56 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the wing from about the middle of May to the middle of June. 

 It should be looked for in places where its food plant flourishes 

 such as rough fields adjoining woods, woodland glades, marshy 

 heaths, fens, bogs, etc. It visits the blossoms of various low 

 growing plants, among which the louseworts {Pcdiailaris 

 pahistris and P. sylvatica) and the bugle {Ajiiga 7'eptans) are 

 perhaps favourites. In some localities the blossoms of the 

 rhododendron and of the bird's-foot trefoil {Lotus coriiiculatus) 

 are very attractive. When seen hovering over the flowers it 

 must be approached cautiously, as, although seemingly fully 

 engrossed in the business in hand, it is quickly alarmed and its 

 movements are rapid. 



It occurs throughout the greater part of England and Wales 

 and northwards to Sutherlandshire in Scotland. In Ireland it 

 is abundant in many localities. 



Distributed over Europe its range extends northwards to 

 Lapland, southwards to north-west Africa, and eastward to 



in ^ ^o^ABYc;Es 



h^t.u.^uj^ ( -prominents (-^viVi^r— ^-^ 



In the majority of our moths belonging to this family there is a 

 tooth-like tuft of scales projecting from about the middle of the 

 inner margin of the fore wings ; these, when the moth is resting, 

 are brought together and raised above the level of the closed 

 wings (see FMg. 6, Plate 28). The antennae of the male are 

 bij)ectinated in most of the species, but those of Odontosia^ 

 Lophopteryx^ and Fhalera are dentated and each tooth has a 

 little tuft of short hair. 



The moths are not often seen in the day time, but a few 

 species are sometimes met with at rest on tree trunks, palings, 

 etc. All fly at night and are pretty rapid on the wing ; possibly 

 if it \Aere not for the fact that a bright light has a powerful 

 attraction for them, the perfect insects would be rarely captured. 



