NOCTUKNL 



35 



75. THK MUSLIN MOTH. Male smoke- 

 coloured all over : female white with the 

 wings semi-transparent ; both sexes have the 

 wings spotted with black ; the spots are small 

 and usually six or eight in number on each 

 wing ; in the female the antennae are black, 

 and there is a row of blaek down the middle 

 of the body as well as along each side. The 

 caterpillar has the head and legs very shining 

 and reddish brown ; body pale smoky-brown, 



The Muslin Moth (Female). 



with a still paler line down the very middle 

 of the back ; each segment has a series of 

 ten warts, and each wart emits a number of 

 strong bright rust-coloured bristles. The 

 caterpillar is common on chick weed, dock, 

 &c. ; it spins a blackish-looking cocoon on 

 the ground in August, and turns to a smooth 

 brown chrysalis, in which state it remains all 

 through the winter, the perfect Moth appear- 

 ing next June. (The scientific name is Arctia 

 mendica.) 



76. The Buff Ermine (Arctia Mriciptda). 



76 THE BUFF ERMINE. Uniform buff- 

 colour, the male darker than the female ; fore 

 wings with two small black spots on the costal 

 margin, and a row of small black spots, form- 

 ing an oblique line across the wings, from the 

 tip of the wing" to the middle of the inner 

 margin ; hind wings generally with two or 

 three black spots distant from each other. 

 The caterpillar is of a dingy-white colour, 

 covered with long pale-brown hairs : there is 

 a narrow white line down the middle of its 

 back, and below this on each side a broad 

 smoke coloured stripe. It feeds on docks and 

 may be readily found by turning up the 

 leaves of the dock on hedge banks. It. spins 

 a loose cocoon on the ground, and changes to 

 a smooth dark-coloured chrysalis, in which 

 state it remains all througu the winter. The 



Moth appears about Midsummer. (The 

 scientific name is Arctia lubricipeda.) 



77. The White Ermine {Arctia Menthastrf). 



77. THE WHITE ERMINE. Fore wings 

 cream-coloured, with about thirty black spote 

 scattered over them ; those near the tip of 

 the wing are longer and narrower than the 

 rest ; hind wings whiter than fore wings, 

 having a double black spot in the middle, 

 very much like the sign used by printers to 

 imply seconds ; there are generally three 

 other black spots arranged near the hind 

 margin : antennae black ; head and thorax 

 white ; body yellow, with a row of black spots 

 down the back, and another on each side. 

 The caterpillar is brown, with long hairs of 

 the same colour, and with a paler fine down 

 the middle of the back. It feeds on almost 

 everything, and is common everywhere in 

 August and September. It spins a slight 

 cocoon, in which it changes to a dark-brown 

 chrysalis, in which state it remains during 

 the winter. The Moth appears in June. 

 (The scientific name is Arctia Menthastri.) 



78. The Water Ermine (Arctia Urtiou). 

 78. THE WATER ERMINE. Wings white ; 

 the fore wings with a black dot near the 

 costal margin, and half way between the base 

 and tip ; head and thorax white ; body yellow, 

 with the tip snowy white, and having a row 

 of black spots down the middle of the back, 

 and on each side. Caterpillar nearly black, 

 with an indistinct stripe down the back, and 

 very hairy. It feeds on mint, willow herb, 

 and on herbs of different kinds, by the side* 

 of ditches and in wet places, almost invariably 

 concealing itself on the underside of the 

 leaves ; it spins a slight web amongst its food, 

 and turns to a smooth dark-coloured chrysalis, 

 in which state it remains throughout the 

 winter, the Moth appearing the following 

 June. (The scientific name is Arciia 

 Urticce.) 



