272 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the coast, but not plentiful. Abroad the range extends to 

 Amurland. 



The Dusky Brocade {Apamca obscura {gewina)). 



In its ordinary form the moth shown on Plate 131 is purplish 

 brown, as in Fig. 7, sometimes mottled with greyish or pale 

 ochreous. A more ornamented form is known as var. remissa 

 (Fig. 8), and the ground colour of this is not infrequently pale 

 ochreous brown, or almost whitish, with the black marking very 

 conspicuous. The caterpillar is brownish grey, finely striated 

 with darker ; a yellowish white line along the middle of the 

 back, and a brownish ochreous stripe on each side of it ; stripe 

 along the black edged spiracles greyish ochreous. It feeds from 

 autumn till March on grasses in moist situations. The moth is 

 perhaps most abundant in the south, but it occurs, in June and 

 July, pretty well all over the British Isles ; and abroad its range 

 extends to Amurland and Japan. 



The Rustic Shoulder Knot {Apamea hasilinea). 



The species shown on Plate 132, Figs, i J , 2 $ , is found almost 

 everywhere in the British Isles, is generally common, and in 

 many parts abundant. Usually the pale brown fore wings are 

 clouded or suffused with reddish, but this tint maybe absent, or 

 the wings may be tinged with greyish : the single black dash 

 from middle of the base is the " Shoulder Knot." The cater- 

 pillar, according to Barrett, is pale olive brown varying to 

 grey brown ; a greyish white line along the middle of the back 

 edged with short undulating black lines ; spiracular line a row 

 of blackish dashes, clouded with olive brown, or edged with 

 greyish white and looped with grey brown ; head black, plate 

 on first ring black and white striped. It feeds from August to 

 March on grasses, etc. The moth flies in May and June. 



