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298 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



caterpillars, in Perthshire (Rannoch district), on ling, heath, 

 and bog-myrtle ; and in June, 1904, he published {Entoin. 

 xxxvii. 149) some interesting observations on the habits of the 

 species in its native haunts. The greenish yellow eggs are laid 

 in batches of 10 to 150 in the dry corollas of the cross-leaved 

 heath, and less frequently between the stem and sheath of reeds, 

 or in cracks in dead bracken stems, etc. The caterpillar (Plate 

 126, Fig. 3) is pale drab, inclining to a yellowish tint ; irregular 

 yellow stripes along the back and sides, and lines of blackish 

 streaks between the stripes. It will eat birch, sallow, and haw- 

 thorn, in captivity ; but in the open it feeds on heather and bog- 

 myrtle : May-July. The chrysalis is reddish brown, rather 

 paler on the wing covers (figured on Plate 126 from a photo, twice 

 natural size, by Mr. H. Main). The moth is out in April and 

 May, and sits on the twigs of heather and the stems of bog- 

 myrtle. It has only been recorded from Perthshire, and is there 

 very local, frequenting damp places near streams. 



Mr. A. W. Mera has obtained hybrids from a crossing of this 

 species with N. zonaria. 



Belted Beauty {Nyssia zonaria). 



Two males and a female of this species are depicted on 

 Plate 124 (Figs. 4, 5 5,6 $ ). There is variation in the ground 

 colour of the male, from white to greyish, and the markings are 

 sometimes greyish brown and sometimes blackish. Kane states 

 that, in Ireland, a large number of Connemara specimens have 

 the fore wings entirely white, broken by dark veins, front 

 margin, and three streaks parallel to the outer margin. The 

 caterpillar is greenish, with dusky grey lines and freckles on 

 the back, and a yellow stripe low down along the sides ; the 

 latter is edged below with blackish ; the underside is black 

 and striped with grey ; head, greyish, freckled with darker. It 

 feeds on sallow, dandelion, dock, plantain, clover, yarrow, 



