MOTTLED UMBER BIOTH. 337 



The caterpillar of the Mottled Umber Moth is a "looper," 

 like that of the Winter Moth noticed in the next paper, but is 

 somewhat larger, and may be easily distinguished by its 

 peculiar colouring. 



It is of a clear or reddish brown above, ** this area is bounded 

 on each side by a very distinct but narrow waved black stripe, 

 and is also adorned with grey markings;" "below the 

 boundary the body is bright yellow ; the spiracles are white, 

 and the region surrounding each spiracle brown ; the belly is 

 greenish yellow; legs and claspers pale." 



Like others of the caterpillars specially known as " loopers," 

 it has, instead of four pairs of " sucker-feet " below the body, 

 only one pair besides the pair at the end of the tail ; so that 

 in walking it cannot progress forward continuously, but has 

 to bring the sucker-feet and tail-suckers forward to where it is 

 held firm by the claw-feet (as shown in figure, p. 336), and 

 thus it forms an upright "loop," whence the name of " looper." 



The caterpillars are very abundant, and very injurious to 

 leafage of various kinds of fruit and forest trees, and have 

 been especially noted as feeding at times on unripe cherries, 

 gnawing away one side of the fruit. 



When full-fed, which may be during June, or even a little 

 later, the caterpillars turn to chrysalis on or a little under the 

 surface of the ground. From these caterpillars the moths 

 come out in October or November, about the same time, that 

 is, that the Winter Moths appear. Like them, the male moth 

 only is winged. This is of the size and appearance figured, 

 that is, about twice the size of the Winter Moth ; the fore 

 wings are usually of a pale brown or reddish yellow, with dark 

 transverse bands, and " between them is a dark spot in the 

 middle of the wing. The hind wings are rather paler, and 

 have a brown spot near the middle ; all the wings are more 

 or less sprinkled with brown dots." Sometimes, however, the 

 wings are merely of a reddish brown freckled over with 

 minute dots. 



The female moth is of a wainscot-brown colour, with two 

 very conspicuous dark spots on the back of each segment. 

 The wings are so abortive as to be almost invisible.* 



The caterpillars are often sent me amongst other orchard 

 pests, and are very easily recognisable by their gay and 

 peculiar colouring. The female moths also are easily distin- 

 guished by the brown spots on their backs from the females 

 of the Winter and March Moths. 



All the measures which are recommended in the following 



* The above descriptions of the appearance of the moths and cateri^illar are 

 ahnost entirely taken from Edw. Ni-wman's 'Brit. Moths,' p. 10.5. 



