218 



BEITISH MOTHS. 



the thorax has a dark streak on each side 

 at the base of the wing. 



The CATERPILLAR rests in nearly a 

 straight position, with all the claspers 

 attached to the food-plant: the head is 

 rather narrower than the second segment, 

 the body is nearly uniformly cylindrical as 

 far as the twelfth segment, which is perhaps 

 the deepest of any, being dorsally produced 

 into a kind of hump ; the colour of the head 

 is dull olive-green, that of the body yellowish 

 green, but of different shades in different 

 individuals, some inclining to glaucous : it 

 has a narrow yellowish-white collar and 

 five narrow whitish stripes ; one of these 

 is medio-dorsal, and extends from im- 

 mediately behind the head to the extremity 

 of the anal flap : another on each side runs 

 from immediately behind the head below the 

 spiracles ; this is tinged with yellow and 

 bordered above by a delicate dark brown 

 line: the spiracles are white, each sur- 

 rounded by a black ring which touches the 

 dark line I have just described; exactly 

 intermediate between the medio-dorsal and 

 lateral line is a slender white line which 

 begins on the fifth segment, runs straight 

 from thence to the tenth segment, and then 

 turns upwards towards the medio-dorsal 

 stripe, which it nearly touches on the twelfth 

 segment ; it then again descends towards 

 the anal extremity, where all the stripes 

 meet. It feeds on oak (Quercus Robur), 

 from which tree I have repeatedly beaten 

 it in June ; it falls into the umbrella with 

 its feet sprawled out as wide as possible, 

 whence perhaps the name of the moth ; in 

 confinement it is a perfect cannibal, de- 

 vouring its companion caterpillars without 

 mercy. When full-fed, it buries itself in 

 the earth as deep as the breeding cage will 

 allow, and changes to a smooth brown 

 CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in October, 

 and has occurred in several English counties 

 both north and south. The males, probably 

 from their being more volatile, are much 

 more frequently taken than the females, 

 which are very rarely indeed, if at all, pro- 

 cured otherwise than by rearing from the 

 caterpillar. (The scientific name is Petasia 

 cassinea.) 



391. The Rannoch Sprawler (Petasia nubeculosa). 



391. THE RANNOCH SPRAWLER. The 

 antennae of the males are decidedly pecti- 

 nated, those of the female simple : the fore 

 wings are rather narrow, the costal margin 

 straight and the tip obtuse ; their colour is 

 rich bistre-brown with paler markings, the 

 principal of which are a large reniform 

 stigmoidal spot, a short interrupted basal 

 line, a transverse zigzag line beyond the 

 middle, and a marginal zigzag line ; the 

 hind wings are smoky-brown with a darker 

 discoidal spot, darker wing-rays, and a con- 

 tinuous series of darker hind-marginal dots : 

 the head, thorax, and body are bistre-brown, 

 and densely clothed with long loose down. 



The EGG is laid about the middle of April, 

 either on the slender twigs or young leaves 

 of the birch, and is hatched about the 1st 

 of May. The caterpillar rests in the form 

 of a horseshoe, the head thrown back until 

 it nearly touches the elevation on the twelfth 

 segment; when in this position, it often 

 adheres by three pairs of claspers only, the 

 first and fifth pairs being raised: it does 

 not fall off its food, feign death, or roll 

 itself in a ring when touched or disturbed. 

 The head is of slightly less diameter than 

 the body, and is susceptible of being 

 partially withdrawn into the second seg- 

 ment ; the body is of uniform diameter 

 throughout, the twelfth segment being 

 elevated on the back into an obtuse angle ; 

 the divisions of the segments are marked 

 by conspicuous incisions. The head is 

 shining glaucous or blue-green ; the body 

 is delicate apple-green, with a narrow, 

 transverse, oblique yellow stripe on each 

 side of the fourth segment ; on the back oi: 

 each segment from the fifth to the tenth, 

 both inclusive, is a whitish cloud, and on 



