230 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



by breeding, and may be immediately recognized by the 

 brush-like anal tuft. 



FAMILY XIV. LARENTID^E. 



EUPITHECIA VENOSATA. THE NETTED 

 PUG. 



(Plate XI., Fig. 5.) 



This neatly-marked species is not uncommon in the 

 south of England, in localities where the bladder- 

 campion (Silene in flat a) grows freely ; it has been 

 noticed as far north as Darlington ; in Ireland it seems 

 generally distributed, and is very common at Howth. 



The expansion of the wings is nearly an inch. The 

 fore-wings are ochreous-grey, with two wavy whitish 

 bands, one before the middle, the other beyond the 

 middle, both are edged with black and intersected by a 

 fine blackish line ; there is a transverse black line near 

 the base, and another nearly in the middle of the wing, 

 where there are also some black veins, and towards the 

 hind-margin several of the veins are indicated by black 

 lines, so that altogether the black markings on the pale 

 ground almost form a sort of network. 



The larva is dull leaden grey on the back, sparingly 

 studded with minute white spots and short hairs ; the 

 sides are of a dirty greenish-white. It feeds inside the 

 seed-capsules of the bladder-campion (Sileue inflata] 

 and the common red lychnis (Lychnis dioica) in July. 



The perfect insect appears in May, but is seldom seen, 

 though the larva is by no means uncommon ; it may 

 sometimes be observed on palings, and occasionally it 

 will come to light. 



