WAVED CARPET. 221 



wings, from the central pair of lines to the middle of the outer 

 margin. 



The caterpillar, which feeds in August and September, on 

 maple, and in the northern counties on alder, is green, inclining 

 to whitish between the rings. 



The moth is out in June and early July, sometimes from mid 

 May in warm localities. It is widely distributed over England 

 and Wales, and in the southern counties of England it occurs 

 in hedges wherever the maple grows, but in the midlands and 

 northwards it is chiefly found among alder. In Scotland it 

 is local and rare in Clydesdale, and is known to occur in 

 Perthshire. 



Abroad, the range extends to Amurland and Japan. 



Waved Carpet {Asthena tcstaceatd). 



The typical, greyish-dusted, white form is depicted on 

 Plate 91, Figs. 7 J and 9 $ . Mr. E. R. Bankes states {Ento?n., 

 xl. 33) that in one restricted area in mid-Kent this species 

 varies in the direction of melanism, and he describes two 

 forms as under : ab. i7itermedia has the usual coloration, but 

 the wings are thickly dusted with dusky brown, chiefly along 

 the front edge of the fore wings, and the cross lines are more 

 distinct than in the type. In ab. goodwini all the wings have 

 the whitish ground colour largely obscured by dusky brown 

 powdering. 



The rather spindle-shaped caterpillar is purplish brown, 

 inclining to greenish on the sides and below at each end ; 

 on the back of the middle rings are whitish V-marks, and the 

 last three rings incline to purplish red above (adapted from 

 Fenn), It feeds on the young leaves of alder, birch, and 

 sallow, in July and August. The moth is out in June, and 

 hides by day among the bushes, but may be seen occasionally 



