THE LFAD-COLOURED DRAB. 329 



touches the reniform ; the ochreous submarginal Hne is usually 

 inwardly edged with, and sometimes obscured by, blackish ; 

 very often the submarginal line and the dusky central shade are 

 the only distinct cross markings. 



The caterpillar is green, minutely dotted with yellow ; three 

 lines on the back, and a stripe on the sides, yellow, the latter 

 most distinct, edged above with black, and united by a yellow 

 bar on the last ring. It feeds on oak, birch, sallow, beech, elm, 

 etc., from April to June. The moth flies in March and April, 

 and is generally common throughout the British Isles, except, 

 perhaps, the islands of Scotland. 



The Lead-coloured Drab {Tceriiocampa poptdeU). 



The ground colour of the species shown on Plate 157, Figs. 

 7, 8, is usually some shade of purplish grey, ranging from 

 very pale to dark ; the cross lines are often indistinct, but 

 occasionally they show up clearly ; the central shade, usually in 

 evidence, is sometimes almost blackish and broadened out to 

 the second line ; the orbicular and reniform have pale margins 

 but the centres are frequently no darker than the general colour. 



The t.'g'g is greyish white with dark grey girdled dot. 



When full grown the caterpillar is whitish or yellowish green, 

 but always whitish on the back : three white lines on the back, 

 the central one rather broad ; head ochreous brown with a 

 blackish spot on each side. It feeds from April to June on 

 aspen chiefly, but also on other kinds of poplar, hiding by day 

 between two leaves. The moth is out in March and April, 

 and may be found on the sallow catkins. It seems to be more 

 or less rare in the South of England, but it is locally not un- 

 common in many parts of the country from Middlesex north- 

 wards to Yorkshire. Farther north it is again infrequent, and 

 this is also the case in Scotland and in Ireland. 



