GEOMETERS. 



169 



antennae are pectinated in the male ; the fore 

 wings have a reddish blotch at the base, then 

 a gray band intersected by several transverse 

 markings, then a broad reddish bar also tra- 

 versed by transverse markings, and including 

 a very indistinct discoidal spot ; the band is 

 bordered by a slender pale, almost white line, 

 and this again by an equally slender brown 

 line ; lastly, there is a broad hind marginal 

 gray band which includes many waved lines 

 of different shades, a rust-coloured costal 

 blotch and a double black spot within the 

 hind margin about the middle : the hind 

 wings are dingy gray, with various transverse 

 markings : the head, thorax, and body are 

 variegated with gray and brown, the body 

 having two blackish spots placed transversely 

 on each segment. 



The EGGS are generally laid on the stems 

 of ground ivy (Glechoma, hederacea), on the 

 leaves of which plant the caterpillars feed; 

 the period in the egg state varies from ten to 

 twenty days, according to the temperature ; 

 the cold east winds, which so frequently pre- 

 vail in the spring, greatly retarding their 

 emergence. The full-fed caterpillar rests with 

 the anterior extremity rigidly extended, but 

 often in a slightly arched position ; when 

 annoyed, it tucks in its head, and rolls up the 

 anterior part of its body in the form of the 

 Ionic volute ; the legs are crowded together, 

 and closely appressed to the mouth ; the head 

 is prone, not conspicuously notched on the 

 crown, and nearly of the same width as the 

 body ; the body is of nearly the same width 

 throughout, and uniformly cylindrical, with 

 the exception of a lateral skinfold which ex- 

 tends its whole length ; it is without humps, 

 but, in common with the head, has a few 

 small scattered warts, each of which emits a 

 single small bristle; the head is putty coloured, 

 freckled with black on the face, and having 

 a darker stripe on each cheek ; the colour of 

 the dorsal area of the body, as far as the 

 ninth segment, is dingy brown, but this hue 

 appears to be caused by the somewhat tesse. 

 lated ornamentation : this consists, in the 

 first place, of a medio-dorsal stripe, narrow 

 and almost thread-like on the third, fourth, 



fifth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth segments ; 

 on the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth seg- 

 ments, the medio-dorsal stripe is interrupted, 

 and red uced to a median intensely black spot ; 

 each of these black spots is surrounded by a 

 paler area, dilated laterally, but attenuated 

 at the extremities ; a dorsal series of lozenge- 

 shaped markings results, as far as regards 

 these four segments ; on each side of this dor- 

 sal ornamentation are three slender rivulet 

 stripes, all of them sesquialterous or semi- 

 double, but neither of them very conspicuous ; 

 the ventral area, extending to and including 

 the spiracles, is putty-coloured, but the spi- 

 racles themselves are intensely black, and 

 surrounded by a paler area ; there is a medio- 

 ventral pale brown or reddish stripe, contain- 

 ing three black spots, and extending from the 

 fifth to the twelfth segment ; on each side of 

 this medio- ventral stripe the ground colour 

 is extremely pale, and the pale part is bounded 

 by a double sinuous darker stripe, very 

 similar to those on the dorsal area : this com- 

 mences at the base of the third pair of legs, 

 and ceases at the base of the ventral claspers ; 

 this is again succeeded by a paler ground 

 colour, and this again by a frequently inter- 

 rupted and most irregular stripe, which con- 

 tains five conspicuous black spots, and termi- 

 nates in a larger linear spot close to the ventral 

 claspers. The CATERPILLAR spins a slight weto 

 among the stolons of the ground-ivy, and in 

 this changes to a smooth brown CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTH appears in May, and again in 

 August; it is abundant in England, Scot- 

 land, and Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Core mia ferruguta. ) 



336. The Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Coremia, 



vnidentata) . 



336. THE DARK-BARRED TWIN-SPOT CARPET. 

 The antennae are distinctly pectinated in 

 the male ; the fore wings have a brown blotch 



