8o 



BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERI-LIES AXD MOTHS. 



from the discoidal cell. The hind wings are 

 for the most part without any distinctive colour 

 or markings. Nervures 3 and 4 rise from the 

 inner, 6 and 7 from the anterior angle of the 

 discoidal cell, and 8 from the base, being con- 

 nected with the subcostal nervure. The head 

 and thorax are covered with erect or depressed 

 hair, or are crested. The abdomen is depressed 

 or cylindrical, with or without dorsal crests. 

 The hind tibite are usually longer than the 

 front ones. These moths fly at night or in 

 the dusk, and only a few frequent flowers in 

 the daytime. During the day they may be 

 found resting on trees, fences, rocks, etc., and 

 are often difficult to distinguish, from their 

 grey colour resembling that of the object upon 

 which they are sitting. Many species may 

 be caught at night on sugar or with the aid 

 of the lantern. The larvae are generally 

 smooth, rarely pubescent, with sixteen legs, 

 or more rarely with only fourteen or twelve. 

 They usually pupate in the ground, and a few 

 form a slight cocoon. 



FAMILY 



BOMBYCOID^. 



Fore wings with an appendicular cell. 

 Nervures 8 and 9 rise from a common stalk 

 from 7 and 10; or 7 may rise from the appen- 

 dicular cell. There are generally two stigmata, 

 and the fringes are entire. The antenna are 

 pectinated or ciliated. The head and thorax 

 are not crested. The moths resemble the BOM- 

 BYCES in appearance, and are classed with 

 them by some writers. The larvae are hairy, 

 with sixteen legs. 



Genus Diloba, Boisd. 



Fore wings with rounded tips, with distinct 

 spots and transverse lines. Nervures 8 and g 

 rise from 7, and 7 and 10 from the appendicular 

 cell. The hind wings are without markings, 

 except at the anal angle. Nervures 3, 4, and 

 5 rise separately, 6 and 7 from a long common 

 stalk. The thorax is short and broad, thickly 

 clothed with woolly hair. The antennae are 

 bipectinated in the males, serrated in the 

 females. The only species is : — 



D. caeruleocephala, Linn. The Figure of 

 8 Moth. PI. XXIll. tig. 4. Larva 4a. This is 



a common garden species throughout Europe, 

 appearing in August and September. The 

 caterpillar lives on whitethorn, sloe, and fruit 

 trees in May. The chrysalis is reddish brown, 

 with a firm cocoon made of minute particles 

 of bark, small pieces of leaves, and an abun- 

 dance of silk. 



Genus Simyra, Ochs. 



Fore wings narrower, with somewhat pointed 

 tips and oblique hind margins, with indistinct 

 transverse lines and dark longitudinal stripes 

 between the nervures. The head is retracted 

 and the thorax woolly. The antenna; are short 

 and pectinated in the males. The larvaj are 

 hairy and gregarious. 



S. nervosa, W. V. is pale grey, dusted 

 with small black dots. The fore wings have 

 pointed tips, long hind margins, and a very 

 obtuse rounded inner angle, without markings. 

 The nervures, base, and costa are somewhat 

 lighter. Between the nervures are a few 

 3'ellowish longitudinal streaks. The hind wings 

 are without markings and have pale fringes. 

 The antenna are bipectinated in the male, 

 and yellowish in colour; filiform in the female. 

 The moth appears at the beginning of June 

 and in August. It is found in some parts of 

 Central Europe, but is rare. The caterpillar 

 is yellowish white on the back, with rows of 

 velvety black spots, blackish on the sides. 

 The belly has three orange warts on each 

 segment, and two similar rows of j'ellowish 

 ones longitudinally' on the back. The warts 

 bear yellowish white scattered hairs. It lives 

 in June and September on spurge and sorrel 

 growing in dry places. The chrysalis is dark 

 brown, with a dense white cocoon formed of 

 pieces of the food plant. 



Genus Arsilonche, Led. 



Resembles the last Genus, but the antennae 

 of the male are not dentated, and the fore 

 wings are broader, with waved hind margins. 



A. venosa, Borkh. The Powdered Wain- 

 scot. Fore wings cream-colour, dusted with 

 brownish ; in cell i b and 4 is a dark longi- 

 tudinal line, and there are black dots between 

 the nervures on the hind margins. The hind 

 wings and under side are white. The head 

 and thorax are cream-colour and W00II3'. The 



