296 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the direction of ab. monacharia^ Staud., which is smoky black 

 with the veins black, and occurs chiefly in South Yorkshire. 



The caterpillar, figured on Plate 126, Fig. i, from a coloured 

 drawing by Mr. A. Sich, is dull reddish brown, relieved with 

 rust red mottling ; the notched head is greyish brown. It feeds, 

 in the spring, on birch, oak, elm, lime, poplar, sallow, hawthorn, 

 sloe, plum and other fruit trees, rose, etc. 



The moth is out as a rule during the first two or three months 

 of the year, but it has been noted in November and December, 

 and also in mid-June. It may be seen in the daytime on tree- 

 trunks, palings, etc., but the female secretes herself in any con- 

 venient cranny, and is not easily detected. The male flies at 

 night, and comes freely to light. 



The species is pretty generally distributed throughout England 

 and Wales, and Scotland up to Aberdeen. In Ireland, it has a 

 wide distribution, but Kane states that, except in the Belfast 

 district, it is decidedly scarce in the country. 



Small Brindled Beauty {Apocheima hispidarid). 



In the male (Plate 124, Figs, i and 2) the fore wings are 

 ochreous grey inclining to brownish, usually much paler on the 

 outer margin ; cross Hues black. Hind wings, greyish white, 

 with a blackish central band. Fringes of all the wings chequered 

 with blackish. Often the central area of the fore wings, between 

 the first and second lines, is more or less blackish ; less fre- 

 quently the whole of these wings, up to or just beyond the sub- 

 marginal line, is blackish ; and sometimes the pale outer marginal 

 area is broken up by the blackish nervules. Very rarely, the 

 ground colour is almost white, and the cross-markings on the 

 fore wings dusky grey. The female (Plate 124, Fig. 3) varies 

 from brown to blackish. 



