDERWING: _caterpillar_.
2, 2a. LIGHT ORANGE UNDERWING: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.
3. LESSER BELLE: _caterpillar_.
{99} The caterpillar feeds in May and June on aspen, eating the foliage and
hiding between two leaves drawn together. The head is greenish or
greenish-brown, with three conspicuous black spots. Body, green,
olive-green, or reddish; line along middle of the back darker green edged
with white; two thin white lines on each side, and a whitish stripe along
the spiracles. When mature it burrows into decayed bark or wood (virgin
cork in confinement), and before changing to a reddish-brown chrysalis, it
spins a thin covering of silk and woody particles over the mouth of the
chamber. The caterpillar and the chrysalis are shown on Plate 39, Figs. 2
and 2a. Although the bulk of the moths emerge the following April, some
have been known to remain until the following or even the third year. The
males fly about aspen, but only in the sunshine; in other respects its
habits are pretty much those of the last species.
The distribution of the species in England seems confined to two areas: a
western one represented by Worcester, Gloucester, with Monmouth, Wales,
Wilts, and Dorset; and an eastern one by Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk,
Essex, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. In Scotland only recorded from
Moray.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
GEOMETRIDAE.
Caterpillars of this family of moths, with very few exceptions, have only
two pairs of claspers or prolegs; when there are more than four claspers,
the extra ones are only rudimentary and therefore useless. In moving from
place to place the caterpillar stretches out to its full length, first to
one side and then to the other, as though measuring the distance. When a
hold is secured with the true legs the body is arched and the claspers are
brought up almost to the point held by the true legs; the latter are then
thrust forward and the measuring business proceeds as before. Some kinds
perform the looping manoeuvre very deliberately, but others at a quick
rate. In common parlance among British entomologists the caterpillars are
called {100} "geometers" or "loopers," but to our American confreres they
are known as "measuring-worms" or "span-worms."
Most of the caterpillars feed openly on the foliage of trees, shrubs, or
low-growing herbs, and the majority remain upon their respective plants
during the day.
A large proportion of the moths may be obtained in the daytime, either by
beating or otherwise disturbing the foliage or herbage among which they
hide; several kinds rest on tree trunks, palings, rocks, walls, etc., where
they are sometimes conspicuous, but more frequently not easy to distinguish
from their surroundings. On the whole, members of this family are more
available to the day collector than are those of the Noctuidae. Although
several species occasionally visit the sugar patch, such species are, as a
rule, obtained more readily and in larger numbers by other methods.
Brilliant light has a great attraction for many of the moths, some are more
often captured at gas or electric lamps than in any other way, and among
these are the migratory species.
Staudinger divides the family into the following subfamilies:--
Geometrinae (= Geometridae, Meyrick).
Acidaliinae (= Sterrhidae, Meyrick).
Larentiinae (= Hydriomenidae, Meyrick).
Orthostixinae (not represented in Britain).
Boarmiinae (= Selidosemidae, Meyrick).
Except as regards the Larentiinae, I have largely adhered to Staudinger's
arrangement of genera in each of the above subfamilies.
The typical genus of Larentiinae would be _Larentia_, Treit, to which
something over two hundred species are referred by Staudinger, among which
are upwards of sixty that occur in the British Isles. Following some of the
later generic changes, I find that none of our species are left in
_Larentia_, but a few fall into _Hydriomena_, Hubner, and therefore
Hydriomeninae has been adopted for this subfamily. {101}
GEOMETRINAE.
THE REST HARROW (_Aplasta ononaria_).
This greyish-brown moth has two darker, sometimes reddish, cross lines on
the fore wings, and one such line on the hind wings. It is presumably only
to be regarded as an accidental visitor to England. The first record was of
a specimen captured in the Warren at Folkestone in July, 1866, and since
that year others were obtained in the same locality, but apparently not
more than about half a dozen altogether. None seems to have been recorded
for over thirty-five years. The specimen, whose portrait is shown on Plate
38, Fig. 3, was obtained from Dresden.
Abroad, the range includes Central and Southern Europe, Asia Minor, Syria,
and Armenia.
THE GRASS EMERALD (_Pseudoterpna pruinata_).
When freshly emerged from the chrysalis, the species represented by Figs. 6
to 8 on Plate 38 is of a beautiful blue-green colour, but in course of time
a greyish shade creeps over the wings. The dark cross lines vary in
intensity; in some specimens well defined and blackish, in others very
faint, and hardly discernible; occasionally, the space between the lines on
the fore wings is dark shaded; the whitish submarginal line is not always
present. This species is the _cythisaria_ of Schiffermiller, and the
_cytisaria_ of other authors.
The caterpillar (figured on Plate 41, Fig. 1, from a coloured drawing by
Mr. A. Sich) is green, with three lines along the back, the central one
dark green, the others whitish; a pinkish stripe low down along the sides,
the points on the head and the first and last rings of the body are often
pink also. It feeds on pettywhin (_Genista anglica_), also on broom
(_Cytisus scoparius_) {102} and gorse (_Ulex_); in captivity it seems to
thrive on laburnum. Most frequently obtained in the springtime after
hibernation.
The moth is to be found in June and July on moorlands and commons pretty
well throughout the British Isles, but it seems not to have been noted
north of Perthshire, in Scotland.
Odd specimens have been known to occur in late August or early September,
but this is quite exceptional.
THE LARGE EMERALD (_Geometra papilionaria_).
This charming green species (Plate 40, Figs. 1 and 4) varies in tint and in
the distinctness of the whitish wavy cross lines. In some examples, one or
other of the lines is absent, and far more rarely there is but little trace
of any of these markings. Occasionally, the discal mark is preceded by a
whitish wedge-shaped spot on the fore wings (ab. _cuneata_, Burrows).
When newly laid the eggs are whitish, but soon change to greenish yellow,
and finally to pinkish.
The caterpillar hatches in late summer, and feeds on birch, hazel, and
beech, until the leaves begin to fall in the autumn; it then constructs a
carpet of silk on a twig, and near a bud, upon which it takes up its
position for the winter. When thus seen, its reddish brown colour,
variegated more or less with green, assimilates so closely with its
surroundings that the creature is not easy to detect. In the spring, when
it awakens, the green colour increases in extent as the buds open and the
leaves unfold; when they are fully expanded, the caterpillar sits among the
foliage towards the tip of a twig, and is then almost entirely green, the
reddish brown only showing on the head, slightly on the warts, and more
distinctly on the hinder parts which are in touch with the twig. The
chrysalis, enclosed in a flimsy silken web among the dead leaves, usually
on the ground, is of a delicate green colour, dotted with buff on the back,
and shaded with buff on the wing cases. The early stages are figured on
Plate 42.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 40.
1, 4. LARGE EMERALD.
2, 3. SMALL EMERALD.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 41.
1. GRASS EMERALD: _caterpillar_.
2. BLOTCHED EMERALD: _caterpillar_.
3. COMMON EMERALD: _caterpillar_.
{103} The moth is out in June and July, and may occasionally be beaten out
of a hedge or bush, but is most frequently obtained late at night, when it
is active on the wing, and is attracted by a brilliant light.
The species occurs in woods, on heaths and moors, and in fens, throughout
the British Isles, except the most northern parts of Scotland and the
isles.
Abroad, the range extends to Amurland and Japan.
THE SMALL EMERALD (_Geometra vernaria_).
This species (Plate 40, Figs. 2 and 3) is smaller than the last mentioned,
the green colour is of a softer tint, and the lines crossing the wings, two
on the fore wings and one on the hind wings, are whitish, and not waved.
The caterpillar hatches from the egg in August, and after hibernation is to
be found in May and June on Traveller's Joy or Old Man's Beard (_Clematis
vitalba_). It is then green, with white dots arranged in lines along the
back and sides; the head is deep reddish brown, and this, and also the
first and last rings of the body, have raised points. Transformation to the
greenish chrysalis is effected among the leaves, drawn together with silk.
(Plate 44, Figs. 3 and 3a.)
The moth flies in the evening in July and August, and in the daytime may be
disturbed, by the application of the beating stick, from its retreats in
hedges, etc., where the food plant flourishes. Found in most of the
southern and eastern counties of England, most frequently on the chalk; its
range extends to Worcestershire. Except that it has been recorded as a
doubtful inhabitant of Ireland, the species does not appear to occur
elsewhere in the British Isles. The distribution abroad extends to
Amurland. {104}
THE BLOTCHED EMERALD (_Euchloris_ (_Comibaena_) _pustulata_).
When quite fresh, this moth (Plate 43, Fig. 1) is exceedingly pretty; the
pale blotches vary a little in size, as also do the reddish marks upon
them.
The caterpillar adorns itself with particles of its food as soon as it
leaves the egg in July; after hibernation it uses the scales or husks of
the oak buds for the same purpose. When stripped of its trappings it is
found to be reddish brown in colour, with three slightly darker lines along
the back; hooded bristles arising from raised brownish spots afford means
for the attachment of the masquerading outfit, each moiety of which is
covered with silk on one side before being placed in the required position.
When beating oaks for larvae in May and June, the contents of the umbrella
or beating tray should not be too hastily thrown away, but allowed to
remain therein for awhile, and closely watched for any movement among the
litter. The spectacle of a cluster of oak bracts suddenly becoming active
will certainly arouse curiosity, and on examination the cause of the
commotion will frequently be found to be the caterpillar of this species.
(Plate 41, Fig. 2; after Auld.)
The moth is out in June and July, and flies at dusk in and around oak
woods. In the daytime it may be jarred from its perch in oak trees, and
once I found a specimen on a fence in the Esher district. It has been known
to visit light, and examples of a September emergence have been recorded.
As a British species it only inhabits England, and it has been noted from
Staffordshire and Leicester, but seems to be rare in the midland counties
generally. It is more frequently found in the southern and eastern
counties.
Abroad, the range extends through Central Europe to Southern Sweden, S.
Russia, N. Asia Minor, and Andalusia. {105}
THE ESSEX EMERALD (_Euchloris smaragdaria_).
In some examples of this species (Plate 43, Figs. 2, 3) the green colour is
brighter than in others, and very occasionally it is tinged with bluish;
typically, there are white cross lines on the fore wings, but the inner one
is not infrequently absent, and more rarely both are missing. The white
central spot is very rarely absent, and the edges of the fore wings are
yellowish.
The caterpillar feeds on the sea wormwood (_Artemisia maritima_), and
adorns itself with fragments of its food plant in much the same manner as
that of the species last referred to. Although obtained in the autumn in
some numbers from its food plant, it seems to have been rarely met with in
the spring after hibernation. It is, therefore, advisable to collect the
caterpillars about September, and transfer them to plants of the garden
_Artemisia abrotanum_, locally known as "Southernwood," "Old man," or
"Lad's love," or, where available, wormwood (_A. absinthium_) will suit it
admirably. Upon either of these plants the larvae will hibernate, feed up
in the spring, and become full grown about May. The early stages are
figured on Plate 42, larva and pupa from photos by Mr. H. Main.
The moth is out in June and early July, but it is rarely seen in the open,
although over sixty years ago a few specimens were put up from among grass
and netted at St. Osyth; in later years an example or two have been taken
at Sheerness in Kent. Possibly, others may also have been captured in one
or other of the insect's haunts, but records are silent on the matter.
Barrett mentions a specimen emerging in September, and the Rev. C. R. N.
Burrows notes that part of a brood of caterpillars reared from eggs, and
fed on _A. absinthium_, attained the moth state during the autumn. So far
as concerns {106} the British Isles it seems to be almost exclusively an
inhabitant of the salterns, or sea marshes of Essex.
Abroad, the species occurs inland, and is not confined to the coast; its
range extends eastwards to Siberia and Amurland.
THE SMALL GRASS EMERALD (_Nemoria viridata_).
This species, represented on Plate 43, Figs. 5 and 6, is readily
distinguished by its small size and the well-defined white cross line on
each wing. In most examples there is a more or less distinct whitish inner
line on the fore wings. Ab. _mathewi_, Bankes, has all the wings dusted
with orange scales, more especially on the outer marginal areas. A few
examples of this form were reared in 1905, with a number of normal
specimens, from eggs laid by a female captured in South Devonshire.
The caterpillar (figured from a skin on Plate 44, Fig. 1) is green,
roughened with whitish points; a dusky line along the middle of the back,
marked on the front and end rings, also between the rings, with purplish
red. Head, and first ring of the body, notched, the points reddish; last
ring of the body pointed. When at rest on a twig it assumes a rigid
posture, and the legs are tightly drawn together. It feeds on heather,
sallow, and birch, but the general experience appears to be that in
captivity it thrives best on a diet of hawthorn, and is especially partial
to the young shoots. It may be obtained in July and August, and the mo
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