THE LAPPET. 127 



well known on the Continent. In certain favourable seasons a 

 second generation of the moth has been obtained, chiefly 

 perhaps, in confinement, and on the Continent ; although in 

 Britain a caterpillar or two will sometimes feed up and attain 

 the perfect state the same year they hatch from the egg. These 

 examples, which are much smaller, but do not otherwise differ 

 from normal specimens, are referable to van Iioegei\ Heuiicker. 



The moth is figured on Plate 63, and the eggs and cater- 

 pillar on Plate 62. 



The eggs, which are whitish in colour with greyish markings, 

 are laid, in July or early August, in twos, threes, or more, on 

 twigs or the undersides of leaves of sloe, apple, sallow, haw- 

 thorn, etc. A single female moth has been known to lay over 

 a thousand eggs, but this is perhaps exceptional, and somewhere 

 about half that number is possibly near the average. Even the 

 latter would take the moth some time to distribute here and 

 there in small batches. 



The caterpillars hatch out in about a fortnight, feed for a few 

 weeks, and in the autumn, when about three-quarters to one inch 

 in length, take up their winter quarters low down on the stems 

 of the food plant, but, in confinement, often on a withered leaf. 



Caterpillar dark grey, so thickly sprinkled with minute black 

 dots as to appear almost black ; the whole body is clothed with 

 fine and rather short blackish hair ; low down on the side there 

 is a fringe of brownish hair, and this covers the fleshy lappets 

 (the older writers named this larva the " Caterpillar with the 

 Lappets ") ; two white marks edged in front with black on 

 the third ring, and a hairy prominence on the eleventh, are 

 the most conspicuous features of this caterpillar. When the 

 front rings are extended, the divisions between them are seen 

 to be deep blue. Head grey, with darker stripe and paler lines. 

 Occasionally several white marks appear on the back, and this 

 is stated by Professor Poulton to occur more especially in the 

 caterpillars when the twigs and stems of the food plant upon 



