37° LEPIDOPTERA. 



colour red-brown ; cremaster dark brown. In a cocoon of 

 silk mixed with earth, or in moss on the ground. In this 

 condition through the winter. 



The moth hides in the daytime in thick blackthorn bushes, 

 or close to the ground about their stems, and is very rarely 

 seen at that time, yet has been beaten out, and induced to 

 fly. in the sunshine. At dusk it flies a little about the black- 

 thorn blossom and has been known to visit sallow bloom ; 

 but as soon as darkness comes on settles down and may then 

 be found sitting upon the bushes, by the aid of a lantern. 

 Probably it flies again toward midnight and then is strongly 

 attracted by light. So far as I have observed, the blackthorns 

 growing in hedges are not favoured, but the stunted plants 

 on open heaths or hillsides are usually selected. It is an 

 exceedingly local species, and until its habit of sitting on 

 the blackthorns at night was discovered by Mr. S. Stevens 

 about the year 1856. was looked upon as a great rarity here. 

 Its metropolis with us seems to be in Essex, where it was 

 first captured at Berechurch near Colchester, in plenty, and 

 since near Loughton, Maiden, Hazeleigh, Danbury, Southend, 

 and Leigh. In Kent its great locality used to be Dartford 

 Heath, but it is said to have been exterminated there by 

 over-collecting. It has not, however, I think, disappeared 

 from the county. Also found in Sussex, and pretty commonly 

 in the New Forest, Hants. There are records in Surrey, 

 Berks and Suffolk, and it was reported to occur in Devon by 

 Mr. Parfitt. So far as I know this is the extent of its range 

 in these Islands. Abroad also it is somewhat local and not 

 very widely distributed, being found in Central. Southern, 

 and Eastern Germany, France. Switzerland, and Spain. 



Genus 8. MACATUA. 



Antennas of the male not pectinated but rather dentate; 

 palpi small ; head rough ; thorax and abdomen smooth and 



