50 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



basal half and pinkish on the outer half; fringes white. The 

 head, thorax, and body are olive brown marked with pinkish, 

 the thorax being additionally ornamented with white on the 

 sides. The moth is shown on Plate 19, and the early stages on 

 Plate 17. 



The eggs are whitish-green in colour and rather glossy. 

 Those I had were laid in June on a leaf of willow herb 

 {Epiiobiinn). 



When newly hatched the caterpillar is yellowish white, and 

 paler between the rings ; the head is tinged with greenish, and the 

 horn is black. The full-grown caterpillar measures nearly three 

 inches in length, and is rather plump. It is blackish or 

 brownish grey, thickly sprinkled with black dots on the back 

 and more sparingly on the sides ; the spiracles are ochreous 

 ringed with blackish, and below them is an ochreous line, 

 which is most distinct on the front rings ; on each side of the 

 third to fifth rings there is a round black spot, the second and 

 third pairs enclosing black centred whitish lunules which are 

 sometimes tinged with pink or yellow ; the horn is much of the 

 same colour as the body. There is a green form of this 

 caterpillar. 



It feeds, chiefly, at night, in July and August, on EpHobiuni 

 hirsuticm and on bedstraw especially the kind (6^. palustre), 

 growing by the side of brooks and streams. The chrysalis is 

 palish brown freckled with darker brown, the divisions between 

 the rings and the spiked tail appearing blackish ; enclosed in a 

 cocoon formed of earth and sundry fragments of stalks, lea\ es, 

 etc., spun together with silk and generally on the ground, but 

 sometimes just under the surface. 



The moth is on the wing in June, and very occasionally there 

 is a late summer emergence. It does not fly until dusk, and 

 may then be seen hovering over the blossoms of honeysuckle, 

 etc. It is also known to be attracted now and then to " sugared " 

 trees. The best plan, however, for obtaining a few fine specimens 



