156 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



warts from which arise star-hke tufts of brown hairs ; a reddish 

 line along the middle of the back, and some reddish spots on 

 the sides. When full grown it is black, and the reddish line on 

 the back is almost hidden by closer and more compact tufts of 

 black hairs. Head black and glossy. 



The leaves of various low-growing plants afford it nourishment, 

 but it is very partial to dock, dandelion, golden-rod {Solidago)^ 

 and plantain ; it is also fond of groundsel and lettuce in confine- 

 ment, but these plants have been found unsuitable if given too 

 frequently. In the open it seems to feed through the summer, 

 hibernate when full grown, reappear in the early spring, and in 

 due course spin its brownish cocoon among herbage generally 

 low down near the ground ; on moors it often makes the cocoon 

 among the twigs of heather as shown on Plate 81. The 

 chrysalis is black, marked with yellowish on the hind edge of 

 each ring. The vitality of the caterpillar is extraordinary. One 

 known to have been embedded in ice for fourteen days at least, 

 became active in less than half an hour after the ice around it 

 melted. It pupated shortly afterwards. 



When eggs are obtained early, it is possible to have three 

 generations of the moth during the same year. Thus eggs 

 deposited on May 8 produced caterpillars which fed up quickly 

 and attained the moth state in July. From July eggs some 

 of the caterpillars will outstrip their companions, pupate in 

 September, and appear as moths about a month later. The 

 moth is to be found in May and June, sometimes in July or 

 August, in wood clearings, on moors and rough hillsides, and 

 also in water meadows, etc. It flies at night, is attracted by 

 light, and although it occasionally flies in the sunshine, it is, as 

 a rule, not often seen in the daytime. Occurs throughout the 

 British Isles to the Orkneys. Distribution : Europe, Western 

 and Central Asia, Amurland, Japan, North-west Africa, North 

 America. 



