NOCTUAS. 



251 



427. The Miller (Acronycta leftorina). 



427. THE MILLER. The antennae are 

 simple, but rather stout ; the fore wings are 

 gray, with three principal black spots on 

 the costa, the middle one of which descends 

 in an elongate linear form towards the 

 middle of the wing, which it almost reaches ; 

 beyond the third black costal spot is a 

 transverse zigzag oblique black line ; the 

 fringe is very distinctly spotted : the hind 

 wings are nearly white, with a marginal 

 series of black dots : the head, thorax, and 

 body are gray. 



The CATERPILLAR, when disturbed, falls 

 off its food-plant, and for a short time feigns 

 death, lying in a semicircular posture ; but 

 its outline is concealed by the length of its 

 hairs : its colour is pale delicate green, 

 completely covered with long curved silky 

 hairs, all of them directed backwards ; these 

 hairs are either hoary white or delicate pale 

 canary-colour, or more decidedly yellow, and 

 the body has a tendency to similar variation 

 in colour, although its normal tint is green : 

 there are small erect fascicles of short black 

 hairs on the back of the fourth and sixth 

 segments, and single erect black hairs in a 

 row on both sides. It feeds on birch 

 (Betula alba) ,. and is full-fed towards the 



end of September, when, concealing itself in 

 a crevice of the bark, it makes a little exca- 

 vation, in which it changes to a CHRYSALIS, 

 and remains in that state all the winter. In 

 confinement, it will gnaw a hole in cork, or 

 touch-wood, about the circumference of -its 

 body, and after entering, gum up the mouth 

 of the hole, so that its ulterior proceedings 

 are completely concealed ; but in this re- 

 treat it changes to a CHRYSALIS, and remains 

 in that state throughout the winter. 



The MOTH appears in June, and occurs 

 occasionally in all our English counties, but 

 is always considered a rarity. Mr. Birchall 

 reports it as common in the counties Wick- 

 low and Kerry, in Ireland. (The scientific 

 name is Acronycta leporina.) 



Obs. Two supposed species represented 

 by the first and second figures are here in- 

 cluded under the name Leporina : these are 

 A. le porina of Stephens (Illustrations of 

 British Entomology, Haustellata, vol. iii. p. 

 35), and A. bradyporina of Stephens (Id. 

 vol. iii. p. 36) ; the third figure represents 

 a beautiful variety in the rich collection of 

 Mr. Bond, which has been lent me expressly 

 for this work. 



428. The Sycamore (Acronycta Aceris). 



428. THE SYCAMORE. The antennae are 

 rather stout, but simple in both sexes ; the 

 fore wings have the costal margin straight, 

 the hind margin very slightly scalloped ; 

 their colour is pale gray, streaked and 

 mottled with smoky- gray; the orbicular 

 spot is clearly defined, the reniform more 

 vague, and confused with the other mark- 



