240 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



penalty to fall, and hang by a thread when 

 disturbed. The head is about equal in 

 width to the second segment, the divisions 

 of the crown are rather convex and promi- 

 nent ; the body is dorsally depressed, ven- 

 tral ly flattened, it bears numerous fine 

 scattered hairs ; the colour of the head is 

 dark brown on the crown, paler across the 

 face, and hiis a black spot on each side, close 

 to the mouth : the colour of the body is 

 almost white, or yellowish-gray, the dorsal 

 area more inclining to gray, and having 

 a narrow slightly darker medio-dorsal 

 stripe, probably due to food in the alimen- 

 tary canal ; there is also a distinct black 

 mark on each side of each segment ; the 

 sides and belly are whiter than the back. 

 My specimens were full-fed at the begin- 

 ning of October, and then spun slight 

 cocoons among the birch leaves, in which to 

 turn to CHRYSALIDS. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June. 

 It seems to be of much more limited distri- 

 bution than those species which immedi- 

 ately precede and follow. My specimens 

 have come from Huddersfield and Ipswich, 

 and I have seen others from the western 

 counties. Mr. Birchall has taken it at 

 Killarney, in Ireland. (The scientific name 

 is Cymatophora fluctuosa.) 



416. The Lesser Lutestring (Cymatophora diluta). 



416. THE LESSER LUTESTRING. The 

 antennae are slender and very slightly 

 pubescent in both sexes, but most so in the 

 males : the fore wings are ample, very 

 slightly curved on the costa, and bluntly 



square at the tip; their colour is dingy - 

 | gray, with a tendency to a brickdust-red 

 ! tinge in fine and recently disclosed speci- 

 | mens ; at the base there is usually a darker 

 I hade, and there are two distinct transverse 

 ! brown bars ; one of these is rather before, 

 j the other rather beyond, the middle ; both 

 ' of these are nearly direct, but their borders 

 '. are waved, and both of them, are evidently 

 composed of four lines crowded together ; 

 j there is a third but indistinct band nearer 

 I the hind margin, and a delicate dark line 

 I on the margin itself : the hind wings are 

 j gray, with two faint transverse bars of a 

 darker tint : the head, thorax, and body 

 are gray ; the body is stout, and in- 

 variably has one, and sometimes two, erect 

 medio-dorsal tufts of black scales near the 

 base. 



The CATERPILLAR resides resting on its 

 ventral surface, and with its head turned 

 on one side, between two spun together 

 leaves of oak (Qwercus robur) or birch 

 (Betula alba) , and comes out of its domicile 

 to feed during the night ; it hangs by a 

 silken thread when driven out of this 

 retreat. The head is narrower than the 

 second segment, rather convex on the 

 crown, and very glabrous : the body is 

 obese and maggot-like ; it bears numerous 

 fine scattered hairs. The colour of the 

 head is dark brown, almost black ; of the 

 body pale gray, with a narrower medio- 

 dorsal stripe rather darker, and a narrow 

 lateral stripe rather lighter ; the spiracles 

 and a series of dots beneath them are 

 nearly black. It spins a slight cocoon 

 among the leaves, and therein changes to a 

 CHRYSALIS towards the end of June or 

 beginning of July. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in 

 August, and occurs in most of the English 

 counties ; Mr. Birchall also reports it from 

 Killarney, in Ireland. (The scientific name 

 is Cymtaophora diluta.) 



Obs. The upper figure represents a very 

 beautiful variety in the cabinet of Mr. 

 Bond, kindly lent me expressly to figure in 

 this work ; but it is not a species given to 

 variation, this and its immediate congeners 

 being insects of much uniformity in tint, 

 markings, and size. 



