66 



BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



trees. The female is paler than the male, 

 and has the submarginal line of the fore wings 

 faint or wanting. The larva lives in July and 

 August on oak, beech, lime, birch, hazel, etc. 

 A\'hen young it is pale green, with two bright 

 red spines on the second and third segments, 

 and one on the twelfth. After the third moult 

 these disappear. The pupa is dark brown, 

 with spines on the abdominal segments. It 

 rests on the ground under moss and leaves 

 in a dense cocoon. 



FAMILY 



DREPANULID.^. 



Rather small moths, resembling the Geo- 

 metrida, with which they used to be classed. 

 Fore wings with hooked tips and twelve ner- 

 vures, with an appendicular cell. Hind wings 

 with or without a frenulum, and with eight 

 nervures. The antenna are bipectinated in 

 the males, serrated in the females. The palpi 

 are short and smoothly scaled. The proboscis 

 is tolerably long and horny. The hind tibiae 

 have long terminal spurs and middle spurs 

 also, except in lacertinavia. There are no ocelli. 

 The larvae have fourteen legs and no claspers, 

 and are pointed at the end. The pupae are 

 slender, with fine ridges and a light cocoon 

 between leaves. 



Genus Drepana, Schrank. 



Wings large and broad, with indistinct 

 markings, subterminal line, and spots. The 

 antennas are about half as long as the costa 

 of the fore wings. The males have'a frenulum, 

 which is wanting in the females. The wings 

 are hooked at the tip. Nervure 8 of the hind 

 wings rises from the base. 



D. falcataria, Linn, The Pebble Hook- 

 Tip. PL XXII. fig. I. is widely distributed 

 in woods in Central Europe, appearing in 

 April and May and again in August. The 

 caterpillar is fusiform, the hinder end being 

 rather pointed, having pale green sides and a 

 brown back, with dark transverse streaks on 

 the third, fourth, and sixth segments, and with 

 two spines on the second and fifth, as well 

 as two small warts. It is covered with short 

 stiff hair, and has a yellow head. It lives in 

 June and in the .Autumn on birch, alder, and 



poplar. The chrysalis is shining brown, dark 

 at the extremities. 



D. curvatula, Borkh. Fore wings violet- 

 brown from the base to behind the middle, 

 with three zigzag black transverse lines, 

 a dark band between the two outer ones, 

 and two obliquely placed small black dots in 

 the discoidal cell. There is a straight black 

 line running from the hooked tip obliquely 

 to the middle of the inner margin, and a 

 slightly dentated blackish line running from 

 the front of the costa to the line above 

 mentioned, and from thence to the inner 

 margin. The hind wings are yellowish brown 

 with faint lines, and have a central dot. 

 The hind tibiae have terminal spurs. The 

 head and thorax are brown, and the ab- 

 domen greyish brown. The moth appears 

 in jMay and again in July and August, and 

 is common in Central Europe, except Britain. 

 The larva is brown, with green sides, and 

 distinct spines on the third, fourth, and seventh 

 segments, and small warts on the fifth and 

 seventh, as well as dots on the remaining 

 segments. All the elevations are covered with 

 dark brown hair. The head is yellowish with 

 brown streaks. It lives in June and in the 

 Autumn on alder, sitting on the leaves, which 

 it spins together with a few threads. The 

 pupa is brown, with two small projections on 

 the head. The larvae may be looked for in 

 August and September. 



D. sicula, \V. V. The Scarce Hook-Tip. 

 Fore wings fawn-colour, with two dark zigzag 

 lines across the centre, between which is a 

 large irregular brown blotch, containing three 

 or four pale yellow dots. There are two faint 

 spots near the costa, and two smaller black 

 ones side by side on the outer zigzag line. 

 In front of the hind margin is a transverse 

 line, composed of black luniiles, and with a 

 violet-brown margin. The hind wings are 

 paler, with indistinct markings and yellow 

 hind margins. The head and thorax are 

 pale yellow, and the abdomen grey. Hind 

 tibi;E with two pairs of spurs. The insect is 

 widely distributed in Central Europe, but is 

 local. It appears in May and again in July 

 and August. The larva has reddish brown 

 sides, with lighter and darker streaks and 

 spots. It is more or less broadl)- lemon-yellow 



