ANGLE-SHADES. 253 



garden plants, especially favouring lettuces when they 

 are tied up to blanch. The colour of the larva is as 

 variable as that of the perfect insect, but is generally 

 some shade between olive green and brown, and on 

 the body are a variety of brown and black streaks. 

 It is a very general feeder, and there are very few garden 

 plants or vegetables which escape its jaws. When 

 full-fed, it forms a kind of rude oval cell, and therein 

 undergoes its transformation into the Moth. Both 

 the caterpillar and Moth are exceedingly common, 

 and may be captured in any numbers. 



PASSING over a considerable number of species, 

 we come to an example of the Hadenidae, the familiar 

 ANGLE- SHADES (Phlogophora meticulosa\ which is 

 shown in the accompanying woodcut. 



I have always felt a great predilection for this 

 insect, because it is one o*f the first Moths that I ever 

 reared. I had found 

 a number of pupae 

 in the summer, and 

 put them into a 

 small box, which I 

 covered with stout 

 wire gauze, having 



, , Phlogophora meticulosa, 



in those days some 



hazy idea that a Moth could get through muslin or 

 linen. I had also made up my mind that no Moths 

 could emerge until the following year ; and my 

 astonishment was extreme on finding one morning a 

 fine Angle-Shades Moth clinging to the wire gauze, 

 and shaking out its newly-developed wings. Insigni- 



