HYPERCOMPA. 1 43 



Zoote^ Hiibner, Vcrz. bek. Scbmett. p. i8i (1822?). 

 Eiiprepia^ Stretch, Zyg. & Bomb. N. Amer. p. 94 (1872). 



This genus includes a few European, Asiatic, and North 

 American species, with finely pectinated antennce in the 

 males, stout pubescent bodies, and brown fore-wings, with white 

 spots and markings, which form an irregular cross on the outer 

 half of the fore-wings; the abdomen and hind-wings are red, with 

 black markings. The hind-wings are broad, but form a long 

 oval, and the fore-wings, which are not much longer, are very 

 broad towards the hind margin, which is gradually curved in- 

 waids from the tip, which is not very pointed, to the hinder 

 angle. 



Like other Arctiince, very dark varieties of this species are 

 sometimes met with (sometimes nearly black) ; but they are 

 far more frequently observed among specimens reared from 

 the larva than in a state of nature. It has been stated that 

 sprinkling the food of the larvae with brine increases the 

 tendency to melanistic variation in the Moths bred from 

 them. 



THE COMMON TIGER MOTH. HYPERCOMPA CAIA. 



Bombyx caia, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. (ed. x.) i. p. 500, no. 22 

 (1758); id. Faun. Suec. p. 300 (1761); Esper, Schmett. iii. 

 p. 165, taf. 30-32 (1784); Hiibner. Eur. Schmett. iii. 

 figs. 130, 131, 262, 301 (1804-27). 



Eyprepia caja, Ochsenheimer, Schmett. Eur. iii. p. 335 (1810). 



Arctia caJa, Stephens, 111. Brit. Ent. Haust. ii. p. 19 (1828); 

 Kirby, Eur. Butterflies & Moths, p. 103, pi. 23, figs. 6, 

 6a-c (1880); Buckler, Larvae of Brit. Lepid. iii. pi. 44, 

 fig. 3 (1889); Barrett, Lepid. Brit. Isl. p. 265, pis. 71, 72 

 (1894). 



The Common Tiger Moth is widely distributed in Europe^ 



