264 



COMMON BRITISH MOTHS 



oblique white marks. Just above the spiracles is a white stripe. 

 It feeds on the dead nettle {Laviiam album), stinging nettle 

 (TJrtica dioica), and burdock {Arctimn minus), and is full grown 

 in June. 



The Silver Y (Plnsici Gamma) 



Our second example of this family is the Silver Y, which may 

 be found in abundance everywhere from June to October. Its fore 

 wings are of a shiny grey colour, beautifully marbled with a rich 

 dark brown ; and just below the orbicular spot is a brilliant silvery 

 spot, in form something like the Greek letter y placed obliquely. 



The base of the hind wings is 

 gi'ey ; along the margin is a 

 broad and dark smoky brown 

 band, and the fringe is ^•ery 

 lighi grey, barred with the darl: 

 tint of the band. This moth is 

 commonly driven out of its 

 hiding places among low plants 

 as we walk in waste places, and 

 when thiis disturbed it takes a 

 short and rapid flight, generally disappearing so suddenly among 

 the herbage that it is difficult to locale it correctly. 



The caterpillar is thickest at the twelfth segment, and tapers 

 gradually from this point towards the head. Its bod^' is green, 

 with several thin longitudinal white stripes, and a thin yellow 

 stripe along the spiracles. It may be found from June to October, 

 feeding on many kinds of low plants. 



Fig, 175.— The Silver Y. 



Family— EucLiDiiDTi': 



The Mother Shipton {EueUdia Mi) 



Passing over a few small and less important families, we come 

 to the Euclidiidcc, which contains only two British moths. One 

 of these is the Mother Shipton, a very common insect that flies in 

 June. 



The fore wings of this species are very dark brown with whitish 

 markings. The latter include a peculiarly tortuous line, the character 

 of which will be made out more easily from our illustration (Plate 

 XI, fig. 4) than from a written description. The hind wings are 



