BELTED BEAUTY. 66 



take it for a Moth. A figure of it may be seen 

 on Plate V. fig. 5. 



The wings are totally absent, so that the in- 

 sect is obliged to restrict herself to the tree in 

 which she has passed her caterpillar life. It is 

 a very inconspicuous insect, and would readily 

 evade the observation of any one whose eye was 

 not trained to perceive it. Indeed, this and 

 other wingless females were originally discovered 

 by rearing the caterpillars, and this is by far the 

 best method which the young entomologist can 

 follow. The caterpillar feeds on oak, and is said 

 to be found on several other trees. 



In connection with this insect, I must men- 

 tion another, which derives some interest from 

 the fact that it was only discovered to be a 

 British species in 1863. It is the BELTED 

 BEAUTY (Nyssla zonaria), so called from the 

 manner in which the black abdomen of the per- 

 fect insect is crossed with six orange belts. The 

 male is a pretty little insect, the wings being 

 grey, boldly streaked with darker grey and brown. 

 As far as is at present known, it is a local 

 insect, all the specimens having been taken in 

 Cheshire, near the sea. In those places, how- 

 ever, it is tolerably plentiful, and considerable 

 numbers of both sexes have been bred from the 

 v 



