THE PALE SHOULDER. 53 



In 1869 two specimens of the moth were reared from cater- 

 pillars imported with tomatoes from Spain ; twenty-three years 

 later Mr. Arkle referred to the arrival here of H. armigera in 

 the larval state with consignments of tomatoes, from Valencia, 

 landed at Liverpool in the months of June and July. The late 

 Mr. Tugwell reared larvae, from eggs deposited by a captured 

 female moth, on scarlet geranium ; and there is a record of the 

 finding of caterpillars on such plants, in the autumn of 1876, in 

 the Isle of Wight. Specimens of the moth found at large in 

 Britain occur in the autumn. 



In the United States of America, where it is known as the 

 " Cotton Boll worm," " Corn-ear worm," and " Tomato fruit 

 worm," this caterpillar is chiefly destructive to corn crops, as of 

 the five generations stated to occur during the year in the 

 States three occur in cornfields. It also attacks beans, 

 tobacco, pumpkins, melons, oranges, garden flowering-plants, 

 and many kinds of wild plants. The British nurserymen and 

 farmers are perhaps to be congratulated on the fact that this 

 moth is only an accidental visitor and not a native. 



The Pale Shoulder {Acontia {Tarache) lucida, var. 



albicollis). 



Only eight specimens of this species seem to have been noted 

 in Britain, and all these are apparently referable to the summer 

 form, var. albicollis^ Fabricius. (Plate 19, Fig. 9.) Stephens, 

 who figured it as Solaris^ Wien Verz. (Haustellata iii., Plate 29, 

 Fig- 3)j states that the specimen was in Marsham's collection, 

 but that nothing farther was known about it. He, however, 

 mentions two other specimens " taken within the Metropolitan 

 area about ten years ago [that would be 1820] and four others 

 near Dover above six years ago." Dale fixes the date of Dover 

 captures as June, 1825. On August 25, 1859, a specimen was 

 taken in a clover field at Brighton. 



