BEITISH MOTHS. 



oblong black spots down the centre of the 

 back, and a row of black dots on each side 

 generally concealed by the wings. The ca- 

 terpillar of this beautiful Moth feeds on almost 

 every plant and in almost every garden : the 

 egg is laid in autumn, and the little caterpillar 

 soon makes its appearance, but after feeding 

 for twenty or twenty-two days, and attaining 

 a length of about three-quarters of an inch, 

 it hybernates or retires for the winter. In the 

 spring it re -appears, and begins eating with 

 great voracity : you cannot pass along a sunny 

 hedge-bank without observing it on the various 

 kinds of dead nettle, of which it seems par- 

 ticularly fond ; in gardens it is equally abun- 

 dant on the leaves of hollyhocks, and, indeed, 

 nothing comes amiss to it ; it is full-grown in 

 June, and is then a very familiar object to all 

 gardeners, lookiug like a little bear. The 

 ground-colour is black, and it is covered all 

 over with very long hairs ; those on the back 

 are grey, those of the sides and about the 

 head are brown ; the head itself and the legs 

 are black. It spins a loose hairy web in July, 

 and turns to a large black, smooth chrysalis. 

 The Moth appears in July. (The scientific 

 name is Chelonia cajt.) 



73. The (Jrcmii-spot Tiger (Chdon(a villica). 



73. THE CREAM-SPOT TIGER. Fore wings 

 black, with eight cream-coloured spots ; the 

 first, large and somewhat triangular, is situate 

 at the base of the wing ; beyond this are two 

 rounded spots ; then two more, rather smaller 

 and more distant ; then come two more, 

 larger and nearer together ; and lastly, a single 

 one near the tip of the wing. The hind wings 

 are bright orange-yellow, with half-a-dozen 

 scattered small black spots, and an irregular 

 black blotch on the tip. Antennae and head 

 black ; thorax black, with a cream-coloured 

 spot on each side in front ; body orange - 

 colour shaded to rosy- red towards the ex- 

 tremity, and having a row of black spots 

 down the middle of the back, and another 

 row on each side, concealed by the wings. 

 The caterpillar is very hairy ; the ground- 

 colour black, and the hairs brown ; its head 

 and legs are red. We have always found 

 it feeding on chickweed j but continental 



entomologists mention a number of other 

 herbs on which it feeds. The egg is laid in 

 the autumn, and the little caterpillar, after 

 feeding for a few weeks, lies up for the winter. 

 It begins eating again in April ; and on fine 

 days in May may be seen on sunny hedge- 

 banks by the road side wherever chickweed 

 abounds ; it spins a web at the end of May, 

 and changes to a blackish chrysalis. The 

 Moth comes out towards the end of June. It 

 is a quiet and lethargic insect, especially the 

 female, which we have never taken on the 

 wing ; and the male very rarely. (The 

 scientific name is Chdonia villica.) 



74. The Ruby Tiger (Arctia fuliginosa). 



74. THE RUBY TIGER. Wings semi- 

 transparent ; fore wings brown, with two 

 black dots a little above the middle ; hind 

 wings with the inner half pink, the outer 

 half smoke-coloured, and having two black 

 dots in the middle ; a band of dark smoke- 

 colour runs all along the hind wing near the 

 margin, the margin itself being of a lovely 

 rose-colour ; head and thorax brown, with a 

 pink tinge > body pink with a black stripe 

 down the middle, and a row of black dots 

 on each side. Caterpillar somewhat smoke- 

 coloured, each segment having a series of 

 warts or tubercles, all of which emit brown 

 hairs. There are two broods ; the first feed 

 early in the spring, having hybernated or 

 passed the winter as caterpillars ; in May they 

 spin a loose boat-shaped cocoon, in which 

 they turn to a smooth blackish chrysalis, with 

 paler bands. They may be seen through the 

 silk of the cocoon. The perfect Moth appears 

 in June, and lays eggs before the end of the 

 month ; these are soon hatched and begin 

 feeding on dock, plantain, and several grasses, 

 and are full fed the first week in August, and 

 turn to perfect Moths about the end of the 

 month. They lay eggs which hatch in a few 

 days, eat for fourteen to twenty days, and then 

 hybernate in crevices of bark and other se- 

 cure places. (The scientific name is Arctia 

 fuliginosa). 



75. The Muslin Moth (Male) (Arctia mendicd). 



