128 THE MULLEIN MOTH. 



brilliant, and upon it are drawn stripes of white 

 and scarlet, while the 8-like mark on each 

 segment is pure white edged with deep black. 

 It feeds upon many plants, and the perfect 

 Moth appears towards the end of autumn. 



Our next example of this family is the MUL- 

 LEIN MOTH (Cucullia verbasci), so called from 

 the principal food of the larva, which is the 

 great mullein ( Verbascum thrapsus). 



Mullein Moth. 



Although the tints of this Moth are very 

 sober, it is yet a pretty insect, owing to the 

 delicate shades of brown and grey and the mode 

 in which they are arranged. The two most con- 

 spicuous marks in this insect are the boldly 

 scalloped hind margins of the wings, and the 

 two whitish crescents which cross the middle of 

 the inner margin. The hind-wings are greyish 

 brown, becoming paler towards the base. 



