56 



BEITISH MOTHS. 



117. The Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata). 



117. THE SCALLOPED HAZEL. All the 

 wings scalloped at the margin dingy whitey- 

 brown ; on the fore wings, which are angled 

 as well as scalloped, are two transverse dark- 

 brown lines, the first near the base of the 

 wing, and nearly straight, the second halfway 

 between the fore and the hind margin, and 

 very oblique ; both these lines are scalloped, 

 and between them, equnllv distant from both, 

 is a small oblong dark ring ; hind wings rather 

 paler than the fore wings, with a single dark 

 line across the middle, and within this, that 

 is, nearer the base of the wing, is a small dark 

 ring ; head, thorax and body pale brown. 

 The caterpillar of this moth, unlike its near 

 relations, has eight claspers instead of four, 

 but the first and second pairs seem of very 

 little service in walking, very seldom coming 

 in contact with the leaf or twig on which the 

 creature is crawling ; it is rather more slender 

 before than behind, but has no humps on any 

 of its segments ; it is very various in colour, 

 grey, grey-green, oil-grees, or brown, with 

 a row of lozenge-shaped markings down the 

 back. It changes to a chrysalis in Septem- 

 ber, and in this state is found, commonly 

 under moss ; the moth flies in May. (The 

 scientific name is Odontopera bidentata.) 



118. The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elingwria). 



118. THE SCALLOPED OAK. Wings very 

 slightly scalloped or angled ; fore wings yel- 

 low-ochre, with abroad transverse band in the 



middle pale brown, with darker boundary 

 lines, and a very dark central spot ; hind 

 wings paler than the fore wings, without a 

 band, but having a central dot ; there is also 

 a row of dark dots near the hind margin of 

 both fore and hind wings ; head, thorax and 

 body yellow-ochre. The caterpillar feeds 

 chiefly on honeysuckle, but also on beech, 

 blackthorn, apple and pear ; it is of uniform 

 thickness throughout, and the skin appears 

 too big for the body, and folds or overlaps at 

 every segment ; it is of a brown-grey colour, 

 and exactly resembles a twig. It lives through- 

 out the winter in the larva state about half- 

 grown, and turns to a chrysalis in June ; it 

 makes its cocoon between leaves, generally 

 on the ground, but often under moss on the 

 trunks of trees ; it should be searched for in 

 June, and the moth appears on the wing in 

 July and August. (The scientific name is 

 Crocallis elinguaria.) 



119. The Large Thorn (Ennomos alniaria), 



119. THE LARGE THORN. All the wings 

 with deeply-scalloped margins, yellow, in- 

 clining to orange along the hind margin ; the 

 surface of the fore wings is dotted with pale 

 brown ; there is an indistinct bent line near 

 the base of each fore wing, then an indistinct 

 spot, then a second indistinct and very oblique 

 line ; the fringe is variegated, the angles being 

 very dark, the indentations very pale ; head, 

 thorax and body yellow. It is said that three 

 specimens of this conspicuous French insect 

 have been blown across the Channel. The 

 caterpillar is nearly two inches long, and in 

 France and Germany feeds on elder, birch, 

 beech, plum, apple, pear and apricot ; it is 

 rather more slender before than behind ; it is 

 of a purple-brown colour, and adorned with 

 several yellow spots ; in the autumn it spins 



