THE GROUND LACKEY. lO^ 



oval-shaped cocoon ; the inner compartment is of rather closer 

 woven silk, and is thickly covered with a yellowish substance, 

 which is ejected by the caterpillar as a fluid, and afterwards 

 drying forms a sulphur-like powder on the cocoon, and in a 

 lesser degree on the chrysalis also. The moth is on the wing 

 in July and August, but it is rarely seen in the daytime, and not 

 often at night, except when attracted by light into the house, or 

 to the gas or electric lamps. It is exceedingly easy to rear, 

 either from eggs or from collected caterpillars ; the latter are 

 often abundant. 



Generally distributed throughout England, but becoming 

 scarcer from the Midlands to Lancashire and Yorkshire, and 

 not often occurring further north than the last named county. 

 In Ireland it is unknown in the north, but occurs in many parts 

 of the south and south-west. 



The Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis). 



This also is a variable species. Most frequently the fore 

 wings of the male are pale buff, cross lined, and more or less 

 clouded with brown ; hind wings brown. The female has all 

 the wings reddish brown, the front pair being crossed by two 

 pale buff lines. The fringes are pale buff, chequered with 

 brown in both sexes. Colour and marking are, however, subject 

 to considerable variation. Sometimes all the wings are pale 

 buff (male), or reddish brown (both sexes), and the fore wings 

 without marking. The cross lines on fore wings of the female 

 may be either very slender or very broad ; occasionally almost 

 the whole of the basal area up to, and including, the first 

 cross line is buff. Two examples of each sex are shown on 

 Plate 48. 



The eggs are laid in a similar manner to those of the last 

 species, around stems of wild carrot, sea wormwood, and other 



