NOCTUAS. 



371 



concealed by the projecting scales of the head ; 

 the antennae are almost simple in both sexes ; 

 the fore wings are reddish-gray ; the discoid al 

 spots are distinct ; the reniform is palej with 

 five or six black spots in the lower and outer 

 portion of its median area ; the orbicular is 

 round and pale, but has a slightly darker 

 cloud in its centre ; a double transverse pale 

 bar crosses the wing parallel with the hind 

 margin ; and between this and the reniform is 

 a single and much waved pale line : the hind 

 wings are gray-brown ; the head, thorax, and 

 body are reddish-gray. 



The CATERPILLAR is gray-brown with a 

 white stripe in the region of the spiracle.s ; 

 this character, however, is uncertain, as some 

 authors suppose there are two species com- 

 prised under the single name, namely 

 Glabra, the caterpillar of which possesses this 

 white stripe, and Erythrocephala, which is 

 without it ; but M. Guenee says he has reared 

 both of these supposed species from the same 

 caterpillars. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in November, 

 and is very rare : a single specimen was 

 taken at Ivybridge, in Devonshire, in 1856 ; a 

 second in Somersetshire, by Mr. Crotch. The 

 principal locality, however, is the Sussex 

 coast, in the vicinity of Brighton, where Mr. 

 Wright has obtained it by sugaring for several 

 yeai's. (The scientific name is Cerastis erytkro- 



595. The Satellite (Scopelosoma iatellitia) . 



595. THE SATELLIIE. The palpi are con- 

 cealed by the projecting scales of the head ; the 



antennae are rather stout in the male, slender 

 in the female : the fore wings are rather long 

 and very decidedly scalloped on the hind 

 margin ; their colour is reddish-brown, with 

 several transverse darker lines ; the orbicular 

 spot is absent ; the reniform is difficult 

 to trace, but its situation is generally indi- 

 cated by the presence of a v.-ry conspicuous 

 white spot of considerable magnitude, and 

 accompanied both at the outer upper and 

 outer lower extremity by a smaller white 

 spot ; these three spots are sometimes bright 

 orange, and sometimes entirely absent : the 

 hind wings are smoke-coloured, with a paler 

 and rather rosy fringe : the antennae, head, 

 and thorax are of the same colour as the fore 

 wings ; the base of the body is gray-brown 

 shading to rosy r'd towards the extremity. 



Th; EGG is laid in March, on twigs of oak 

 (Quercus Rokur), by females which have hyber- 

 na ted; the CATER PILLAR make^ its appearance in 

 May, and spins together the leaves of the oak, 

 forming a retreat from which it sallies forth in 

 quest of its living prey, the caterpillar of any 

 other Ltpidoptera which may happen to have 

 the misfortune to be located in its vicinity: to 

 the entomologist who, like myself, indulges 

 in the rearing of caterpillars, these cater- 

 pillars often prove most determined enemies 

 Mr. Buckler writes pathetically on the sub- 

 ject : " It happens sometimes that in gather- 

 ing food for other things, one of these wretches, 

 then quite small, lurks among the leavei, and 

 is unconsciously introduced to his prey : an 

 instance of this kind occurred to me a few 

 years ago, when I had reared tifty-seven cater- 

 pillars of Tceniocampa Pop uleti from the egg; 

 they were about half-grown, had spun the 

 leaves of poplar together, and were feeding 

 between them : all went well for a time, but 

 at length T observed spots of moisture between 

 the withered leaves, and being puzzled at not 

 finding any caterpillars in the food that was 

 removed, an investigation took place, when I 

 could discover no Populeti caterpillars, but an 

 ill-looking monster of a Satelliti / coiled up at 

 the bottom of the jar. This monster had 

 actually murdered fifty-seven of his fellow- 

 prisoners, and devoured their bodies ." I 



