46 CARKOT. 



much alike in shape. They may be known by the rather long 

 and narrow upper wings being laid flat one over the other 

 when at rest, and by the abdomen being flat or depressed, 

 whence the common name of Flat-body Moth, and the 

 scientific name of Deprcssaria. 



The caterpillar of the moth described above feeds on the 

 Carrot-leaves, which it cuts so that it can bend and roll them 

 up into small cylinders spun together by its threads ; each 

 end is left open, so that when alarmed it can lower itself to 

 the ground by a thread spun from its mouth. It is about 

 half an inch long, grass-green, with a darker green line along 

 the back and along each side ; it has ten warty black spots on 

 each ring, a brown head, with two brighter brown spots, and 

 the back of the segment behind the head is brown, with a 

 black margin. When ready to change, the caterpillars 

 become rosy beneath, and then turn to chrysalids of a deep 

 yellowish brown, sometimes in a folded leaf, sometimes in 

 cocoons in the earth. 



The moth is rather more than three-quarters of an inch in 

 the spread of the wings, shiny like satin, of a pale reddish 

 ochre-colour, the upper wings freckled with brown and black, 

 and with two or three white dots with dark edges towards the 

 middle ; the under wings are yellowish grey, satiny, and 

 fringed. 



There are two broods. The June caterpillars come out as 

 moths in August ; those found at the beginning of September 

 come out as moths (which live through the winter) at the end 

 of November. — (From ' Farm Insects.') 



Prevention and Eemedies. — I am not aware that the 

 caterpillar causes serious damage in England. Should it be 

 troublesome, probably shaking the Carrot-leaves with a stick, 

 or in any other convenient way, and throwing soot, or lime, 

 or anything that would injure the caterpillars and keep them 

 from returning to the leaves, would be serviceable ; they fall 

 on being disturbed. 



Their natural enemies are the small Solitary Wasps 

 {Odyneri) which may often be seen in summer, and are dis- 

 tinguishable from the Common Wasps by being generally 

 smaller, and by their large heads, and the broad stripes of 

 black on the sharply-pointed abdomen. These small wasps 

 make their burrows in sand-banks, bramble- stems, decayed 

 posts, and the like places, in which they collect caterpillars 

 for the food of their own larva?. 



