THE SCORCHED CARPET. 263 



Ab. nigrofasciaria^ Schoyen, has a rather broad blackish 

 band across the central area of each wing, and indications of 

 such bands, in the shape of spots or dots, are seen in many 

 examples of the species ; occasionally, the irregular dark border 

 of the outer margin of the wings is traversed by an interrupted 

 whitish line. 



The caterpillar is yellowish-green, with three dark-green 

 double lines on the back, the central one blotched with purplish 

 brown on the last ring ; head, green, marked with purplish 

 brown. The figure (Plate 105, Fig. 2) is from a drawing in 

 colour by Mr, Sich. It feeds on sallow, willow, and aspen, 

 and may be found almost throughout the summer from June. 

 The moth is also met with during the summer months, but 

 seems to be most frequent in May and June. The species 

 prefers moist localities where sallows abound, and in such 

 places seems to occur pretty generally over the British Isles. 

 In Scotland, however, it has not, apparently, been noted north 

 of Moray. 



The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan. 



The Scorched Carpet {Ligdia adustata\ 



The bluish-grey band on the outer third of the fore wings 

 varies in width, and the velvety black marking thereon varies 

 in amount ; this area of the wings is also more or less clouded 

 with reddish brown, and the underside of all the wings is much 

 suffused with reddish brown, which gives the insect the burnt 

 or scorched appearance to which both Latin and English names 

 refer. (Plate 107, Figs. 4 3 and 5 $ .) In June and early July, 

 and again in late August and September, the red-spotted, 

 bright-green caterpillar may be beaten from the spindle bushes 

 {Enonymus europcBus) in hedgerows. (Fig. i, Plate 105, is from 

 a coloured drawing by Mr. Sich.) 



