DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 165 



The larva is black, with a bluish-white stripe on each 

 side of the back, and an orange -red spot on the sides 

 of the third and fourth segments ; the hair on the 

 back is pale, tawny on the sides, greyish ; it feeds on 

 clover, lucerne, melilot, broom, etc., in autumn and early 

 summer, being full fed about June. 



The perfect insect makes its appearance in the month 

 of August. 



FAMILY VII. 

 LASIOGAMPA QUEECUS. THE OAK EGGAK. 



This fine insect is very abundant throughout the 

 country ; it is, perhaps, most plentiful on heaths and 

 moorlands. 



The expansion of the wings of the male is about 2^- 

 inches, of the female nearly 3 inches. 



The male has the fore- wings of a rich chocolate- 

 brown, with a central white spot on the disk, and a 

 broad, slightly wavy, deep yellow band, which shades 

 into chocolate towards the hind margin ; a continuation 

 of this band runs across the hind- wings; sometimes 

 there is an ochreous blotch at the base of the fore-wings. 

 The female is very much paler, almost tawny, but the 

 markings are similar, only the pale band is much less 

 conspicuous. 



The larva is black, with rusty-greyish hairs ; on each 

 side is a white stripe above the spiracles, and on the 

 third and fourth segments, above this stripe, is a white 

 spot with a red centre ; it feeds on a great variety of 

 plants in autumn and spring, the full-fed larva occur- 

 ring in May. 



The perfect insect appears in July and August. 



