' 72 ' THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



'^ The Iron Prominent {Notodouia dromedarius). 



The specimen shown on Plate 31 is from Surrey, and re- 

 presents the form most frequently obtained in the south of 

 England. Northwards the species becomes darker in colour, 

 and the reddish and yellow marking much reduced. The form 

 perfiisca^ as figured by Stephens, has the fore wings dark purplish 

 grey, streaked with dark brown ; a pale patch at the base is 

 russet marked, the line before the middle of the wing is russet, 

 and a dash of the same colour lies at the lower extremity of the 

 line beyond the middle ; the hind wings are brownish grey with 

 a broad whitish cross line. The specimen, which is of the female 

 sex, was from Dublin, and the form was not then supposed to 

 occur in any other part of the British Isles. It is now, however, 

 well known in Scotland and the North of England, and also in 

 Ireland. Some examples that I have seen from Scotland are 

 much larger and darker than the figure referred to. In his 

 description of this form Stephens states that the fore wings are 

 fuscous mixed with chestnut, with darker clouds. The cater- 

 pillar, which is figured on Plate 30, is green, becoming yellcfwish 

 on the back ; a rather broad stripe on the back of the front rings 

 and the markings on the humps and on other parts of the body 

 are purplish brown. It feeds on birch, alder, and sometimes 

 hazel, usually on the former, in June, July, and August. In 

 some seasons, and localities, the moth appears twice in the year: 

 the caterpillar may then be found in September and October. 

 The chrysalis is blackish-brown and rather glossy, enclosed in 

 a cocoon composed of silk and sand or other soil, and may be 

 obtained by lightly digging up the earth and sods at the roots 

 of trees. 



The Three Humped {Notodonta phoehe = iritophus ). -L 



Very little is known in Britain of this Central European moth 

 (Plate 31, Fig. 3). The first specimen of which we have any 



