42 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



The general coloration is usually silvery grey, but occasionally 

 it inclines to yellowish. The moth has rarely been noted by 

 day, and only one specimen seems to have been captured on 

 the wing. Even caterpillars are by no means common in their 

 best-known localities, and of those obtained after much labour 

 a large proportion may frequently prove to have been the 

 victims of parasitic flies. 



The caterpillar is green, inclining to olive green, thickly 

 freckled with pale yellow atoms ; a purplish-brown stripe along 

 the middle of the back and two faint purplish lines along the 

 sides ; a pale yellow line along the region of the black-edged 

 spiracles, which are set in purplish-brown blotches. (Adapted 

 from Buckler.) 



Its food plant is golden-rod {Solidago), and it feeds at night 

 and hides by day, low down on the stems or under the leaves : 

 July to September. In confinement the caterpillars will eat 

 garden aster and Michaelmas daisy. 



The British haunts of the species are chiefly in Kent (Seven- 

 oaks, Tunbridge Wells, etc.), and Sussex (Tilgate Forest, etc.) ; 

 but according to Barrett it is also known from Hampshire, 

 Surrey, and Essex. Abroad, the range extends through Central 

 Europe to Southern Scandinavia, Livonia, Southern Russia, 

 the Altai Mountains, Italy, and Armenia ; but the species is 

 nowhere plentiful. 



It may be mentioned here that a very closely allied, and on 

 the Continent common, species — C. xeranthemi^ Boisduval — 

 might easily be mistaken for C. gnaphalii. 



The Wormwood {Cziculiia absifithii). 



This moth is shown on Plate i6. Fig. 4. The fore wings are 

 usually tinged with purplish over the greyish ground colour ; 

 black dots on the stigmata give to each of these marks some 

 resemblance to the figure 8. 



