THE COUSIN GERMAN. 227 



the fore wings varies from pale to dark reddish brown in both 

 broods. 



The caterpillar is greyish ochreous or brown, with dark- 

 edged paler lines, and the brown head is marked with darker. 

 It feeds on dandelion, dock, grass, etc. Those of the first 

 generation feed from autumn to spring, and those of the second 

 during the summer. The moth is found in almost every part of 

 the British Isles, except, perhaps, the Hebrides and Shetlands. 



The Six-striped Rustic {Nodua umhrosd). 



This species (Plate 114, Fig. 5), is also generally distributed 

 over our islands as far north as Moray, but it is rather partial 

 to marshy situations. The caterpillar, which feeds from August 

 to May on dock, plantain, bramble, bedstraw, etc., is pale 

 ochreous or brownish, freckled with darker, and with dark- 

 edged, pale ochreous lines on the back, the outer ones with a 

 series of black wedges along them ; a dark brown stripe low 

 down along the sides ; head pale brown marked with darker. 

 The moth flies in July and August. It seems to prefer the 

 flowers of the ragwort and the honey-dew on foliage to sugar, 

 but the latter has attractions for it nevertheless. 



Cousin German {Nodua {MytJiimna) sobnna). 



On Plate 114, Fig. 6, is a portrait of this greyish suffused 

 purple-brown species, which in the British Isles is seemingly 

 confined to certain localities in Perthshire and Aberdeen, and 

 was first met with in the former county by Weaver in 1853. 

 According to Barrett it is found chiefly in mountain districts 

 from 700 feet above sea-level upwards. 



l^he caterpillar is reddish or red brown, slightly mottled with 

 grey ; the marking on the back almost linear, widening a little, 

 but narrowly lozenge-shaped near the end of each ring, and 



