320 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



occurs in sandstone localities. (Plate 84, Figs, i, Folkestone ; 

 2, New Forest ; 3, Lewes.) 



The rather rough and dumpy caterpillar is dark greyish 

 brown above, inclining to purplish brown beneath ; the raised 

 dots are capped with white, and there is a pair of white- capped 

 warts on the last ring (adapted from Barrett). It feeds on 

 rock rose {Helianthe7?i2wt)^ cinquefoil {Potejtiilia), salad burnet 

 {Poieriuni)^ etc. ; or the larvae may be reared on groundsel, chick- 

 weed, and strawberry, both wild and cultivated : September to 

 May. (Plate 140, Fig. 2.) 



Mr. A. J. ScoUick kindly gave me some eggs, laid by a female 

 taken in Surrey ; they were yellowish green at first, but changed 

 to pale brownish. The caterpillars hatched and seemed to thrive 

 on groundsel, but they died during the winter. 



The moth is out in July and August, and is widely distributed 

 in England, but except that it occurs in Surrey, Berkshire, 

 Herefordshire, and Worcestershire, it seems to prefer the sea- 

 board counties, and in them chiefly affects localities near the 

 sea. It is found in Wales, and in Scotland up to Moray ; but 

 in both these countries and also in Ireland it is most frequent 

 on the coast. 



Scotch Annulet {GnopJws myrtillatd). 



This species (Plate 139, Figs. 4^,5?) was introduced, as a 

 species new to Britain, by Curtis, who described and figured it 

 as Charissa operaria in 1826, from specimens captured in 

 Scotland. Subsequently, it was found to be the obfuscaria, of 

 Hiibner, and also the obfuscata of the Vienna Catalogue (1776). 

 The latter, however, being only a bare name without description, 

 was not generally accepted, although, if valid, it would be prior 

 to Hiibner. Still later the species was ascertained to be the 

 myrtillata of Thunberg (1792), and as this name is much 

 earlier than obfiiscaria it is here adopted. As a matter of fact, 



