r 3ictt'0narp of 



433 



the border of the gray, yellowish-striped, and 

 toothed fringes, is a row of small, black, tri- 

 angular marks. The under wings are light 

 gray, with dark veins, and central spots ; 

 blackish towards the outer edge. The Moth 

 appears in May and June, sits in the day- 

 time on hedges, the stems of trees, or on the 

 earth, and only flies at night. 



The caterpillar is green, more or less co- 

 vered with gray or black. It has a dark 

 stripe on the back, on which there is a pale 

 indistinct line. Above, it is sometimes fur- 

 nished with dark or pale spots placed length- 

 wise. At the sides is a dirty yellow stripe, 

 which becomes reddish above ; and close 

 above this spot are two white spiracles, sur- 

 rounded with black, each in a small black 

 spot. When this caterpillar appears in great 

 numbers, it does considerable damage to 

 several vegetables, such as cabbages, lettuces, 

 c., by eating out the heart. It appears in 

 July, August, and September. To look for 

 and kill them, although troublesome, is the 

 only sure way of getting rid of them. 



The ANTLER, or GRASS MOTH (Cerapteryx 

 fframinis)is another species injurious to mea- 

 dows. This Moth is of a moderate size ; its 

 head and back are yellowish brown, the 

 collar almost yellow ; the brown antennae 

 are covered with yellow scales ; and the 

 abdomen and the legs are brownish gray, the 

 latter with darker joints. The upper wings 

 are usually brownish gray, with a darker 

 mixture in the middle. The ordinary middle 

 spots are whitish, yellowish, or bluish ; the 

 first round, the second half- moon shaped. 

 A strong narrow line runs from the root 

 lengthwise through the middle of the wings 

 into the half-moon spot, which it intersects 

 in such a manner as to give it the appear- 

 ance of a three- pronged fork, or horn, whence 

 the common English name of the Moth. 

 The upper border of the wings is lighter ; 

 the fringes brownish yellow. The under 

 wings are yellowish gray, nearly black to- 

 wards the outer border, with yellowish 

 fringes. It flies in the latter end of July 

 and beginning of August The caterpillar 

 is brown or blackish, with five lighter stripes 

 along the back ; the first and last sections 

 are covered with a hard, smooth scale. Tne 

 stripes meet at the edge of the anus : the 

 abdomen is blackish : the hind feet project 

 beyond the anal point. The larva; are an 

 inch long ; and they undergo their trans- 

 formation about Midsummer, within a light 

 cocoon, under moss, stones, and such like 

 materials, changing into a blackish-brown 

 shining pupa. The food of the caterpillar 

 consists of all the soft sorts of grasses. It 

 lives at the roots, and eats all the germs. 

 Although it is in existence in autumn, it lies 

 benumbed in the earth in winter, and begins 

 to eat again in the spring; yet the effects of 

 its devastations appear chiefly in the be- 

 ginning of June, when it has changed its 

 skin for the last time. This insect appears 

 only to be injurious in dry situations, par- 

 ticularly in mountain pastures ; the cater- 

 pillar has never been met with on low, wet, 

 and marshy meadows. The only means of 

 extirpating or diminishing this caterpillar 



consists in surrounding the attacked places, 

 as the ground permits, with shallow ditches, 

 or by means of a plough with deep furrows, 

 as broad as possible, and turning pigs into 

 these places to eat the caterpillars. Crows 

 are also among the natural enemies of this 

 insect, and should be encouraged For the 

 information contained in this article we are 

 indebted to ' Kollar's Treatise on Insects 

 injurious to Vegetation,' &c. 



The GAMMA MOTH. (Plmia , 

 The ground colour of this beautiful Moth is 

 light and dark gray mixed with rust colour. 

 The head and collar aro of a brownish hue, 

 ! edged with light gray lines, as well as the 

 | crested back and shoulders : the abdomen 

 is yellowish gray, with elevated brown tufts 

 i of hair. The upper wings are marbled, and 

 have a metallic lustre : the inner edge is 

 wavy, and toothed near the fringes : the 

 notched cross-lines are silvery : towards the 

 inner border is situated a silvery or gold- 

 coloured shining mark, which resembles the 

 Greek letter Gamma (/). The under wings 

 are yellowish brown at the base above the 

 fringes, with black bands. The blackish- 

 brown pupa is enclosed in a white cocoon. 

 The caterpillar is green, beset with single 

 | hairs, having only twelve feet, and a brown- 

 ish green head. On the back are four very 

 j small yellowish or whitish lines : the feet 

 j have a yellow stripe : the spiracles areblack- 

 ! ish green. These caterpillars are found 

 i from spring to autumn in a variety of geue- 

 ! rations, and are so plentiful in some years, 

 ; that they do great damage to vegetables, 

 , peas, and various sorts of i'odder-herbage. 

 The only possible means of destroying them 

 i is by shaking them off and hand-picking. 

 I The RED UNIJEKWIXG. (Catocala.) The 

 j antennas of this handsome Moth resemble 

 ! threads : the thorax is crested, and of a 

 brownish-gray colour, as is the abdomen and 

 i superior wings ; the latter having double 

 ! lines and zig-zag bars crossing them in 

 | several places, and a remarkable spot in the 

 : middle. The under wings are of a fine 

 ' scarlet colour, having two broad bands of 

 black j the tongue is spiral ; and all the 

 \ wings aredentated. The caterpillar is about 

 ! two inches and a half in length ; feeds on the 

 j willow ; and is in colour so like the bark, 

 i as not to be easily seen. About the latter 

 end of June it changes to a red chrysalis : 

 and the Moth appears in August ; flies in the 

 i day; and is very fond of settling against barns, 

 j or the sides of such houses as are boarded. 



Amongst the family TirrEiD.c, so nu- 

 i merous in genera and species, generally of 

 j small size, may be mentioned the HCWKY- 

 : COMB MOTH. (.Galleria cereella.) This 

 Moth is one of the larger species of the 

 family of Tineidce; the male being consi- 

 derably smaller than the female, and the 

 sexes differing much in size, colour, and in 

 the form of the upper wings. The caterpil- 

 lar of this Moth feeds on the wax of the 

 honey-bee, and not unfrequently destroys a 

 hive by the filth and stench which it occa- 

 sions. Hence, though it does not destroy 

 the honey, it is a most formidable enemy to 



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