TOO THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



is composed of silk and caterpillar hairs, and is spun up on 

 the food-plant, often singly, but not infrequently, several are 

 made up in a common silken covering. 



The caterpillar is blackish with brownish warts, each bearing 

 a tuft of brownish hairs ; a row of tufts of white downy scales 

 on each side of the back of rings four to eleven ; the central 

 line on the back is black, edged on each side by a red line of 

 variable width from rings six to ten ; a vermillion round spot 

 on nine and ten. Head blackish. 



The moth is shown on Plates 43, 45, and the caterpillar on 

 Plate 42, Fig. i . 



Distribution, Central and South Europe to North-west Africa 

 and Asia Minor. 



In 1897 an appeal was made to British entomologists to 

 refrain from taking many specimens of this species ; while 

 American entomologists were seeking power to compel local 

 authorities to suppress the Brown-tail, which about that time 

 was a new, and no doubt introduced, insect pest in the State 

 of Massachusetts. 



The Yellow-tail iPorthcsia similis). "^W^ 



The male has usually only one black mark on the fore wings,\> •?;. 

 but sometimes there are two, as seen in Fig. 5, Plate 43 ; more ^ 

 rarely there is a dot or two towards the tips of the wings. "^ 

 The habit of the moth is to sit upon the foliage of bushes 

 and the branches of trees, where it might easily be passed over 

 for a fluffy white feather ; occasionally it may be found on 

 palings or even iron railings. About dark it is on the wing, 

 and light has then a great attraction for it. The caterpillar 

 is black with black and grey hairs ; a vermillion stripe down 

 the middle of the back has a black central line, and is ex- 

 panded on rings four, eleven, and twelve; along each side there 

 are tufls of snowy white fluffy Fcales ; the back of rings four. 



