84 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



specimens were reported as found in a street at Deal, the moth 

 does not seem to have been noticed at large. 



This species was known to Haworth, but, as a British insect, 

 Avas exceedingly rare until 1859, when Dr. Knaggs found some 

 caterpillars upon poplar in the neighbourhood of Folkestone. 

 From the stock then obtained the moths were reared in numbers 

 for some time. Batches of eggs were also put down in various 

 locahties, and the species seems to have flourished in some of 

 them for a while, but failed eventually to establish itself in any 

 of them. Then the species disappeared from the Folkestone 

 locality, although a caterpillar or two were found there in 1861, 

 and on to 1912 in other places on the Kentish coast. In 1893 

 eggs were obtained at St. Leonard's, in Sussex, and thus 

 originated a new stock. 



The species has a wide range in Central and Northern 

 Europe, extending to some of the southern parts ; it also occurs 

 in Siberia, Amurland, China, and Japan. 



The Small Chocolate-tip {Pygcera pigra). 



This species will be recognized by its smaller size and less 

 distinct chocolate blotch on the tips of the fore wings. The 

 ground colour varies fiom whitish grey to pale brownish grey ; 

 the pale cross lines are usually well defined ; the first is bor- 

 dered with chocolate colour, and angled above the middle ; the 

 third line runs from a white spot on the costa and through the 

 chocolate patch. The moth is shown on Plate 35, and the early 

 stages on Plate 34. 



Of the offspring resulting from eggs laid by a female cicrtula 

 that had paired with a vci-d\^pigra^ and also those from a female 

 pigra crossed with a male curiula^ the hybrids in each case most 

 nearly resembled the female parent. 



The eggs are pale olive green tending to brownish, and all 

 that I have seen have been laid in irregular lines on leaves, or 



