104 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



dots, and three darker dorsal stripes, and an 

 almost white stripe along the sides above 

 the legs. It lives in Summer and Autumn 

 on various vegetables, such as cabbage, 

 lettuce, etc. 



M. genistae, Borkh. The Light Brocade. 

 Fore wings brownish grey, with the stigmata 

 darker, and a black streak at the base. The 

 whole of the inner margin is grey, not brown. 

 The central area is paler as far as the claviform 

 stigma, and there is a distinct central shade 

 between the stigmata. The triangular spots 

 of the marginal line have no pale indentations 

 on the inner side. The moth is common in 

 Central Europe in Ma}- and June. The larva 

 is brownish grey, afterwards yellow, finely 

 dotted with reddish brown, and with brownish 

 red oblique streaks on the sides. The spiracles 

 are similar, with a somewhat paler line below. 

 The head is greenish, with two reddish brown 

 crescents. It feeds in July and August on 

 broom, bilberry, Sarothamnus, etc. 



M. glauca, Hiibn. The Glaucous Shears. 

 Fore wings bluish grey, lightest in the marginal 

 area, with three transverse lines, which are 

 lighter and edged on both sides with darker. 

 It has the three stigmata whitish, surrounded 

 with black, a thick black longitudinal streak 

 from the claviform stigma to the posterior 

 transverse line, and a few similar spots behind 

 the reniform stigma. The submarginal line is 

 white, with black sagittate spots at the tip 

 on the inner side, and three similar ones from 

 the median nervure towards the inner margin 

 of the wing. The marginal line consists of 

 black lunules. The fringes are banded with 

 darker through the middle, and are intersected 

 by wedge-shaped white spots on the nervures. 

 The hind wings are ashy grey, darker towards 

 the hind margin, with a central lunule. They 

 have a dark marginal line, and whitish fringes 

 spotted with darker through the middle. The 

 head and thorax resemble the fore wings, 

 and the abdomen has dark tufts of hair above. 

 The moth is found in many parts of Central 

 and Northern Europe in May. It is found 

 principally in moimtainous localities, and is 

 a somewhat scarce insect. The caterpillar is 

 cinnamon-brown, with darker lozenge-shaped 

 markings, four paler spots on the back of 

 each segment, a reddish lateral stripe above 



the spiracles, three white stripes on the cervical 

 segment, and a bright brown head. It feeds 

 in Summer on gentian, bilberry, etc. 



M. dentina, W. V. The Shears. Fore 

 wings brownish gre^', darker in the central 

 area. The inner margin is narrowly yellow on 

 the inner side. The three transverse lines are 

 darkly bordered on both sides. There is a 

 black streak at the middle of the base, and 

 the three stigmata are sharply edged with black. 

 The claviform stigma is the darkest, and be- 

 tween it and the orbicular is a paler and more 

 oblique double streak towards the hinder angle, 

 which is bounded on the inner side by a black 

 streak, running to the posterior transverse line. 

 The pale submarginal line is spotted with 

 darker on the sides, and the suffused band is 

 the palest. The marginal line is composed of 

 black lunules, and the fringes are intersected 

 by fine light lines on the nervures. Hind 

 wings brownish grey, with whitish fringes 

 slightly spotted with darker. The head and 

 thorax are bluish grey, with a black-margined 

 collar and tegulas. It appears in May and 

 June, and is common in most parts of Europe. 

 The larva is dark brown, with lighter sinuous 

 dorsal and lateral lines, having black streaks 

 between them, and a straight line above the 

 black spiracles. It feeds till Autumn on the 

 roots of dandelion. 



M. marmorosa, Borkh. Fore wings walnut- 

 brown, varied with dark brown and brownish 

 grey. The three transverse lines are distinc*'. 

 edged on each side with darker. The tl 

 stigmata are bordered with darker. The i 

 form is the palest, and is bounded on 

 inner side by a pale double-dentated stri-pk, 

 extending as far as the zigzag central shade. 

 The claviform stigma is the darkest. The sub- 

 marginal line has sharply defined sagittate dark 

 spots towards the base in cells 2 to 5. The 

 hind wings are yellowish brown, darker near 

 the hind margin, almost bandlike, with a dark 

 curved line and central lunule. The fringes 

 are yellowish white. The head and thorax 

 are brown, the collar with two dark transverse 

 lines, and the abdomen is greyish brown. The 

 antennae are ciliated in the male. The moth 

 appears in May, and is found in mountainous 

 districts in Central and Southern Europe. It 

 flies about Cucuhalus at night, and is generally 



