62 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



The Puss Moth {Dicranura vinula). 



Portraits of both sexes of this rather common moth are given 

 on Plate 24. The head, thorax, and body are very fluffy. The 

 whitish fore wings are crossed by several wave-like lines ; the 

 main veins {jiervures) are ochreous, and the branches 

 {jicrvules) are blackish ; beyond the more or less clear basal 

 area there is often a broad but irregular blackish band, and the 

 wavy markings on the outer area vary in intensity (sometimes 

 the short streaks between the veins terminate on the outer 

 margin in black dots). Hind wings whitish in the male, and 

 suffused with blackish in the female, to a greater or lesser 

 extent. In some examples of the female the fore wings and 

 the body are also tinged with blackish. The antennse are 

 bipectinated in both sexes, but those of the female have the 

 teeth much shorter than those of the male. 



The eggs are usually laid in pairs on the upper surface of a 

 leaf of sallow, willow, or poplar. In colour these are purplish 

 or reddish brown, shining, and finely grained ; a minute de- 

 pression at the top is yellowish, with a black speck at the 

 bottom of the hollow. 



In its last stage the caterpillar is green, with a white or 

 yellowish-edged purplish brown band on the back ; the head is 

 light brown margined with black and purplish behind, and the 

 ring immediately following (first thoracic) is green margined 

 with yellow and having two black spots on the upper part. 

 When the creature assumes the position which Professor 

 Poulton terms the terrifying attitude, the front part is elevated, 

 the head is drawn back into the ring next to it, and the tails are 

 raised and curved forward over the back (see Plate 25). Seen 

 thus from the front the appearance of the caterpillar is certainly 

 grotesque, and no doubt affords it some protection from 

 its enemies. It feeds on poplars, sallov/s, and willows, usually 

 in July and August, but sometimes as late as September. 



