202 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



uliginos7i7n, and sweet gale {Myn'ca). It spins together the 

 leaves at the tips of the twigs, and so forms a cocoon-like 

 habitation. The moth is out in May and June, and even July 

 in the north. It flies in the afternoon sunshine around and 

 over birch trees, and occasionally alights on the leaves. It has 

 been taken in Kent, and more frequently in Essex and Suffolk, 

 but it is more plentiful in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and from 

 Surrey to Dorsetshire and Wiltshire ; also in Herefordshire 

 and Worcestershire, and on high ground in North Wales, 

 Staffordshire, and Derbyshire ; its range extending through 

 Cheshire and Lancashire to Cumberland and Northumberland, 

 but only odd specimens have been reported from the last-named 

 county and from Durham. The egg and the caterpillar are 

 shown on Plate 79, Figs, i and la. 



It is widely distributed, and often common in places, 

 throughout Scotland. In Ireland it is local, but has occurred 

 plentifully in some of its haunts in that country ; Kane states 

 that var. subhastata has not been noted. 



The range abroad spreads to Amurland, China, Iceland, 

 Labrador, and North America. 



\i>^o*^V Beautiful Carpet {Mesoleiica alhicillata). 



^ ■^'■A^ The English name of this species (Plate 82, Fig. 13) is exceed- 

 .^ V^ ingly appropriate ; few of our native moths exhibit such a 

 y(\kF pleasing combination of colour and marking. It varies but 

 ^^ /s\^ very little in a general way, but a specimen taken in York some 

 ^ years ago has the fore wings dark leaden grey instead of creamy 

 white (ab. suffiisa^ Carrington), and very rarely the ground 

 colour inclines to yellow. 



The stoutish caterpillar (Plate 76, Fig. 2) is green with reddish 

 marks along the back ; a white line low down along the sides 

 is edged below with purplish red on the first three rings ; the 

 last ring, and the claspers, tinged with purplish red. It feeds 



