AMENTIFER^ 



133 



back ; at the end of the body are two long 

 appendages containing retractile reddish filaments, 

 with which the caterpillar tries to whip away any 

 cause of annoyance. The moth is two or three 

 inches across the wings, and is white and fluffy, 

 with a few black lines and streaks. 



The green caterpillar of the Herald Moth 

 (Scoliopteryx Matrix) also feeds on Willow. The 

 forewings of the moth, which measure an inch and 

 a half in expanse, are reddish brown, blotched with 

 red, and angulated and scalloped ; the hindwings 

 are pale grey. The moth hibernates, and is often 

 disturbed in winter. 



Willows are also greatly infested by '' false 

 caterpillars," or the larvae of saw-flies, especially 

 by black and yellow species of the genus Nematus, 

 allied to those which infest gooseberry and currant 

 bushes. Some of these form small galls on the 

 willow leaves. 



The different species of Poplar (Populus) are 

 allied to Willow ; but are erect trees, throwing off 

 short branches which slope upward. The leaves 

 are oval, more or less dentated, and downy below, 



and the catkins are surrounded by a small perianth, 

 which is wanting in the Willow. 



The caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth is 

 green, with yellow dots and oblique lines, and a 

 yellowish horn. The moth (Smerinthus popidi) is 

 light brown, with a large red blotch at the base of 

 the hindwings. It measures three inches in 

 expanse. 



The Bog-Myrtle (Myrica gale) is a low bush with 

 resinous, ovate, and more or less dentated leaves, 

 which emit a delicious odour when bruised. It is 

 a plant that only grows in very boggy places, and 

 has been exterminated in many parts of the British 

 Islands by drainage. 



The Birch (Betula) is a tree with a very slender 

 stem in proportion to its height, and hence often 

 grows more or less stooping rather than erect. 

 The bark is white, and flakes off easily. The 

 twigs are used for brooms, or for birch-rods for 

 flagellation (more frequently a century ago than 

 at present) ; but in the north of Europe they are 

 freely used for self-flagellation in the vapour-baths, 

 to stimulate the circulation. 



