NOCTUAS. 



367 



peculiar to the species ; the prevailing tint is 

 orange or ochreous gray, sometimes inclining 

 to brick-red, at others to gray-brown, and 

 again at other times to simple ochreous ; 

 the discoidal spots are generally present, but 

 in some specimens I find no trace of them ; 

 the reniform is long and rather narrow ; it is 

 outlined in pale yellowish-gray, and the 

 median area is gray-brown ; the orbicular is 

 extremely narrow, and very oblique ; its 

 obliquity is in a contrary direction to that of 

 the reniform ; the wing-rays are sometimes 

 much paler than the general area, and when 

 this is the case, slender transverse lines cross 

 them, giving the entire surface of the wing a 

 reticulated appearance ; the costal margin is 

 spotted, the spots being both darker and 

 lighter than the ground colour ; there are also 

 several transverse series of darker spots or 

 markings : the hind wings are very dark 

 smoke-colour, with pale fringe ; the head and 

 thorax generally take the colour of the fore 

 wings, but the body is paler than the hind 

 wings, and tipped with rosy. 



The EGGS are laid in the autumn, on the 

 herbage in meadows after the hay-crop has been 

 harvested, more especially on the flowering 

 stems of various species oiRanuncidus (butter- 

 cup), on the leaves of which the CATERPILLAR 

 feeds. The caterpillars do not emerge until 

 the spring, when they ascend the stalks of the 

 food-plants, which are probably very various, 

 including many grasses ; they are full-fed at 

 the end of May and beginning of June, and 

 then may be readily obtained by sweeping 

 standing grass morning and evening, but not 

 so abundantly in the middle of the day. When 

 a caterpillar is disturbed it forms itself into a 

 ring, and rolls to the bottom of the sweeping- 

 net; but on being removed from the debris 

 there collected, a strangely heterogeneous 

 mass, it soon finds the use of its legs, and 

 crawls with considerable rapidity. The head 

 is of nearly the same width as the body, semi- 

 porrected in crawling ; the body velvety, of 

 uniform substance throughout, and perfectly 

 without humps : the colour of the head is dull 

 green, of the body delicate apple-gi-een, with 

 an extremely slender medio- dorsal stripe 



almost white, and a somewhat broader and 

 much more distinct lateral stripe, also nearly 

 white ; there are, besides, a few white dots 

 on the dorsal surface, each emitting a short 

 and slender hair; on the second and third 

 segments six of these dots form a straight 

 transverse series ; on each of the following 

 segments, namely, the fifth to the twelfth, 

 both inclusive, are four of these dots, forming 

 somewhat of a quadrangle : as the caterpillar 

 moves, a transverse sk infold becomes con- 

 spicuous at the interstices of the segments, 

 and these skinfolds assume the appearance of 

 evanescent yellow rings ; the spiracles are 

 very pale, almost white, and each is sur- 

 rounded by a black margin ; behind each 

 spiracle there is often a jet-black spot ; the 

 whole of the dorsal surface is moreover 

 freckled with minute amorphous markings, 

 scarcely differing from the general ground- 

 colour ; the ventral surface and claspers are 

 apple-green ; the legs paler. It spins a 

 very tight, neat, earthen cocoon, in which it 

 remains some weeks before assuming the 

 CHRYSALIS state : the cocoon, wheu kept dry, 

 becomes exceedingly brittle. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September 

 and October; it is common in most of our 

 English counties, andis found also in Scotland. 

 Mr. Birchall says it is common and widely 

 distributed in Ireland. It comes freely to 

 sugar, to ivy, and to the berries of the yew. 

 (The scientific name is Anchocelis pixtacina.) 



Obs. I will here quote at length the in- 

 structions given by Mr. Walton for capturing 

 moths while feeding on the berries of the 

 yew, this species having been taken on that 

 tree in especial abundance : " I will now 

 describe, in as few words as possible, consist- 

 ent with clearness, the method of capturing 

 the moth at the berries of the yew. I use a 

 bull's-eye lantern, with a powerful lens, the 

 larger the better ; a pair of forceps, such as 

 are generally used by entomologists, having 

 the sides and bottom covered with white 

 gauze, and about six inches wide at the mouth 

 when opened. Also I use a portable slid ing- 

 rod, or one with two lengths, jointed like a 

 fishing-rod, from six to nine feet long, and 



