LEPIDOPTERA. 257 



The pupa is a light-brown colour, and slightly encased in a very 

 loose flimsy cocoon. In this species the pupal stage is a comparatively 

 long one, and some specimens do not appear till the following spring. 

 There is only one generation during the year. 



As regards remedies, when the insect is very destructive to young 

 trees or special trees in a park, the method adopted by fruit-growers 

 may with advantage be copied. This consists in intercepting the 

 female moths from climbing up the trees to deposit their eggs. The 

 fruit-grower simply ties a band of grease-proof paper around the stem 

 of the tree, and then smears the paper over with tar and cart-grease or 

 other viscous substance, into which the female becomes embedded, and 

 therefore cannot extricate herself. This prevention, however, is often 

 overcome by the insects, inasmuch as the male frequently performs 

 the apparently chivalrous action of carrying the female in cop. to the 

 tops of the trees. 



Htbernia defoliaria, Clerck. (Mottled Umber Moth). 



The larvae of this moth are often very injurious to various species 

 of trees, as, for example, hornbeam, white -thorn, hazel, oak, and 

 sycamore. The worst attack I ever saw was in Sherwood Forest, 

 May 26, 1896, when the larvae were actually hanging by threads in 

 shoals from the trees. 



Xewman thus describes the caterpillar : 1 " The head is rather large, 

 and not notched on the crown ; the body is uniformly cylindrical, and 

 without humps ; the head is without gloss, and brown ; the body has 

 a broad dorsal area, of a clear brown colour : this area is bounded on 

 each side by a very distinct, but narrow-waved, black stripe, and is 

 also adorned with grey markings, which are particularly conspicuous 

 at the interstices of the segments where they approach the black 

 boundary stripe ; below the boundary stripe the body is bright 

 yellow ; the spiracles are white, and the region surrounding each 

 spiracle brown ; the belly is greenish-yellow ; legs and claspers pale. 

 A beautiful but very abundant caterpillar." 



The moth appears in October. The female is wingless, and the 

 male has large wings and pectinated antennae. The fore wings are of 

 light-brown colour, usually with two dark-brown bands. The hind 

 wings are paler, and have a dark spot in the middle of the wing. 



1 British Butterflies and Moths, p. 105. 

 R 



