DESCBIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 167 



FAMILY VII. BOMBYCID^;. 



PCECILOCAMPA POPULI. THE DECBMBEK 

 MOTH. 



This species is pretty generally distributed throughout 

 England and Ireland, but is not generally very common. 

 The expansion of the wings is about 1J inch. The 

 fore- wings are of a bluish-black, with a dull orange 

 patch at the base, externally bordered by a slender 

 yellowish white line ; beyond the middle is another 

 slender, curved, and much indented band of a yellowish- 

 white ; the fringes are reddish-brown, spotted with 

 yellowish-white. 



The larva is grey marbled with ochreous, with a dark 

 grey band on each segment, in which are several small 

 whitish spots ; on the back of each segment are two red 

 spots ; the subdorsal lines are orange, but interrupted ; 

 it feeds in May and June on hawthorn, poplar, lime, and 

 oak, and is often met with in the crevices of the bark. 



The perfect insect makes its appearance towards the 

 end of November and in December; it comes occa- 

 sionally to light. 



FAMILY VII. BOMBYCLD.E. 



TRICHIURA CRAT&ai. THE PALE OAK 

 EGGAR. 



This species is widely distributed, and occurs at least 

 as far north as the county of Ayr, but is rarely found in 

 any plenty ; in Ireland it occurs at Killarney. 



The expansion of the wings is about \\ inch. In 

 the male the fore-wings are of a pale grey, with a 

 broad darker central band, which on the inner margin 



