THE BRINDLED GREEN. 261 



forms are often much obscured. The caterpillar is somewhat 

 variable in colour and markings. Barrett describes one form as 

 pale sage green strongly tinged with ochreous and dusted with 

 greyish brown ; the line along the middle of the back is white, 

 interrupted, and edged with greyish brown ; a series of outlines 

 of greyish-brown diamonds spread over to the brown margin of 

 the pale ochreous stripe along the whitish spiracles, and form a 

 network on the back and sides. Another form, described by 

 Buckler, has the general colour brilliant yellow, suffused on the 

 upper surface with deep rose pink ; a stripe on the middle of 

 the back composed of two darker pink lines, united and forming 

 a spot at the beginning of each segment, and an interrupted 

 yellow stripe on each side. It feeds from July to September on 

 grass and various low plants, including knot-grass, bladder 

 campion {Silene cucicbalus) ; also sweet gale, sallow, etc. The 

 moth flies in June and July, sometimes in May. The species 

 occurs in woods and on heaths and mcors, and is generally 

 distributed, and more or less common throughout the British 

 Isles. The range abroad extends to Amurland. 



The Brindled Green {Euviichtis {Hadena) proted). 



Green of some shade is often the prevailing colour in the 

 much ornamented moth portrayed on Plate 122, Figs. 11, 12 ; 

 but in some specimens the general colour is pinkish white. 

 The variegation consists of reddish brown or pinkish, and white 

 clouds and black streaks, chiefly as edging to the pale cross 

 lines, or between the stigmata ; these latter are as often obscure 

 as distinct, but sometimes the orbicular is white with a white 

 mark below it extending to the black bar connecting the first 

 and second cross lines. 



The caterpillar is green freckled with yellow, with a yellow 

 central line on the back ; head brownish. It feeds from March 

 to June, and when it leaves the ^%% it bores into an oak bud to 



