82 



BRITISH AXD EUROPE AX BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS 



tember. The pupa is elongated, sliining Itrown, 

 with a cocoon made with particles of wood, 

 and is placed under the bark. 



A. alni, Linn. The Alder Moth. PI. XXIII. 

 fig. 8. This pret^j' species is widely distri- 

 buted in Central Europe, but is far from 

 common. It appears in May. The caterpillar 

 occurs singl}' on alder, beech, oak, and lime 

 from July to September. It generally sits on 

 the middle of a leaf. The chrysalis is chestnut - 

 brown, and is formed in rotten wood. 



A. strigosa, W. \. The Grisette. Fore 

 wings pale grey or brownish grey, here and 

 there varied with j'ellowish, with black trans- 

 verse lines, sharply edged with white. There 

 is a black streak in the basal and in the 

 marginal area on nervure ib, and in the central 

 area on i, all being surrounded by dark 

 shading. The reniform stigma, which is some- 

 what indistinct on the inner side, and not 

 connected with the orbicular stigma, and the 

 base of the inner margin are yellow. The 

 fringes are brown, chequered with yellowish; 

 in front of them is a row of black dots. Hind 

 wings yellowish grey, with the hind margins 

 darker, an interrupted marginal line, a curved 

 line intersecting it, and a lunule. The 

 thorax is grey, and the abdomen lighter. 

 The moth is found in Central Europe, and 

 appears in June, but is not common. The 

 caterpillar is reddisli brown on the back, with 

 white dots, and the last segment but one is 

 somewhat prominent. The sides are green, 

 with a pale j'ellow line separating them from 

 the dorsal stripe. It lives in Autumn on sloe, 

 plum, and cherry. The chrysalis is long and 

 brown, with a cocoon composed of fragments 

 of wood. 



A. tridens, W. V. The Dark Dagger Moth. 

 The fore wings are reddish grey, wiLh a black 

 zigzag posterior transverse line, bordered with 

 lighter on the inner side, which is usually 

 crossed between nervures 5 and 6, and especi- 

 ally on lb., by a black longitudinal line. There 

 is a black line on nervure ib. which passes 

 from the base to the very indistinct anterior 

 transverse line, and ends in a unequal arrow- 

 shaped point. There are several blackish 

 spots on the costa and fringes. Both the 

 stigmata are edged with black and connected 

 by a small black line. The inner edge of the 



reniform stigma is forked. The hind wings 

 are white, greyish in the female, darker on 

 the hind margins, with a row of black mar- 

 ginal dots, and an indistinct curved line. Tiie 

 head and thorax are reddish grey, and the 

 abdomen paler. The moth is common through- 

 out Central and Northern Europe from May 

 till August. The larva is black, with a double 

 dorsal orange line, interrupted on the fifth 

 segment by a black prominence. There is a 

 white lateral line, spotted with orange, and a 

 white cross on the last segment but one. The 

 velvety black back is spotted with red and 

 white, and covered with long black hairs tipped 

 with white. It lives on fruit trees, whitethorn, 

 willow, etc., from July to September. The 

 pupa is brown, with a terminal bristle, and is 

 enclosed in a thick cocoon composed of silk 

 and particles of wood, attached to the trunk. 



A. psi, Linn. The Common Dagger Moth. 

 PI. XXIV. fig. I. Larva i a. is common through- 

 out Europe from May till August. It is very 

 like the last species, but the ground-colour 

 inclines more to bluish grey. The larva is 

 common on fruit trees, rose, whitethorn, lime, 

 beech, etc., from June to September. The 

 pupa is rusty brown, with a short terminal 

 point. 



A. cuspis, Hiibn. closely resembles the 

 last two species, but is larger. The fore wings 

 are whitish grey, with here and there a yel- 

 lowish tinge. The orbicular stigma is bordered 

 with black, and the black markings are more 

 sharply defined than in the other species. The 

 fringes are white, chequered with black and 

 yellowish. The collar has a black longitudinal 

 line through the middle. It appears in June, 

 and is widely distributed in Central Europe, 

 but is scarce, and does not occur in Britain. 

 The caterpillar is distinguished from that of 

 psi, which it otherwise resembles, by having 

 black hairy warts, covered with long black 

 hair, on the fifth segment, instead of the fleshy 

 tubercle. The lateral lines are pale yellow 

 suffused with black, and there are white dots 

 between the red streaks on the sides. It is 

 found on rose and alder in Autumn. 



A. menyanthidis, \'iew. The Light Knot- 

 grass Moth. Pore wings light grey, with a 

 double anterior transverse line, from the middle 

 of which a black streak passes to the base. 



