242 



Asia, and is a common British species. It expands i ^ inch 

 or a little less. 



The fore-wings are bluish-grey, with two zig-zag lines running 

 across the middle, and diverging above. Between these is a 

 conspicuous greenish-white spot, composed of three connect* d 

 parts. In addition to the lines already mentioned there i. e a 

 faint lunule above, edged with brown, and a black sagitt ite 

 streak below. The hind-wings are generally whitish in the male. 

 In the female the nervures are more heavily dusted, and there 

 is a larger lunule. At the anal angle there is a black spot. The 

 fringes of the fore-wings are light brown, edged with darker, and 

 those of the hind-wings silvery-grey, edged with darker. The 

 thorax is grey, and the abdomen brown, slender, with a long 

 anal tuft in the male ; stout with woolly hair in the female. 



The Figure of Eight Moth. 



The larva is yellowish-green with black tubercles, each bear- 

 ing a single hair. On the back is a broad pale yellow stripe, 

 and on each side a narrower one of the same colour. The 

 head is bluish, with two round black spots. When young the 

 larva is paler, and when it is approaching full growth it becomes 

 bluish. 



It feeds on almond tree, white-thorn, black-thorn, and various 

 fruit-trees. It is generally solitary, but sometimes appears in 

 such large numbers on the Continent as to cause considerable 

 damage. 



