180 PLUM. 



distributed, and a very general feeder. The list of trees of 

 which the caterpillars infest the leafage comprises Cherry, 

 Plum, Apple, and Nut, amongst orchard trees ; and amongst 

 forest trees. Oaks, Limes, Elms, Beech, Service, Birch, and 

 others ; besides Whitethorn and Sloe ;* also they have been 

 especially noted as feeding at times on unripe Cherries, gnaw- 

 ing away one side of the fruit. 



The infestation may almost rank with that of the Winter 

 Moth in its destructiveness, and (similarly) it is the male 

 moth only which is winged. This is of the size and appear- 

 ance figured, that is, about twice the size of the Winter 

 Moth ; the fore wings are usually of a pale brown or reddish 

 yellow, with dark transverse bands, and " between them is a 

 dark spot in the middle of the wing. The hind wings are 

 rather paler, and have a brown spot near the middle ; all the 

 wings are more or less sprinkled with brown dots." Some- 

 times, however, the wings are merely of a reddish brown 

 freckled over with minute dots. 



The female moth is of a wainscot-brown colour, with two 

 very consjncuous dark spots on the back of each segment. 

 The wings are so abortive as to be almost invisible. 



The caterpillar of the Mottled Umber Moth is a " looper "f 

 (see figure at heading), like that of the Winter Moth, pre- 

 viously noticed, but is somewhat larger, and may be easily 

 distinguished by its peculiar colouring. 



It is of a clear or reddish brown above; ''this area is 

 bounded on each side by a very distinct but narrow waved 

 black stripe, and is also adorned with grey markings"; 

 " below the boundary the body is bright yellow ; the 

 spiracles are white, and the region surrounding each 

 spiracle brown ; the belly is greenish yellow ; legs and clas- 

 pers pale." I 



The caterpillars are often sent me amongst other orchard 

 pests, and are very easily recognizable by the bright yellow 

 stripe along each side, and by their gay and peculiar colouring. 

 The female moths also are easily distinguished by the hrown 

 spots on their hacks from the females of the Winter and March 

 Moths. 



The life-history of the infestation may be generally de- 

 scribed as follows : — When full-fed, which may be, according 

 to circumstances, /ro7/i toicards the latter part of May even until 

 the beginning of July, the caterpillars leave the trees, and go 

 down to the ground, where they turn to chrysalids at, or a 



* Die rJlanzenfeinde, von J. H. Kaltenbach, pp. 1G3, 189. 

 t For characteristics of "looper" caterpillars, see p. 161. 

 I The above descriptions of tlie appearance of the moths and caterpillar aie 

 almost entirely taken from Edward Newman's ' British Moths,' p. 105. 



