276 LEPIDOPTERA. 



or smoky brown, with the segmental divisions darker ; a yel- 

 lowish interrupted dorsal line, and a row of faint spots of the 

 same colour indicating the spiracular line, hardly visible ; 

 whole body thickly clothed with light brown hairs, which 

 spring in tufts from the usual raised spots, but form an even 

 surface, being close and very abundant ; legs blackish. When 

 half grown, however, the general colour is bluish grey with 

 the hairs shorter, more bristly, and less noticeable, but with 

 dorsal and spiracular stripes yellow. 



July to May, the full grown larvae retiring to hybernate 

 at the roots of plants and remaining quiescent till February 

 or March, when the first bright days bring them out to sun 

 themselves before spinning up. But a proportion feed more 

 rapidly than the rest, becoming full grown in about a month 

 from the hatching of the eggs, and producing the perfect 

 insects late in the summer. Young larvae from the eggs of 

 this later brood hybernate in the same manner as the rest, 

 and, so far as is known, emerge almost as early in the following 

 season. On plantain, dock, yarrow, and almost all low 

 growing plants, even Listera ovata. This larva is extremely 

 active, running with great swiftness and travelling sometimes 

 long distances, especially when full fed and before hybernating. 

 But in the spring its activity on a sunny bank is very pretty 

 to see. It is moreover extremely hardy, and has been found 

 frozen, and completely enclosed in ice, without injury to its 

 vitality. 



Pupa stout ; black, with the hinder edge of each segment 

 rather paler, thorax much rounded. In a rather dense cocoon 

 of brownish silk among low plants near the ground, often 

 attached to a leaf or stalk. 



The moth is a restless creature, very active on its feet, and 

 will sometimes run over the grass almost as fast as its larva. 

 It also flies a little in the sunshine with rather a heavy 

 buzzing action, but is far more active at night, flying freely 

 at midnight, and coming readily to a strong light. It frequents 



