THE OAK EGGAR. II7 



late Richard Weaver, who gave it the English name of the 

 " Scotch Eggar," took specimens of the moth at Rannoch in 

 1845, and he found caterpillars in that year, as well as in 1844 

 and 1846. It is now well known to occur not only in Scotland, 

 including the Hebrides and Orkneys, but also on the moors of 

 Northern England, and in Ireland and Wales. In North 

 Devonshire it is found not uncommonly in the Exmoor district, 

 and it has been recorded from various parts of the New Forest 

 in Hants. 



The egg oi calhmcB is figured on Plate 55. It appears rather 

 polished, and in colour is pale brown mottled with darker brown. 

 The eggs are stated to be deposited whilst the female is on the 

 wing, and consequently they fall to the ground or are arrested 

 in their descent by the herbage over which they are scattered. 



The full-grown caterpillar of qitercus^ beneath the brownish 

 fur with which the body is clothed, is dark brown on the back 

 and rather violet brown on the sides ; the ring divisions are 

 velvety black ; there is a white stripe along each side and 

 below the stripe some reddish marks ; the ring nearest the head 

 is edged with reddish, and the next two rings each have two 

 reddish centred white spots. The dull purplish brown chrysalis 

 is enclosed in a hard oval-shaped cocoon which is spun up on or 

 near the ground in a flimsy web among herbage, dead leaves, 

 etc. Sometimes it is placed among the twigs of the food plant. 



In Southern England the caterpillars hatch from the egg in 

 August and usually hibernate v/hen quite small. They feed up 

 during the following spring and early summer, perhaps in June 

 or July, and the moth appears in July or August. Occasionally, 

 however, a few individuals depart from the general habit and 

 complete their growth the same year, hibernate in the pupal 

 stage, and produce moths the next year, possibly earlier than 

 hibernating caterpillars. On the other hand, perhaps owing to 

 adverse weather conditions, feeding after hibernation may be 

 continued well on into the autumn, when the caterpillars pupate, 



