172 OWLET-MOTHS. 
darker, with quite dark brown markings, which obscure the 
lighter ground-color. The under wings also vary in intensity 
of color, some being almost cream-white, while others are 
decidedly dusky. A moth is shown in Fig.173, Plate X XIII. 
The life-history of this insect is almost identical with 
that of antennata. 
A number of other species of this genus fly at the same 
time, and as they are sometimes very numerous they must 
cause some injury. The caterpillars of X. devia and of X. 
ferralis have been bred in captivity not alone upon oak but 
also upon the apple. 
‘ 
THE PLUM-TREE CATACOLA. 
(Catacola ultronia Hub.). 
In the large family of noctuid moths few are better 
known and more admired than the moths forming the ex- 
tensive genus Catacola. As far as the collector of moths 
and butterflies is concerned these insects are his pets. The 
members of this genus are medium or quitelarge moths, with 
very bright colored hind-wings, which are banded with 
black, yellow, red, or white; even the blue color occurs in a 
German species, where the moths are known by the name of 
“Ordensbinder.”’ Their fore-wings are mottled with vari- 
ous colors andlook like bark. They rest exposed during the 
day upon the trunks of trees, entirely invisible because they 
thoroughly blend with their surroundings and having the 
b 
bright-colored under-wings entirely covered with the upper 
ones. The moths seem to know how the surface of their 
fore-wings is marked and colored, since, if disturbed, they 
fly off very rapidly to some other tree, and circling around it 
they do not settle unless it offers spots matching these 
colors. 
The caterpillars of the moths under consideration are 
very curious beings, which resemble those of the lappet- 
