BRITISH MOTHS. 



shire, and about Killarney in Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Selidosema plumaria.) 



214. The Netted Mountain Moth (Fidonia 

 ca/rbonaria) . 



214. THE NETTED MOUNTAIN MOTH. The 

 antennae of the male are pectinated; those of 

 the female simple. All the wings white, 

 freckled with black, the fore wings having 

 four, the hind wings three, zigzag blackish 

 transverse bars; in all the wings the bar 

 nearest the base being very indistinct ; a 

 central black spot between the second and 

 third bar is often visible; the extreme hind 

 margin is also bla.ck, and the fringe alternately 

 black and white. The head, thorax, and body 

 are nearly black, freckled with pale gray, and 

 the body has also six pale gray rings. 



The EGGS are laid on birch and sallow, on 

 the leaves of which the CATERPILLARS feed : 

 when these are full fed. which is usually about 

 the middle of July, they rest in a nearly straight 

 position on 'the leaves, preferring the under 

 surface : if annoyed, they fall from their food- 

 plant, and remain motionless, still retaining 

 a nearly straight position : head snbporrect, 

 slightly narrower than the second segment, but 

 never received into it ; body uniformly convex 

 above, somewhat dilated at the sides, where 

 it has a very distinct undulated skinfold below 

 the spiracles : it has no prominent humps, but 

 a double series of minute dorsal warts, each of 

 which emits a bristle; there are other bristles 

 on the side below the spiracles : colour of the 

 head dull brown, the face variegated with 

 whitish-brown : body with the dorsal surface 

 dingy wainscot-brown, of two shades, disposed 

 in very obscure waved stripes : spiracles pale, 

 with black rings : minute dorsal warts black : 

 ventral slightly paler than the dorsal surface ; 

 a rather broad medio- ventral stripe still paler, 

 and a narrower pale stripe on each side between 

 this and the skinfold : legs and claspers of 

 nearly the same colour as the ventral surface. 

 Changes to a CHRYSALIS on the surface of the 

 earth among dead leaves. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in May, and 

 occurs only in Scotland and Yorkshire. (The 

 scientific name is Fidonia carbonaria.) 



215. The Common Heath (Fidonia atomaria). 



215. THE COMMON HEATH. The antennae 

 of the male are strongly pectinated, those of 

 the female simple; the ground colour of the 

 wings in the male is dingy orange-brown ; in 

 the female, which is much smaller, the ground 

 colour of all the wings is white; the fore 

 wings in both sexes are traversed by four 

 transverse brown bands, of which the second 

 and third unite at the inner margin ; the hind 

 wings have three equidistant brown bars; the 

 pale spaces between these bands are sprinkled 

 with dark dots ; the fringe is alternately brown 

 and pale. The head, thorax, and body are 

 brown, sprinkled with pale scales. 



Guen6e describes the CATERPILLAR as very 

 various in colour, being either rose-coloured, 

 green, ochre-coloured or brown, with a double 

 medio-dorsal stripe dilated into lozenge- shaped 

 markings; there is also a bright stripe in the 

 region of the spiracles. The head, feet, and 

 claspers are concolorous with the body. It 

 feeds on various plants growing on heaths and 

 downs, as the trefoils, &c. 



The MOTH is very abundant on chalk-downs, 

 in May, June, and July. It occurs in Eng- 

 land, Scotland, and Ireland. (The scientific 

 name is Fidonia atomaria ) 



216. The Bordered White (Fidonia piniaria), mak 

 216. THE BORDERED WHITE. The antennae 

 of the male are strongly pectinated, indeed 

 quite plumose; those of the female simple; 

 male with a large triangular space at the 



