48 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



The caterpillar (Plate 20, Fig. 4) is grey or greenish, speckled 

 with white, and with raised black dots ; there are three lines 

 along the back, the central one white edged, broader and darker 

 than the outer ones, which are sometimes white ; a white-edged 

 pale yellow stripe low down along the sides. In some examples 

 the general colour is pinkish brown. 



It feeds on restharrow {Ononis) in July and August, but can 

 be reared on knotgrass, and has been known to thrive on the 

 green pods of the scarlet runner bean {Phaseolus vulgaris). 

 The moth flies at dusk in June, sometimes earlier or later. 

 It visits the flowers of various plants, especially those of 

 Silene and Lychnis; also comes to the sugar patch and 

 may be attracted by light. Although not generally common, 

 it seems to be widely distributed over England and Wales, 

 but is most frequent in the seaboard counties, and this is 

 more particularly the case in the north. In Scotland it 

 appears to occur from Berwick northwards to Moray, and 

 in Ireland it has been noted from several of the littoral 

 counties, chiefly southern, but also from Sligo. 



The range abroad extends to the North-west Himalayas, 

 Amurland, Corea, and Japan ; the species also occurs in North 

 America from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains. 



The Marbled ClOYer {Heliothis dipsacea). 



The ground colour of this species (Plate 19, Figs, i, 2) ranges 

 from yellowish to ochreous with a greyish, or olive, tinge; 

 the central band including the reniform stigma is olive, or 

 reddish brown, terminating on the inner margin in a cloud 

 extending towards the hind margin ; submarginal line preceded 

 by a shade-like band similar in colour to the central one, but 

 often only well defined on costal and inner margins ; the whitish 

 area of the hind wings is sometimes much reduced. The darker 

 specimens are t>-pical of the species, whilst those with the paler 



