150 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



defined; the dilated skinfold, exactly inter- 

 mediate between the dorsal and ventral sur- 

 face, is whitish yellow, and forms a conspic- 

 uous lateral stripe continued from the head 

 to the extremity of the anal flap ; the series 

 of spiracles is just above the lateral stripe, 

 and of the same pale colour. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in April, 

 and has been taken in the southern and 

 northern counties of England, more particu- 

 larly about Windermere. (The scientific 

 name is Lobophora poli^commata.) 



Obs. The ca'erpillar of this moth is so 

 like that of the Lobophora lobulata, that it is 

 difficult to express the difference in words, 

 but through the unceasing kindness of Mr. 

 Doubleday, I ha\ e been enabled to place side 

 by side specimens of both species reared from 

 the egg, and a careful comparison shows that 

 the caterpillar of L. polycommata is the more 

 robust of the two. It changes to a chrysalis 

 just below the surface of the earth, and re- 

 mains in that state throuhout the winter. 



369. The Juniper Carpet (Thera juniperata). 



309. THE JUNIPER CARPET. The fore 

 wings are rather narrow and lather pointed ; 

 they are of a delicate grey colour, with a basal 

 blotch and a median band rather darker ; the 

 basal blotch has a blackish exterior margin ; 

 the median band is broad at the costal, narrow 

 at the inner margin ; it is bounded on both 

 sides by a black margin, wh'ch is the more 

 conspicuous from the paler ground colour 

 with which it comes in contact; this black 

 margin is irregular, and so indented that it 

 frequently divides the band into four com- 

 partments, of which the costal compartment 

 is much the. largest, and contains the discoidal 

 spot; thu second is small and pear-shaped; the 

 third and fourth are somewhat heart-shaped, 

 with a very deep median notch, sometimes so 

 deep as to divide the compartment into two ; 

 the appearance of this baud reminds one of 



the Cheese-ring, the compartments being 

 piled on each other like the stones of that 

 celebrated object of curiosity ; between the 

 tip of the wing and the principal projection of 

 the band is an oblique dark streak, aud there 

 is a series of double black spots on the hind 

 margin, just within the fringe: the hind wings 

 are pale gray, with the slightest possible in- 

 dication of two darker transverse bars. 



The CATERPILLAR restswith the head slightly 

 bent under, the mouth meeting the legs ; the 

 head is of about the same width as the second 

 segment, the body stout and uniformly cylin- 

 drical, except in having a lateral skinfold ; 

 the thirteenth segment terminates in two 

 distinct points directed backwards. The 

 colour of the head is green ; of the body, also 

 green, inclining to glaucous on the dorsal, to 

 apple green on the ventral area ; on each side 

 is a broadish stripe of a lemon-yellow, and 

 be-low this, in the region of the spiracles, is a 

 double stripe, the upper portion being purple- 

 brown, the lower portion white ; the spiracles 

 are yellow, the legs reddish-brown, the 

 claspers green. It feeds throughout the late 

 summer and autumn on the common juniper, 

 and is sometimes very abundant where that 

 shrub occurs. The CHRYSALIS is green, and 

 is either suspended among the twigs of the 

 juniper, or changes on the surface of the 

 ground ; the caterpillar spins a slight web. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in October, 

 and is very abundant on the downs about 

 Cioydon and Mickleham, in Surrey; it is to 

 be obtained by searching the s'ems of the 

 juniper bushes with a lantern. Mr. Stainton 

 also reports it " near Glasgow," but I have 

 not seen specimens either from Scotland or 

 Ireland. ( The scientific name is Thera juni- 

 per ata.) 



310. The Chestuut-coloured Carpet (Thera simulata). 



310. THE CHESNUT-COLOURED CARPET. The 

 (ore wings are rich umber-brown, with a basa 



