

The masculine antenna?, which are not pectinated to the 

 apex, induced me to place this insect next to Zeuzera, and 

 other affinities led me to connect itwith the "prominent moths," 

 and it certainly makes a near approach to Notodojita trepida ; 

 Ochsenheimer however considers it so closely allied to Cerura 

 Vitmla that he has included them in one genus. If on the 

 other hand we contemplate the Larva, which is one of the most 

 extraordinary anomalies amongst insects, it will be extremely 

 difficult to assign it to any situation, it is so totally different to 

 every other animal of its kind ; indeed so monstrous is its form 

 that it has been called the Lobster caterpillar. 



Germar, Leach, and Stephens have described the palpi as 

 biarticulate, and in the " Illustrations" it is added that the 

 "terminal joint is acute ;" but they are distinctly triarticidate, 

 and the terminal joint is obtuse. 



A few years back this moth used to fetch as much as £5, 

 but now it may be purchased for as many shillings, a differ- 

 ence arising in a great measure from the number of persons 

 who are now engaged all over England in collecting insects 

 for sale or exchange. 



Captain Chawner, who found the Larva last summer, says 

 in a letter to me, " When at rest I observed it assumed some- 

 what the attitude of the Sphingidcp, its long legs being drawn 

 close up to the head, so as to become, comparatively speaking, 

 scarcely apparent and perfectly free from the beech twig on 

 which it was reposing; the whole Caterpillar was of a fawn- 

 colour, assimilating perfectly with the tints of the half-dead 

 beech leaves, llie cocoon is of very peculiar texture, close 

 woven and more resembling silver paper than any other ma- 

 terial I can remember, perfectly pliant' to the touch, but no 

 doubt impervious to water." 



One of the first insects I remember to have taken was a fe- 

 male of this moth ; it was fluttering up paling under some lime 

 trees near Norwich, the middle of June ; and more than two 

 centuries back Mouffet said the Staphylinus Caterpillar was 

 common in Norfolk. The moth has been found from June 

 the 1 5th to July the 7th atEpping, Birch and Bexley Woods; 

 Tonbridge Wells; near Cheshunt, Herts; the New Forest; 

 Hermitage, Dorset; near Bideford and High Bickington not 

 uncommon, as well as in Nunnery Wood, Worcester. The 

 males have been taken at Burghfield by the Rev. C. S. Bird, 

 between 12 and 1 o'clock on very dark nights, by means of a 

 lamp; they are generally smaller than the females, but Mr. 

 Dale has one that expands three inches. 



The Larva feeds on the oak, hazel, beech, lime, birch, alder, 

 sloe, and sallows; it has been found from the 11th of August 

 to the 1 8th of September. For the admirable drawing of the 

 Caterpillar I am indebted to Mr. J. Standish, Jun. ; it is placed 

 upon a twig of the beech, Fagiis sylvatica, the moth being 

 named after that tree. 



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