26o THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



extremes and the more typical forms all kinds of intergrades 

 occur, but it is not possible here to discuss these in detail. 



The pale greenish yellow eggs and two caterpillars are 

 figured on Plate loi, Figs. 2, ia. The latter are whitish, in- 

 clining to yellowish on the back, and lined with black ; stripe 

 below the black spiracles, yellow ; head, black and glossy. 

 The food is wych-elm (^Ulmiis vioiitana)^ but beech and hazel 

 are said to be eaten at times : August to October. The moth 

 is found in May and June, sitting about on the leaves of dog's 

 mercury, and other vegetation in its woodland haunts. Al- 

 though it sometimes occurs sparingly in the southern seaboard 

 counties, it is far more frequent in the west, ranging from North 

 Devon to Cumberland, and including Wales. It is common in 

 Bucks., and northwards to Northumberland, and extends into 

 South Scotland. In Ireland, not uncommon at Killarney, and 

 reported from a few other localities. 



4^^ 



;A^ The Magpie {Abraxas grossulariata). 



Except that the specimen represented by Fig. 2 has traces of 

 a yellow band on the hind wings, Figs, i — 3 on Plate 103 show 

 this highly variable species in its typical and most frequent 

 form. Figs. 4 and 5 depict examples of the ordinary darker 

 forms leading up to ab. hazeleighensis^ Raynor, in which the 

 whole of the fore wing area between the orange bands is 

 blackish, except two tiny white specks near the front margin. 

 Not infrequently the black spots on the outer margin of the 

 fore wings exhibit a tendency to spread inwards, as in Figs. 

 2 and 5, and very occasionally they unite with the series 

 of spots outside the orange band, as in Plate 104, Fig. i, 

 which represents a specimen (kindly lent by Mr. R. Adkin) with 

 blackish tinged hind wings. Sometimes the ground colour of 

 all the wings is yellowish (ab. lutea, Cockerell), but the markings 



