NOTODONTID^. 107 



a broad stripe down the middle of the fore wings ; while 

 a long series in Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher's collection, obtained 

 from Forres, are shaded with a very cold grey. Yet a male 

 taken near Rugeley, Staffordshire, by Dr. R. Freer, has the 

 ground colour dull pale brown with little trace of white. 



On the wing at the end of May and in June, and as a 

 complete or partial second generation at the end of July and 

 in August. As a rule double-brooded in the South of 

 England, single in the North and in Scotland, but this rule 

 appears to admit of a somewhat wide range of exceptions, 

 and there is a record of the rearing of a partial third genera- 

 tion in one season. In Nottinghamshire it has been shown 

 to be fully double-brooded, while in the adjoining and more 

 hilly county of Derby it is but very partially so. 



Larva elongated, with the skin highly polished and much 

 wrinkled, especially at the sides ; third segment swollen 

 laterally ; fifth to the tenth slightly so on the back ; twelfth 

 enlarged into a pointed dorsal hump. Head rounded, 

 shining, whitish or greenish or pale brown, in the former 

 cases the body is pale or deep green with faint darker green 

 subdorsal lines, rather narrow and often indistinct ; yellow, 

 spiracular lines, and the surface below them, with the 

 legs and prolegs, either green or purplish-red ; while in the 

 other case the pale brown head is accompanied by a general 

 pale brown or drab colour transversely banded with pale 

 yellowish which encloses brown spots, and having on the 

 second, third, fifth to eighth, and twelfth segments side 

 blotches of rich dark brown ; or sometimes clouded with pale 

 lilac but having no distinct spiracular line. Spiracles black, 

 in white rings ; hump on the twelfth segment edged in 

 front with whitish, behind with purplish ; anal segment 

 tinged with red. Under surface green, or rosy red, or lilac. 

 These varieties are so different in appearance as commonly 

 to be mistaken for distinct species. 



At the end of June and beginning of July, and in a second 



