270 COMMON BRITISH MOTHS 



or marbled with a mixture of shades of both these colours. It has 

 a hump on the back of the seventh segment, and two more on the 

 ninth, and possesses four pairs of claspers. It feeds on whitethorn 

 (Cratcegus oxyacantha), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), and the 

 ' apple (Pyrus Mains), and may be found on these trees throughout 

 the summer. 



Some believe that there are three successive broods of this insect 

 each year, but it is doubtful whether this is invariably the rule, since 

 both the moth and its larva are to be found without intermission 

 throughout the season. 



The Light Emerald (Metrocampa mar garit aria) 



All the wings of this moth are very pale green, and crossed with 

 a white band which is bordered with a darker green on the inner 

 side. The fore wings have an additional transverse line just half- 

 way between the former and the base, 

 but this one is not so distinct. It 

 flies in July, and is very widely dis- 

 tributed, and in some parts is very 

 abundant. 



The caterpillar feeds in September, 

 and again in May, after hybernation, 



on several of our forest trees, includ- 

 FIG. 177. THE LIGHT , , ,~ 



EMEIULD m tne oa ^ (Quercus Robur), elm 



(Ulnius campestris), birch (Betula 



alba), and beech (Fagus sylvatica). It is of a ding;y olive colour, 

 with a dark dorsal line, on each side of which is a row of white 

 spots ; and it has three pairs of claspers. 



The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria) 



This species is common and widely distributed, and may be seen 

 flying at dusk towards the end of July and throughout August. It 

 is represented in fig. 4 of Plate XII. The antennae of the male are 

 strongly pectinated ; those of the female are simple. 



The caterpillar may be found in the autumn, and again in 

 spring, feeding on the honeysuckle (Lonicera Periclymenum), 

 whitethorn (Cratcegus oxyacantha), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), 

 beech (Fagus sylvatica), and various fruit trees. It is full grown 

 in June, when it turns to a chrysalis in a cocoon spun between 

 leaves or moss on or near the ground. It is of a greyish-brown or 

 greyish-purple colour, and looks very like a piece of twig. 



