BRITISH AXD EUROPEAX BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



59 



D. pudibunda, Linn. The Pale Tussock. 

 Female PI. XVIII. fig. S. Larva 8a. appears 

 in Ma)-, and is common in woods throughout 

 the greater part of Europe. The larva feeds 

 in the Autumn on beech, oak, willow, birch, etc. 



Genus Lselia, Steph. 



Wings with ten nervures and an appen- 

 dicular cell. The hind tibiae with two pairs 

 of spurs. Antennae bipectinated. Abdomen, 

 slender in the male, stout in the female, pro- 

 jecting beyond the anal angle. The only 

 species is : 



L. ccenosa, Hiibn. The Reed Tussock. 

 The wings are thinly scaled, broader in the 

 male than in the female, pale reddish grey 

 with lighter nervures, and a row of black dots 

 in front of the hind margin of the fore 

 wings. The female is white, without any 

 markings. The antennae are long, with black 

 pectinations and a white shaft. The legs are 

 black on the inner side, yellowish on the outer. 

 It is widely distributed throughout Central 

 Europe, but is very local. In England it is 

 restricted to the Fens. The larva is yellow, 

 with three black longitudinal stripes, the middle 

 one being the broadest, and grey warts with 

 3-ellow hairs. Behind the head are two long 

 black tufts pointing forwards. There are two 

 similar ones at the tail, and four pale yellow 

 tufts on the back. It lives in June and July 

 on Cladium, Arundo, Carcx, and other plants. 

 The pupa is brown, with white hairs and a 

 terminal tuft. It is enclosed in a thick whitish 



Genus Laria, Schrank. 



Like the last Genus, but without an appen- 

 dicular cell. There is only one species. 



L. V. nigra, Fabr. The Black V Moth 

 is white, thinly scaled, with a V-shaped black 

 spot on the discoidal nervure of the fore wings, 

 and short bipectinated antennae. It appears 

 in June in woods throughout Central Europe, 

 but is local and scarce everywhere. The 

 caterpillar is black, with tawny sides, and 

 long hair in front and behind. It has eight 

 tufts of hair along the back, those in the 

 middle being orange and the rest white. It 

 hibernates, and feeds in the Spring on oak, 

 beech , and lime. The chrysalis is bluish 



green, with three yellow dorsal lines, and black- 

 bordered wing-cases. It is enclosed between 

 leaves loosely woven together. 



Genus Leucoma, Staph. 



Like Dasychim, but without an appendicular 

 cell in the fore wings. 



L. salicis, Linn. The White Satin Moth. 

 PL XVIII. fig. 9. Larva ga. Pupa gb. is 

 widely distributed throughout Europe, and is 

 very common everywhere. It appears in June 

 and Jul_v, and in some years is met with 

 abundantly on the trunks of poplars and willows. 

 The handsome larva maj- be found in May 

 and June feeding on the same trees, and 

 sometimes in such numbers as to strip them 

 bare. The pupa is enclosed between leaves 

 in a yellow cocoon. 



Genus Porthesia, Steph. 



Fore wings without an appendicular cell. 

 Nervures 7 and 8 rise from a common stalk 

 from the anterior angle of the discoidal cell, 

 and g and 10 rise from 8. Nervures 6 and 7 of 

 the hind wings rise from a long common stalk. 

 The wings are snow-white. The antennas are 

 bipectinated in both sexes, and the palpi are 

 small. The abdomen has a thick woolly 

 yellow anal tuft, which the female uses to 

 cover the eggs. The hind tibiae are long, with 

 two pairs of spurs. The larvae have small 

 warts covered with short hairs, and a hump 

 on the fifth and twelfth segments. They hiber- 

 nate whilst still small, those of chrysoryhaa 

 gregariously in a thick web, and live till May 

 on fruit and other trees, to which they are 

 sometimes very injurious. 



P. chrysorrhoea, Linn. The Brown-tail 

 Moth is common in woods and gardens through- 

 out Central and Southern Europe in July. 

 The moth is white, with the anal tuft brown- 

 ish in the male and orange in the female. The 

 larva is dark grey, with light brown hair, 

 and has two reddish brown dorsal lines, a 

 white interrupted lateral line, and black warty 

 elevations on the fifth and terminal segments. 

 The fine barbs of the hairs, if they get upon 

 the skin, produce intense itching and irritation. 

 The caterpillar should, therefore, not be handled. 

 It lives on fruit and other trees. The webs 

 in which the caterpillars hibernate — the so- 



