178 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



and yellow interrupted line, followed by a light yellow stripe 

 under the spiracles ; raised spots blackish, some white ; hairs 

 blackish brown. Head black. 



It feeds, in the sunshine, on the black and yellow lichens 

 growing in the haunts of the species, which are edges of cliffs 

 and rough stony places near the sea, and also on hillsides. 

 The species occurs, perhaps, more abundantly on the Kentish 

 and Sussex coast than inland, but it is certainly not confined to 

 the cliffs at Dover and Folkestone in Kent, or at Ventnor, Isle 

 of Wight. Among inland localities for it are Box Hill, Ran- 

 more, Reigate, and other places on the Surrey hills. It has also 

 been recorded from the Cots wolds in Gloucestershire ; the Isle 

 of Man ; St. Davids, South Wales ; Aberdeenshire, Sutherland- 

 shire, and the Tweed, Tay, Clyde, and Argyll districts in Scot- 

 land. For Ireland, Kane gives Mayo; "Ardrahan, County 

 Gal way, and west through the Burren of Clare, widely spread ." 



The Four -dotted Footman {Cybosia mesomelld). 



Fore wings pale creamy white, the margins yellowish : a black 

 dot near the costa, and another below near the inner margin ; 

 hind wings suffused with blackish grey. Rarely the fore wings 

 are yellow with a whitish central shade, and the hind wings are 

 yellowish. (Plate 95, Figs. 8, 10.) 



The caterpillar is velvety blackish grey ; warts thickly set 

 with densely feathered blackish hairs. Feeds in April and 

 May, after hibernation, on lichens growing among heather. In 

 confinement it will, according to Buckler, eat heather and fresh 

 or withered leaves of sallow. 



Fairly well distributed over England. It appears to be 

 absent from Ireland, but in Scotland it is known to occur in the 

 Clyde, Solway, and Moray districts, and has been recorded 

 from Abe*-deenshire. In the South of England it affects 

 heaths and the more open woods ; sometimes not uncommon in 



