140 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



hatches from the egg early in August, and after feeding for a 

 while, retires to winter quarters, selecting some sheltered cranny, 

 such as a chink in the tree bark, where it spins over itself a 

 few strands of silk. Feeding is resumed in May and June, after 

 hibernation, usually on the upperside of leaves of sloe and 

 whitethorn, and also of fruit trees, such as apple and plum, and 

 sometimes pear (Plate yz). 



The moth is out in June and July. It flies at dusk. 



Widely distributed and generally common in the south of 

 England ; somewhat rare in Scotland — perhaps overlooked. It 

 has been reported from Ireland, but is not mentioned by Kane 

 in his catalogue of Irish Lepidoptera. 



^A^* The Small Black Arches {N'o/a strigula). 



tV- .a Fore wings greyish white, freckled and dusted with grey 



. *=*' ^ brown at the base and on the front and outer margins; two 



y n^ black wavy and toothed cross lines ; between the base of the 



wing and the second line are three raised tufts of grey brown 



tipped whitish scales : hind wings dark grey, paler towards the 



base (Plate 73). 



The caterpillar feeds, probably after hibernation, from April 

 to June, on the undersides of oak leaves. It is pale ochreous in 

 colour, with pale reddish brown warts and star-like tufts of 

 hair ; a blackish bar on the back of ring six ; head blackish. 



The moth emerges from the chrysalis in July. It occurs 

 in oak woods in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hants, Somerset and 

 Gloucestershire : also in Berks, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, 

 but it is very local and seems to be restricted to a more or less 

 limited area in all its known haunts, among which the most 

 favoured are perhaps the New Forest in Hampshire and Abbots 

 Wood in Sussex. In some years it may be fairly common, or 

 even plentiful, and then becomes t|uite scarce during several 

 seasons in the same place. 



