GEOMETEKS. 



193 



towards the head; the ground colour is 

 grass-green ; the central medio-dorsal line 

 is broad and dark green ; it is bordered on 

 either side by a pale yellow line ; the seg- 

 mental divisions are yellow ; the medio- 

 ventral line is yellow ; these caterpillars 

 were hatched in March, from dark yellow 

 eggs laid the previous August ; they fed till 

 the last month on the great hedge bed- 

 straw (Galium mollugo), and afterwards on 

 Galium aparine, and were full-fed the 

 second week in May. The CHRYSALIS, 

 which was enclosed in a slight cocoon 

 among leaves, was pale drab, resembling 

 in colour that of Ennomos angularia, or 

 E. eroearia. 



" A rather slender pale green caterpillar, 

 with yellowish segmental divisions, and a 

 broad dark green dorsal line, bordered on 

 each side with yellow, which I found in 

 spring feeding on cleavers (Galium apar- 

 ine), produced this species, and I know it 

 has also been both reared and taken on 

 Galium mollugo. Query, Is Albin, as 

 quoted by the Manual, right in giving 

 whitethorn as the food ? though I suppose 

 it is certain that Eupithecia vulgata feeds 

 on flowers of Ragwort, &c., as well as haw- 

 thorn." Rev. J. Hellins. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in July, 

 and occurs rather frequently in different 

 parts of England. Mr. Birchall has also 

 taken it at Powerscourt and Howth, in 

 Ireland. (The scientific name is Cidaria 

 pyraliata.) 



365. The Spinach (Cidaria dotata). 



365. THE SPINACH. The palpi are long 

 And porrected, and the antennae are simple 

 in both sexes ; the fore wings are ample, 

 scarcely pointed at the tip, and not at all 

 falcate; their colour is ochreous yellow, 

 with darker transverse lines, all of which 

 are sharply angled, the angles pointing 



towards the hind margin; the first and 

 second of these lines are faint, slender, and 

 near the base ; the third is before the 

 middle of the wing, and is very distinct; 

 the fourth and fifth are slender and indis- 

 tinct ; the sixth is beyond the middle of the 

 wing, and is very distinct, its interior mar- 

 gin is gradually shaded off into the paler 

 ground colour ; its exterior margin is 

 sharply defined and accompanied by a paler 

 line, which makes it still more conspicuous ; 

 there is a faint oblique streak at the tip of 

 the wing, dividing the costal and hind mar- 

 gins, the former of which is the paler ; the 

 fringe is pale with eight brown spots ; the 

 hind wings are very pale, slightly yellower 

 towards the hind margin; their fringe is 

 pale, with four or five brown spots ; the 

 head, thorax, and body are pale yellow. 



Mr. Wormald has described the CATER- 

 PILLAR thus : " It rests on the posterior 

 claspers with the head and the legs con- 

 tracted ; it is smooth, without lumps or 

 warts, long, slender, and attenuated to- 

 wards the head ; the colour is pale yellow- 

 ish green, with the dorsal line darker, and 

 the sub-dorsal lines pale yellow and indis- 

 tinct ; it feeds at night on the black currant 

 (Bibes nigrum) ; its habit is very sluggish, 

 remaining for several days on one twig, and 

 feeding on all the leaves within its reach 

 before changing its position. The EGGS 

 were laid on the 3rd of August, and hatched 

 in the second week of April, and the cater- 

 pillar was full-fed at the beginning of June, 

 when it spun a slight cocoon on the surface 

 of the ground. The CHRYSALIS is pale 

 yellow, and semi - transparent." Mr. 

 Doubleday informs me that at Epping 

 this caterpillar always feeds on the red 

 currant. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June, 

 and has been found in many parts of Eng- 

 land, north and south. Mr. Birchall has 

 taken it at Cork, Powerscourt, and Kings- 

 town, in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Cidaria dotata.) 



Obs. This moth has been honoured with 

 four names ; it is the Dotata of Linneus, 

 the Bilineata of Sepp, the Associata of 

 Borkhausen, and the Spinaciata of Ha- 

 worth. 



M 13 



