Il8 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



but emergence of the moth is postponed until the following year, 

 the second after hatching from the egg. 



In the case of calluno'^ at least as regards its normal habit in 

 Scotland and southwards to the moorland districts of Yorkshire 

 and Lancashire, the young caterpillar hibernates the first winter, 

 feeds through the following summer, and passes the second 

 winter as a chrysalis, the moth emerging in the following May 

 or June. 



Generally speaking, then, it may be stated that querciis has a 

 twelve-month life cycle, whilst that of ^^//?/;/(2' extends almost or 

 quite to twenty-four months, of which at least twelve months are 

 passed as a caterpillar. However, as has ^been noted, quercus 

 sometimes passes one winter as a caterpillar, and another as a 

 chrysalis, thus assuming the calluna habit ; whilst callniicr 

 occasionally attains the perfect state during the summer follow- 

 ing that in which the caterpillar left the tgg. 



The food plants comprise bramble, dogwood, hawthorn, 

 heather {Calhma), and various low plants ; it is even content 

 with ivy. 



Newman, in the Entomologist for 1 845, gives a life history of 

 the Northern Eggar {callunce)^ and from this the following 

 details are extracted. The male flies rapidly over the heather 

 by day at the latter end of May or beginning of June ; its flight 

 is jerking or zigzag, and its object is evidently to find the 

 female, who rarely moves until impregnation has taken place. 

 Subsequently the female flies over the heather, dropping her 

 eggs at random as she flies, and the eggs, having no glutinous 

 covering, do not adhere to any object which they may accident- 

 ally touch in falling. On emergence from the tgg the young 

 caterpillar is dark ash coloured, the divisions between the rings 

 of the body being indicated by two minute orange streaks, each 

 of which is accompanied by a small black spot. After the first 

 moult the ground colour becomes more smoky, the divisions 

 velvety black, and on each ring a triangular orange spot appears ; 



