90 GOOSEBERRY. 



On Gooseberry and Currant also at Dalkeith Gardens, near 

 Edinburgh, and at Oxenford Castle, in Midlothian. 



In England it has been reported from Scotswood-on-Tyne, 

 Northumberland, and from other localities in Cheshire, Here- 

 fordshire, Herts, Wilts, Hants, &c., showing the distribution 

 of the insect over a large part of England. 



The common garden food-plants of the caterpillars are, as 

 mentioned above, Gooseberry, and Eed and White and some- 

 times Black Currants, and the leafage of Apricot and Plum is 

 also sometimes attacked. The leafage of the Blackthorn or 

 "Sloe" (Priinns sj^inosa, L.) is also a favourite food. 



The caterpillar is commonly of a creamy or yellowish colour, 

 with a row of transverse squarish dark grey or blackish marks 

 along the back ; a row of little black spots along each side, 

 and beneath these a row of larger black markings, beneath 

 these an orange-red or reddish stripe, with again a stripe of 

 black marks lower still along the sides of the caterpillar. 

 Beneath the cateri^illars there are also two narrow continuous 

 black lines. Head and claw-feet black ; the single pair of 

 sucker-feet beneath the abdomen and the caudal pair of 

 sucker-feet blackish outside. 



Besides the orange or reddish stripe along each side, the 

 segment next the head, and the under side of the third and 

 fourth, and also of the four segments at the tail extremity, 

 are of the same reddish colour. The colouring, however, 

 sometimes varies in amount of black marking, even to 

 being entirely black, without any mixture of yellow or other 

 colour.* 



These caterpillars are what are called " loopers," from the 

 figure which they assume in walking (see p. 89). Besides the 

 three pairs of claw-feet behind the head, and one pair of claw- 

 feet at the end of the tail, they have only one other pair of 

 claw-feet beneath the body (not four, as is the case with a 

 large proportion of moth caterpillars). Consequently, as they 

 have to bring this pair up to the claw-feet in order to steady 

 themselves in progression, they form an upright "loop" in 

 walking, and by this, as well as by their colouring, and by 

 having only one pair of sucker-feet heneatli the hodij besides the 

 caudal pair, they are easily distinguishable from the cater- 

 pillars of the almost more destructive Gooseberry and Currant 

 Sawlly, often occurring in company with them. 



When full-fed the caterpillar spins a light transparent 

 cocoon attached to twigs, or palings, or in crevices of walls ; 

 and in this it changes to a chrysalis, yellow at first, but 



* See ' Larvo3 of British Butterflies and Moths ' (Ray Society), vol. vii. pt. i. 

 p. 151. 



