NOCTUBN1. 



85. The Dark Tussock (Orgyia fascelina). 



just within the fringe; hind wings paler smoky- 

 grey, and without markings, except a dark 

 and very narrow line along the hind margin, 

 just within the fringe; head, thorax, and body 

 smoky-grey. Caterpillar very dark smoke- 

 colour, with lemon-coloured hairs ; the fifth, 

 sixth, seventh, and eighth segments have dense 

 brushlike tufts of hair ofa dark colour, and 

 there is a longer, more slender tuft on the 

 twelfth segment pointing backwards. It feeds 

 on plum, hazel, and a number of other trees, 

 and sometimes on herbaceous plants. It spins 

 a slight web amongst its food, and turns to a 

 black chrysalis, with numerous little tufts of 

 hair. The Moth appears about Midsummer, 

 and is not common. (The scientific name is 

 Orgyia fascelina.) 



86. The Reed Tussock (Orgyia cxnosa). 



86. THE REED TUSSOCK. Fore wings of 

 the male pale-brown, the hind wings still 

 paler ; wings of the female almost white all 

 the wings in both sexes spotless ; head, thorax, 

 and body dingy-white, legs yellow. The 

 caterpillar has the ground-colour very dark, 

 almost black, but every segment has a series 

 of tubercles or warts, from which issue yellow 

 bristle like hairs ; the second segment bears 

 two long tufts of black hairs, which project 

 forwards over the head ; the fifth, sixth, 

 seventh, and eighth segments have each a 

 thick tuft of yellow hairs, which stick upright 

 like a stiff brush, on the centre of the back, 



and the last segment has a long, slender tuft 

 of black hairs, which points directly back- 

 wards. It feeds on the common reed (Arundo 

 phragmitis), and, when full fed, spins an ob- 

 long cocoon, rather pointed at both ends, on 

 the leaves or stems of the reed ; in this it 

 changes to a hairy chrysalis ; the cocoon is 

 thickly interspersed with the hairs of the 

 caterpillar. The Moths begin to appear early 

 in June, and continue coming out through the 

 whole of July and August, during which 

 months the caterpillar also feeds, so that the 

 collectors have frequently taken caterpillars 

 and Moths on the same day. The circumstance 

 arises from the curious fact, that the eggs laid 

 by the female do not hatch simultaneously, 

 but the little caterpillars continue to make 

 their appearance in irregular succession during 

 a period of seven weeks. This Moth is very 

 local, being only found in the Fen country 

 called Whittlesea Mere. (The scientific name 

 is Orgyia ccenosa.) 



Female. Mule. 



87. The Scarce Vapourer (Orgyia gonosllgma). 



87. THE SCARCE VAPOURER. Fore wings 

 of the male of a beautiful mottled brown, 

 with several waved transverse darker mark- 

 ings, a curved row of three or four white 

 spots near the tip, a comma-shaped white 

 mark at the anal angle, and an orange-coloured 

 blotch on the costal margin, near the tip ; 

 hind wings plain dark -brown : head, thorax, 

 and body, dark-brown. The female has no 

 wings, but is covered all over with velvety- 

 brown down. The caterpillar is bright 

 orange-coloured, with four rows of black spots 

 which almost touch each other, so as to form 

 stripes ; the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth 

 segments have each a tuft or bunch of brown 

 hairs on the back, the second segment has two 

 long, slender tufts of black hairs, pointing 

 forwards over the head ; the twelfth segment 



