GOOSEBERRIES ENEMIES. 



221 



Y-moth in less degree, cause such serious damage to the foliage as to render prompt 

 action imperative. 



Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata). This pretty and common moth appears in 

 the evenings of July and August, and is about 1J inch in expanse of forewings ; 

 yellowish-white, variously spotted with black, with a band of pale orange across tue 

 spots, and a yellow patch at the base ; the hind wings have a yellowish-white ground, 

 without any orange, but black spotted ; the black patches and colouring vary much 

 both in size and tint. The body is orange, spotted with black ; in the male the antennae 



Fig. 68. MAGPIE MOTH, LAEVA, CATERPILLAB- INFESTED AND CLEAN GBOWTH. 



References : 1, Moth, seated on the under side of a leaf ; 2, moth on the wing ; 3, larva ; 4, infested growth ; 

 5, clean growth. 



are slightly feathered, those in the female are thread-like. The female deposits her eggs 

 singly on the leaves of gooseberry and currant bushes (thus securing a wide distribution 

 of the progeny), and from these small looper caterpillars are hatched in a few days, 

 usually in September, feed two or three weeks, and then secure themselves in goose- 

 berry and currant leaves, passing the winter in a torpid state. When the foliage unfolds 

 in spring the caterpillars emerge from their winter quarters, and commence feeding. 

 The caterpillar is yellowish- white, with an orange stripe on each side, and with numerous 

 black spots, the largest on the back, und has conspicuous black bands at the joints. 

 They are full-fed towards the end of" May or early in June, and enter the chrysalis 



