2o6 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



dorsal and a yellow lateral line, numerous 

 fine light and dark longitudinal streaks and 

 two black dots on each segment. It lives on 

 fir. The pupa is reddish brown with two fine 

 terminal points. It is subterranean. 



B. repandata, Linn. The Mottled Beauty 

 is whitish grey, dusted with yellowish and 

 rusty brown. Fore wings with two sharply 

 defined dark transverse lines, edged with 

 lighter on the sides remote from one another, 

 a more or less distinct central shade, especially 

 on the costa and a central spot. The posterior 

 transverse line forms two large curves towards 

 the hind margin and under the anterior is a 

 dark spot. There is an obtusely zigzag sub- 

 marginal line, a distinct darker marginal line 

 and dark-banded fringes. Hind wings paler, 

 with only the posterior curved transverse line 

 continued from the fore wings; towards the 

 hind margins they are like the fore wings. 

 The thorax is light grey, the abdomen ringed 

 with black. It is common throughout Europe 

 in May and July. The larva is ashy grey, 

 with the back rusty brown varied with white 

 and a double blackish dorsal line, streaks and 

 spots arranged like a shield on each segment, 

 and dark incisions. On the belly there is a 

 broad white longitudinal line, edged with darker 

 and divided with reddish brown. It feeds on 

 beech, birch, oak and various shrubs. The 

 pupa is reddish brown, slender with fine ter- 

 minal points. It is subterranean. 



B. roboraria, W. V. The Great Oak 

 Beauty, the largest of the genus, is whitish 

 grey dusted with brownish black, with two dark 

 transverse lines, a central shade which touches 

 the posterior line on the inner margin and a 

 central spot between; the posterior transverse 

 hue is sharply spotted on the nervures on the 

 outer side and suffused with tavimy. The sub- 

 marginal line is regularly curved, and suifused 

 with darker towards the base. The marginal 

 line is composed of black crescents between 

 the nervures. The fringes are spotted with 

 darker on the nervures. Hind wings with the 

 hind margins more strongly curved; they 

 are marked like the fore wings, except that 

 there is no anterior transverse line. It is 

 common in oak woods throughout the greater 

 part of Europe in April and July. The larva is 

 bark-coloured, varied greyish brown and white. 



with a large transverse elevation on the sixth 

 and a smaller one on the belly on the seventh 

 segment; warts on the sides of the other seg- 

 ments and two fleshy points on the twelfth. 

 It hibernates and feeds on oak in ^lay and 

 June. The pupa is blackish brown with two 

 long terminal spines. It is subterranean. 



B. consortaria, Fabr. The Pale Oak 

 Beauty is pale grey, thickly dusted with brown, 

 and closely resembles the last species, but is 

 readily distinguished by the following points: — 

 The submarginal line is sharply zigzag, the 

 central spot of the fore wings is wanting, 

 and the spot on the hind wings is orbicular 

 and centred with white. It is found in Central 

 Europe. The larva is ashy grey with brown 

 spots and warts, the two largest being on 

 segment 6; the lateral warts on the succeeding 

 segments reach to segment lo and are insigni- 

 ficant. There is an indistinct dorsal line and 

 there are four brown dots on each segment. 

 The incisions are bluish grey and the head 

 has two spines above. It feeds on poplar, 

 willow, oak, sloe, etc. The pupa is reddish 

 brown with two terminal points and is sub- 

 terranean. 



B. viduaria, \V. V. The Speckled Beauty 

 is dingy white, with smoky black markings. 

 Of the two transverse lines of the fore wings 

 the anterior is curved, the posterior rather 

 indistinct, angulated and indented, and there 

 is a row of black crescent-shaped spots on 

 the hind margin. Hind wings with a black 

 line along the hind margin. It is common 

 in Central Europe in June. The larva is varied 

 with light and dark brown like bark, and has 

 a double hump on the sixth segment. It feeds 

 on lichens growing on trees. 



B. lichenaria, Hufn. The Brussels Lace 

 is greenish white or brownish grey with two 

 sharply defined dark transverse lines, suffused 

 with lighter on the sides remote from one 

 another and strongly dentated on the nervures. 

 Th^re is a slight central dot but no central 

 shade or submarginal line, a sharply defined 

 dark marginal line, expanded into dots between 

 the nervures, and fringes which are dark on 

 the nervures. Hind wings with only the 

 posterior transverse line, which is somewhat 

 further back. Antennae pectinated to the tip 

 in the male, serrated in the female. It is 



