THE VESTAL (_Sterrha sacraria_).
The fore wings are pale yellow inclining to ochreous, and the front edge is
more or less tinged with the same colour as that of the oblique stripe from
the tips of the wings to the middle of the inner margin. In the type, this
stripe is purplish-brown, but in ab. _labda_, Cramer, it is crimson, and in
ab. _atrifasciaria_, Stefan, it is blackish. In ab. _sanguinaria_, Esper,
the ground colour is pinkish. The hind wings are always white. (Plate 54,
Figs. 1 and 2.)
From 1857, in which year the first specimen recorded as British was
captured in September at Plymouth, to 1874, one or more examples of this
interesting migrant seem to have occurred during the autumns of most years,
in some part of the British Isles, but chiefly in the South of England. The
years in which it was apparently unrecorded were 1860, 1861, 1870, 1872,
and 1873. Since 1874 there have been very few records. In 1879 a male
specimen was taken at Chingford, Essex, August 17th, and a female (ova
obtained) on September 1st; a specimen occurred at Christchurch, Hants,
October, 1893; a male was obtained in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset,
September, 1895, and one was secured at Timoleague, Co. Cork, in August,
1898; one was accounted for at Malvern, Worcestershire, in August, 1901; a
female in fine condition was captured, as it flew in the sunshine over a
Cambridgeshire meadow, in the autumn of 1906. Mr. H. M. Edelsten obtained a
male specimen in South Devon, on September 12, 1908. The largest number of
specimens appears to have been recorded in 1867, when nearly thirty were
secured, and of these four were taken in May in the Isle of Wight, where
also two females were captured on {142} August 14th and 16th, and one
specimen on September 3rd. Six or seven occurred during August in
Lancashire, and three in Perthshire, also in August.
The long caterpillar is variable, but is usually some shade of green above,
inclining to whitish beneath, and yellowish between the rings; the lines
along the back are paler green, reddish, and olive green. It feeds on
low-growing plants, such as knotgrass and dock, and has been reared from
the egg in August and September. If eggs were obtained in May it would be
possible to raise two generations of moths, or, perhaps, even three, during
the year.
The species is an inhabitant of Southern Europe and North Africa, and its
range extends to India, Madeira, and the Canaries. In Central Europe,
including the British Isles, its occurrence is always a more or less casual
event.
NOTE.--It is possibly incorrect to assign this species to _Sterrha_,
Hubner, which is adopted by some authors for the Acidaliid _ochraria_.
There is, however, considerable doubt among authorities about accepting the
Hubnerian genus, but Herrich-Schaffer's genus _Sterrha_ appears to be valid
and is here employed. If it has to give way, _Pseudosterrha_, Warren, or
_Rhodometra_, Meyrick, may have to be used.
_Lythria purpuraria_ has long been reported as a British species, but there
does not appear to be any very convincing record of its capture in the
British Isles. It is widely distributed in Europe, and generally common. As
it is a sun-loving insect, it could hardly escape detection if it occurred
in any part of our isles. A note by Mr. V. R. Perkins, in _The Zoologist_
for 1861, p. 7449, should, however, not be overlooked. This refers to the
capture, on June 18th, of two male specimens that were disturbed from
broom, "not far from the city of Perth, by Mr. D. P. Morrison." {143}
LEAD BELLE (_Ortholitha plumbaria_).
Two ordinary examples of this species are shown on Plate 54, Figs. 4, 5.
The ground colour is greyish, ranging in one direction to whitish, and in
the other to brownish; on the fore wings there are three cross lines,
usually reddish-brown in colour, but sometimes dark brown inclining to
blackish; the first of these lines is always slender and sometimes very
indistinct; the second is often shaded on its outer edge, and the third on
its inner edge, with brownish; occasionally the space between the second
and third is more or less dusky, especially on the lower half; sometimes
these two lines approach each other very closely on the inner margin; the
short oblique streak from the tip of the wing to the wavy submarginal line,
and also the blackish central dot, are far more distinct in some specimens
than in others.
The long stick-like caterpillar is pale ochreous brown, often striped with
darker brown or blackish. It feeds on furze (_Ulex_) and broom (_Cytisus_),
from August to April. The moth is out in May and June, earlier or later
according to the season, and is to be found almost everywhere that its food
plants flourish.
THE MALLOW (_Ortholitha cervinata_).
The fore wings of this species are normally ochreous brown, inclining to
reddish, but sometimes the general colour is of a light chocolate tint, and
in such specimens the slender white lines edging the dark markings, and the
white wavy submarginal line, are more distinct; the central band-like
marking occasionally tapers towards the inner margin. (Plate 54, Figs. 6,
7.)
The long caterpillar (figured from a coloured drawing by Mr. A. Sich, Plate
52, Fig. 1) is of a greenish colour, inclining {144} to yellowish between
the rings; there are indications of darker lines on the middle of the back
and along the sides; the usual dots are whitish and the spiracles black; in
some specimens the central line on the back is pinkish. It hatches from the
egg in March or April, and feeds until June on mallow (_Malva sylvestris_);
will also eat hollyhock.
The moth appears in September and October, and is sometimes seen in
November. It hides under the mallow, and other plants around, and is not
much inclined to move during the day, but it becomes active in the evening,
and then flies pretty briskly. The occurrence of this species in any
locality will, of course, largely depend upon the presence of the food
plant, but it seems to be widely distributed throughout the greater part of
the British Isles. It is, however, most frequent in the southern half of
England.
SHADED BROAD-BAR (_Ortholitha limitata_).
To the earliest British entomologists this species (Plate 54, Figs. 8 and
9) was known by the English name given to it by Moses Harris, which is here
revived. Haworth's popular name for the insect is the "Small Mallow," but
this seems less suitable.
The fore wings are usually ochreous brown in colour, with a darker brown
band, the inner area of which is often paler. The ground colour, however,
varies considerably, in some examples tending to whity brown, and in others
to a smoky hue. The whitish hind wings are generally more or less dusky
clouded, chiefly from the base of the wing to the dark brown or blackish
cross shade; but sometimes these wings are entirely blackish, with just a
trace of a pale cross stripe.
The caterpillar is greyish, with a pinkish tinge and black dots; there are
three lines along the back, the central one slaty blue, and the others
ochreous, shaded on each side with pale brown; a pinkish irregular ridge
runs low down along the sides. It feeds on clover, vetch, grass, etc., from
September to June. (Plate 52, Fig. 2, after Hofmann.)
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 54.
1, 2. THE VESTAL.
3, 10. OBLIQUE-STRIPED.
4, 5. LEAD BELLE.
6, 7. MALLOW.
8, 9. SHADED BROAD-BAR.
11, 12. CHALK CARPET.
[Illustration]
2 Pl. 55.
1, 2. DRAB LOOPER.
3. GREY CARPET.
4, 5. CHIMNEY SWEEPER.
6-8. TREBLE-BAR.
9, 10. MANCHESTER TREBLE-BAR.
{145} The moth is out in July and August, and is often common in fields and
grassy places, generally throughout the greater part of the British Isles.
In ancient times it was dubbed the "Aurelian's Plague." The range abroad
extends to Amurland.
_Ortholitha moeniata._--Except that one specimen was said to have been
taken near Baron Wood, Carlisle, some years prior to 1855; and another, in
1866, near York; there is no evidence that this species is an inhabitant of
the British Isles.
CHALK CARPET (_Ortholitha bipunctaria_).
In this species (Plate 54, Figs. 11 and 12) the ground colour of the fore
wings is white (inclining to bluish-white in some specimens), more or less
stippled and scored with greyish brown; the cross band is darker grey
brown, and there are two black dots placed :-wise (sometimes united) in the
paler central space of the band. Hind wings, smoky grey, with a darker
shade across the middle, and a pale one parallel with the outer margin. In
some rare instances, the ground colour of the fore wings is entirely white,
and the band exceedingly dark; but specimens with the general colour,
slaty-black and the band and basal patch grey, are extremely rare; Barrett
mentions one such example, from Box Hill, Surrey, in Mr. R. Adkin's
collection.
The caterpillar is whity brown, more or less tinged with pink, dotted with
black, and lined with grey along the back, the sides, and the under
surface. It feeds, at night, on clover and trefoils, from September to
June. (Plate 52, Fig. 3, after Hofmann.) The moth is out in July and
August, and in suitable localities, such as chalk downs, lime-stone hills,
etc., is generally plentiful {146} throughout England and South Wales. It
does not appear to have been noted in Ireland, or in Scotland, except that
it has been recorded from the Isle of Arran.
OBLIQUE STRIPED (_Mesotype virgata_).
The sexes of this species are shown on Plate 54, Figs. 3 [male], 10
[female]. The fore wings are greyish, inclining to whitish or to brownish,
with two white-edged oblique bands, which in the lighter coloured specimens
are broad and show up conspicuously, but in the darker are narrower and
much less distinct.
The caterpillar is brownish, but varies in tint, in some cases inclining to
pink; there are three lines along the back, the central one dark green or
brown, and the others more or less yellowish; a blackish or dark grey line
low down along the sides. It feeds on yellow bedstraw (_Galium verum_), and
may be reared on other kinds of _Galium._ There are two broods, one in May
and June, and the other in August and September.
The moth, which frequents sand-hills and shelving banks by the seaside, is
found resting upon its food plant or other vegetation around, in May and
June, and again in July and August.
The species has a wide distribution, and occurs in suitable localities
around the coasts of England (except the north-east), and on the west coast
of Wales. It also inhabits the Breck sand district of Norfolk and Suffolk,
and has been found on chalk downs and hills in the south of England, and in
Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. In Ireland, it has been recorded from the
counties of Down and Kerry.
Abroad, its distribution spreads to Eastern Siberia and Amurland.
DRAB LOOPER (_Minoa murinata_).
The grey brown or ochreous brown wings of this delicate, but unattractive
little moth (Plate 55, Figs. 1 and 2), are silky in {147} texture. After it
has flown for a time, the wings become paler, and lose most of their sheen.
The thick-set, roughish caterpillar is reddish brown, dotted with pale
ochreous; there is a slender white line along the middle of the back, and
black oblique streaks on the sides; a blackish wavy line along the area of
the spiracles is bordered below with yellowish. It feeds on wood spurge
(_Euphorbia amygdaloides_) and also, I have reason to believe, on petty
spurge (_E. peplus_), a rather common weed in some gardens, from July to
September. In forward seasons the moth, which flies in the sunshine, has
been noted in late April, but May and June are the best months for it. In
the New Forest, and elsewhere, it has occurred in August. On one occasion I
remember that, in a garden at Brockenhurst, several specimens were taken in
the autumn, and it was supposed that they resulted from eggs laid by a
damaged female that had been captured in the woods and turned out into said
garden. It has been taken at gas lamps, at Dorking among other places.
The species has been recorded from Pembrokeshire, Glamorganshire, and
Monmouth, in South Wales; and it appears to be found in most of the
counties of England southwards from Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester,
Oxford, and Bucks. Except that it has been doubtfully recorded from
Stowmarket, Suffolk, it does not seem to be found in the eastern counties;
and I cannot find that it has been noted from Devon or Cornwall.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
CHIMNEY-SWEEPER (_Odezia atrata_).
This white-tipped but otherwise plain black moth (Plate 55, Figs. 4 [male],
5 [female]) is very constant, and except that specimens after having been
on the wing for a day or two become sooty brown, there is nothing much to
note. It is the fringe at the tip of the {148} fore wings rather than the
tip itself that is white, and this sometimes extends for a short distance
along the fringe of the outer margin. Haworth's English name for this
insect (his _chaerophyllata_) was "The Looping Chimney Sweeper" in
reference to its caterpillar, and to distinguish it from his "Chimney
Sweeper," "Chimney Sweeper's Boy," and other oddities in the vernacular
among the Psychids.
The caterpillar, which feeds in the spring on flowers of the earth-nut
(_Conopodium denudatum_, or _Bunium flexuosum_), is green, and paler on the
sides than on the back; there are three darker green lines along the back,
the central one merging into reddish on the last ring, and the others
narrowly edged on each side with white; a whitish stripe runs below the red
spiracles.
The moth is a sun lover, and flits about flowers growing among or near its
food plant, in June and July.
The species is widely distributed over England, Wales, Ireland, and
Scotland, but it does not appear to have been noted north of Moray in the
last-named country. It is always very local, frequents moist fields,
borders of woods, and even waysides.
The range abroad extends to Amurland.
THE GREY CARPET (_Lithostege griseata_).
The more or less greyish moth, shown on Plate 55, Fig. 3, varies in tint,
some specimens being decidedly more grey than others. At the apex of the
fore wings is a short blackish dash, and from this a curved dusky line may
be traced to the inner margin. The female has the wings rather shorter than
those of the male.
The slender, dark-lined, greenish caterpillar feeds on the seed pods of
flixweed (_Sisymbrium_), and treacle mustard (_Erysimum_), in July and
August. When reared in captivity it will thrive on other kinds of
Cruciferae. {149}
The moth is out in June, sometimes late May; it is exceedingly local in
Britain, and only occurs in the Breck district, where it was first met with
about fifty years ago. Tuddenham, in Suffolk, is a noted locality, as also
is Thetford, in Norfolk.
THE TREBLE-BAR (_Anaitis plagiata_).
This is a greyish white species, of which specimens of both generations are
shown on Plate 55, Figs. 6 [male], 7 [female] (1st generation), Fig. 8
[male] (2nd generation). The chief variation is in the cross central bars
of the fore wings, which are sometimes much widened, and occasionally
joined from the middle to the inner margin; or the space between these two
bars is more or less filled up with dark grey. On the other hand, the bars
are sometimes very faint, but such aberrations are perhaps most frequent in
the second generation, which consists of smaller specimens.
The long caterpillar is brown, inclining to reddish or to greenish, with
several darker and paler lines on the back and a yellowish line low down
along the sides. It feeds on St. John's wort (_Hypericum_) in June and
July; the caterpillars, hatching in the autumn, are not mature until the
following April.
Usually there are two generations of the moth, the first appearing in May
and June, and the second in August and September. The species is pretty
generally distributed over the British Isles, extending to the Hebrides and
the Orkneys; and will probably be found in all localities where its food
plant occurs freely. It affects cliffs and sandhills by the sea, rough
places on chalk slopes, and sometimes the moths fly up in numbers as we
walk over the herbage in such spots.