240 



COMMON BRITISH MOTHS 



be described as common with us. It is abundant in nearly every 

 English county, as well as in parts of Scotland and Ireland. 



Its wings are very pale grey, marked with 

 a darker bluish grey, as shown in the engrav- 

 ing. These markings are variable, but the 

 bases of the fore wings have always a dark 

 blotch, followed by a patch of pale grey or 

 white, extending the whole width of the 

 wing. The moth may be found from the be- 

 ginning of July to the middle of September. 



The larva feeds from February to April. 



It is black above, with a broad orange -bordered stripe down the 

 back ; and its body is covered with small warts, each of which 

 bears a single hair. 



FIG. 138. THE 

 MARBLED BEAUTY. 



Family BOMBYCOID^ 



In this family there are sixteen British moths, several of which 

 are exceedingly common. They are much larger than the Bryopld- 

 lidce, and of a much stouter build. The larvae, are covered with 

 little hair-bearing warts, and are, indeed, often so hairy that they 

 may be mistaken for the caterpillars of the Bomkyces. 



The Grey Dagger (Acronycta Psi) 



This is the commonest of all the Bombycoidce. It may be 

 found at rest on tree trunks and palings during the daytime 

 throughout the summer. Its fore wings are pale grey, with four 



conspicuous black marks, one of 

 which that in the anal angle re- 

 sembles the Greek letter psi (>//) 

 placed sideways. 



The larva is black or very dark 

 grey, with a pale yellow line down 

 the back, and a black hump on each 

 of the fifth and twelfth segments, 

 FIG. 139. THE GREY DAGGER, that on the fifth being much larger 



than the other. It feeds in the 



autumn on lime (Tilia vulgaris), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), 

 whitethorn (Cratcegus oxyacantha), fruit trees, and various other 

 trees, shrubs, and herbs. 



