BRITISH AXD ECROrEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



135 



in June and July, but not in tlic North-West. 

 The larva is dark brown, with a lighter dorsal 

 line streaked with black, containing two yel- 

 lowish white dots on each segment and scat- 

 tered hairs; and with two yellowish white trans- 

 verse lines on the last segment. It hibernates 

 and lives in the Spring on the lanceolate 

 plantain, base knot-grass, etc. 



C. alsines, Brahm. The Uncertain Moth. 

 Fore wings rusty brown, with the stigmata, 

 marginal and submarginal lines lighter, and 

 the half line, the two transverse lines, the 

 centres of the stigmata, the central shade, the 

 broad inner border of the submarginal line and 

 the row of spots in front of the hind margins 

 dark brown. The anterior transverse line is 

 indistinct; the posterior is formed of a curved 

 row of dots. The central shade often has a 

 branch from the middle of the wing to the 

 reniform stigma. The fringes are slightly 

 chequered. The hind wings are yellowish grey 

 in the male, darker in the female. The moth 

 is found in Northern and Central Europe and 

 is common in many places. It appears in 

 June and Jul}. The larva is dusty grey on 

 the back with three fine white dorsal lines, 

 edged with darker, and with four distinct hairy 

 warts on each of the segments, from the fifth 

 to the ninth, and black dots l:)etween them. 

 The sides are dark with a zigzag lateral line 

 running up in the middle of each segment 

 ^nd down towards the black spiracles. It 

 feeds till May on various low plants. 



C. superstes, Treit. Fore wings light 

 yellowish gre}' with numerous black markings, 

 which are massed to form an anterior trans- 

 verse line and a central shade. The posterior 

 transverse line is composed of a double row 

 of dots. The dark-centred stigmata are edged 

 with 3'ellowish, as is also the submarginal line, 

 which has a darker inner border. The space 

 in front of the light marginal line is darker 

 still, and is preceded by a row of small black 

 triangular spots. The fringes are chequered 

 with lighter and darker. Hind wings clear 

 white, with a brown marginal line in the 

 male, slighth' dusted with vellowish in the 

 female. The abdomen is light grey, with a 

 yellowish white tuft in the male. It is found 

 in June on the Rhine and in the Alps, but is 

 scarce. The larva resembles that of alsines, 



but is almost white. It lives on plantain and 

 other low plants in May and June. 



C. ambigua, W. V. Fore wings dusty 

 grey with the usual markings; the two stig- 

 mata are dark-centred and surrounded with 

 yellowish, the orbicular being comparatively 

 large. The posterior transverse line is double, 

 and contains a row of black dots. In front 

 of the submarginal line and the pale marginal 

 line the colour is darkest. The hind wings 

 are clear white in the male, slightly suffused 

 with brown, and with a black marginal line 

 in the female. The abdomen is rounded, 

 with a fine anal tuft in the male. It is found 

 in Southern Europe at the end of July. The 

 larva is dark brown with numerous blackish 

 lines, especially on the sides, and hook-like 

 hairs. There are three darkly bordered whit- 

 ish lines on the back, black dots between 

 them, and a dark brown lateral line, yellowish 

 in front and behind, above the spiracles, as 

 well as black dots in small indistinct yellowish 

 spots on each segment. It feeds on plantain, 

 dandelion, and other low plants in Autumn 

 and Spring. 



C. taraxaci, Hi'ibn. The Rustic. Fore 

 wings yellowish brown, with indistinct trans- 

 verse lines, of which the anterior generally 

 consists of three black dots on a somewhat 

 lighter base, and the posterior of a row of black 

 dots on a broad light base. There is a fine 

 submarginal line, a black-dotted marginal 

 line, but no darker marginal area, light-edged 

 darkly centred stigmata, and a large central 

 shade. The hind wings are white towards 

 the base in the male, suffused with brownish 

 towards the hind margins, with dirty white 

 fringes. In the female they are yellowish 

 brown, usually with a lunule. The moth is 

 common throughout Central Europe in June 

 and July. The larva is very like that of alsines, 

 but is dark grey in colour. It feeds on nettle 

 and sorrel in Ma)-. 



C. palustris, Hiibn. The Marsh Moth. 

 Fore wings broadly triangular and light red- 

 dish grey in the male, much smaller, narrower 

 and darker in the female, with a blackish 

 submarginal line. The hind wings are whitish, 

 with a dark marginal line and small black- 

 ish spots in the middle. It is widely distri- 

 buted in Northern and Central Europe in 



