290 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



a specimen, said to have been taken by Peter Bouchard, in the 

 collection of the late Dr. Mason. This is all that there seems 

 to be known concerning this species in Britain. The specimen 

 figured on Plate 141, Fig. 4, is continental. 



The Merveille du Jour (Ag?'iopis aprilina). 



The pretty green moth, with white-edged black markings, 

 shown on Plate 141, Fig. i, is widely distributed over the 

 greater part of the British Isles. It occurs in oak woods, or in 

 localities where oak trees are plentiful. The caterpillar is of 

 an obscure greenish-grey coloration, sometimes inclining to 

 brownish ; a white line along the back, and a dark one low 

 down on the sides ; over the back spreads a series of blackish 

 marks showing a more or less diamond pattern. It feeds in 

 the spring and until June on oak leaves, and often rests by day 

 on the trunks, in the chinks of the bark. The moth flies in 

 September and October, rather earlier in Scotland.. 



The Flame Brocade {Trii^onophora flammca). 



The earliest record of this species (Plate 141, Fig. 6) in 

 England dates back to 1855, when five specimens were obtained 

 at sugar in a locality near Brighton, in Sussex. The next year, 

 and subsequently, it was found, not only in the original place, 

 but also in the Lewes and Shoreham districts. Later it was 

 met with in other localities in the county, and for several years 

 captures were made in most of its known haunts. For some 

 years past, however, it seems to have disappeared from Sussex, 

 and is not known to occur in any other part of the British Isles. 



The caterpillar is ochreous brown, tinged with reddish ; a 

 dull brownish diamond pattern, and three lines along the back, 

 the central line paler than the others ; the spiracles and usual 

 dots are white, ringed with brownish. Another form is green, 



