GEOMETEES. 



63 



133. The Dotted Carpet (Cleora ylabraria). 



black dots, and adorned with many other black 

 markings, the most conspicuous of which is a 

 central black spot ; round the hind margin of 

 all the wings is a narrow black line : on the 

 costal margin of the fore wings are four black 

 spots, the first and third of which commu- 

 nicate with transverse, irregular, and often 

 interrupted black lines ; the second joins the 

 central black spot ; the forth communicates 

 with a waved but rather indistinct black 

 band, which crosses the wing near the hind 

 margin. 



Zeller, as quoted by Mr. Stainton, describes 

 the caterpillar of this moth as greenish-white, 

 with a black spot on the back of each segment. 

 It feeds on the lichens which grow on fir- 

 trees. It occurs in the lake district of West- 

 moreland, and in the New Forest of Hamp- 

 shire. The caterpillar is found in May, tue 

 inoth at the end of July. (The scientific- 

 name is Cleora glabraria.) 



134. The Brussels Lace (Cleora lichenaria). 



134. THE BRUSSELS LACE Green-grey, 

 clouded with darker shades of the same 

 colour ; there are two black transverse lines 

 across the fore wings ; the first is near the 

 base, slightly curved, and is accompanied on 

 its inner side by a paler line ; the second is 

 beyond the middle, very zigzag, and accompa- 

 nied on the outer side by a paler line ; mid- 

 way between the two lines is a black central 

 spot ; the hind wings are rather paler than 

 the fore wings, with one zigzag blackish line 

 situated rather beyond the middle, and ac- 

 companied on its outer side by a paler line. 

 The antennae of the male are feathered, of 



the female thread-like; the head, thorax and 

 body are green-grey. 



The caterpillar is green-grey, the same 

 colour as the moth, but is much more beau- 

 tifully marked, the colours being brighter and 

 more distinct; there are two little humps on 

 each of the segments from the fifth to the 

 twelfth inclusive, those of the fifth and ninth 

 being the largest. 1 had about twenty cater- 

 pillars of this species iu 1859, found on lichen 

 on park palings ; and they so exactly resem- 

 bled the lichen in colour and appearance, that 

 it was extremely difficult to distinguish them. 

 The caterpillar feeds in September and again 

 in May, hybernating during winter; the 

 moth flies in July, and is tolerably common. 

 (The scientific name is Cleora lichenaria.') 



135. The Mottled Beauty (Boarmia repandala). 



135. THE MOTTLED BEAUTY. Smoky grey- 

 brown tinged with orange-brown, having a 

 number of waved markings both darker and 

 lighter transversely crossing all the wings. 

 These vary so much in different specimens, 

 that it is impossible to write any description 

 that will apply to all ; there is, however, a 

 paler transverse line running through all the 

 wings, near the hind margin, that appears 

 to be always present ; the hind margin 

 itself is surrounded by a delicate scalloped 

 black line. The antennas are feathered in the 

 male, thread-like in the female ; the head, 

 thorax and body are brownish-grey. A 

 variable species ; one specimen which I pos- 

 sess has a broad central dark-brown band 

 on all the wings ; others have the transverse 

 lines clearly defined on a paler ground ; others 

 a<*ain have all the marks suffused, mixed and 



O * 



indistinct. 



The caterpillar may be found in early 

 spring feeding on plum and birch trees in our 

 gardens ; it is of a yellow-grey tint, dotted 

 with black, a line along the back and another 



