BOARMID^—HIBERNIA. 239 



veuing spaces paler, sometimes yellowish ; no marking upon 

 the anal segment, which is often pale brown ; undersnrface 

 paler than the back and sides, with a faintly lighter central 

 stripe ; usual raised dots black or dark grey ; legs reddish. 

 (C. Fenn.) 



In the district already alluded to, in which the darkest 

 forms of the moth are obtained, dark or even blackened 

 varieties of the larva also are not infrequent. 



April and May, sometimes to June and even occasionalh^ 

 July; on oak, hawthorn, blackthorn, birch, beech, hazel, 

 poplar, sallow, alder, rose, maple, and other trees, sometimes 

 even on laurel ; feeding principally at night, but remaining 

 upon its food plant during the day ; and forming no incon- 

 siderable portion of the vast army of larvae which in some 

 seasons defoliates the more open woods. 



Pupa stout, tapering slightly behind ; anal extremity fur- 

 nished with a long spike ; back and abdomen mahogany-red ; 

 wing and limb-covers green. Subterranean, in a long brittle 

 earthen cocoon. (C. Fenn.) 



The male moth sits by day on palings, tree trunks, or the 

 lower stems of bushes near the ground, or else among dead 

 leaves, usually those which have fallen ; but flies gently at 

 dusk and soon after may be found, by means of a lantern, 

 sitting upon bushes or tree-trunks, very conspicuous from the 

 whitish appearance of its weak erect wings as the wind moves 

 them. The female hides during the day in similar places, 

 but particularly in the deep interstices of bark of trees, and 

 crawls up at night. The male, unlike other species in this 

 genus, will come to the blossoms of sallow, and sits upon 

 them, complacently sucking, with small regard to the 

 collector's lantern ; but it is noticeable that the nights which 

 it selects for this feast are usually those upon which the 

 ordinary revellers, the Tceniocampcc and other Noctuce are 

 not attracted. It is known to fly, at times, at night during 

 somewhat sharp frost. Most numerous about open woods, 



