72 Obs er vat 1071 s on Tmccts afftdhuj the Tiunij) Crojjs. 



tail: ^villgs very tiaDsparent and iridescent; the nervures and 

 stigma yellowish brcnvn ; superior with nine cells and a minute 

 areolet; thighs bright rust colour; shanks paler, hinder often 

 whitish, with the apex and a ring near the base pitchy; feet brown 

 at the apex, hinder fuscous, excepting the base, which is white : 

 length 2J lines, ovipositor 1 line, expanse from 4J to 5 lines. 



This insect is abundant in July and August upon almost every 

 "umbelliferous plant, in fields and hedges, feeding in the flowers 

 and searching for caterpillars for the purpose of depositing eggs 

 in them. 



Plusia Gamma. — llie Y-moth.^ 



K 



Although I am not aware of any instance being recorded where 

 serious mischief has been occasioned by the caterpillars of the 

 Y-moth in this country, it has caused such ravages abroad that it 

 is well deserving of our attention, especially when we consider 

 the multitudes of this species of moth that often appear in our 

 fields and gardens. 



The eggs laid by the female Y-moth are very beautiful, re- 

 sembling an echinus in shape as well as in their curiously sculp- 

 tured surface (fig. 38 magnified) : they are generally attached to 

 the under-side of a leaf in consideraljle clusters.^ and I believe 

 that the young caterpillars are very unlike the full-fed ones : 

 after changing their skins several times they become of a green 

 colour, and are covered w ith very short hairs ; the head is green- 

 ish brown ; there are six white or bluish lines down the back, and 

 a yellow streak along each side ; the spiracles or breathing pores 

 are black ; they have six pectoral or horny feet, only four abdomi- 

 nal, and two anal, which are all green and fleshy (fig. 39) : these 

 larvae which form an imperfect loop, in walking I have frequently 

 found feeding upon turnip-leaves, but they will live upon a 

 variety of vegetables, upon stinging and dead nettles, and even on 

 grasses, if pressed by hunger. When they have arrived at their 

 full growth they spin a woolly white cocoon, either between the 

 folds of a leaf or against the stalk of a plant, within which they 

 change to a pitch-coloured chrysalis (fig. 40), distinguished by a 

 considerable protuberance at the base of the abdom.en, owing to 

 the long proboscis being bent back at that point. The beautiful 

 moth produced from these chrysalides belongs to the Order 

 Lepidoptera, of the Family Noctuid^e^ and is now charac- 

 terised as the 



27. Plusia (Noctua) gamma, Linn. : the tongue is very long 

 and spiral ; the horns are like fine bristles; the head and thorax 



* Curt. Brit. Ent. fol. and pi. 731. 

 + Sepp represents them laid singly. 



