THE CUFF-TIP. 



8] 



secured ; otherwise they are rarely seen in a state of nature. 

 The species is most frequent, perhaps, in the southern countries, 

 but seems to occur throughout England ; it becomes scarcer from 

 the Midlands northwards to Durham and Cumberland. It 

 occurs in Southern Scotland, and has been recorded from Moray. 

 In Ireland it is widely distributed, but is not noted as common 

 in any locality. The range abroad 

 extends through temperate Europe 

 into Asia Minor, and as far east as 

 China and Japan. 



The Buff-tip {Phakra buce- 

 phala). 



This species (Plate 35, Fig. 3) is 

 easily recognized by its violet-grey 

 fore wings, and the more or less 

 round, pale, ochreous blotch on the 

 outer third. The blotch is clouded, 

 to a greater or lesser extent, with 

 pale brown, and the inner area of 

 the wings is flecked with silvery 

 grey ; the cross lines are edged 

 with reddish brown. 



The rather downy caterpillar is 

 yellow, with several interrupted 

 blackish lines, and of these the one 

 along the middle of the back is the 

 broadest and blackest ; head black. 

 It feeds, during August and Sep- 

 tember, in companies, until nearly full grown, and the foliage' 

 of almost any kind of tree or bush appears to be suitable 

 food, although that of elm, lime, and hazel is often selected 

 by the female moth when depositing her whitish eggs, which 



Fig. 21. 

 Eg-gs of Buff-tip Moth. 



