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.