140 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



recent and very perfect specimens ; there is a 

 transverse discoidal spot, but so closely united 

 with one of the transverse bands, that it is 

 very inconspicuous ; there are a number of 

 transverse dark lines, and some of them, 

 crowded between the discoidal spot and the 

 base, communicate to the triangular basal area 

 of the wing a darker tint, which in some 

 specimens is very decided ; beyond the dis- 

 coidal spot, yet absolutely touching it, is a 

 pale double bar ; aud again beyond this, a 

 darker area, which encloses two pale waved 

 lines ; the inner of these has a tendency to be 

 double, the outer is single and very zigzag ; 

 the hind wings are nearly of the same colour 

 as the fore wings, and both have a slender 

 interrupted black marginal line, the divisions 

 of which are slightly crescentic, giving a some- 

 what scalloped appearance to the margin ; 

 all the markings are indistinct, and must 

 not be regarded as fully described in this 

 brief definition; the head and thorax are 

 gray, the body olive brown, and a little 

 variegated. 



Mr. Ore we has described three varieties of 

 A ,he CATERPILLAR as under : 



" Var. 1. Ground colour ochreous red ; 

 central dorsal line very dusky olive, almost 

 black, interrupted. Down the centre of the 

 back is a series of blackish or dusky olive 

 arrow-shaped blotches, reduced in size on the 

 posterior, and merged in the central line on 

 the anterior segments ; the sub-dorsal lines are 

 slender, dusky, bordered with dull yellow ; 

 the spiracular line alternating between dull 

 yellow and dusky olive. Between the sub- 

 dorsal and spiracular lines is a row of slanting 

 bright yellow stripes, interspersed with dusky 

 blotches ; the segmental divisions are orange 

 red. The body is thickly studded with 

 minute black tubercles, and thinly clothed 

 with whitish hairs. In appearance it strongly 

 resembles the larva of Eupithecia virgaureata. 



" Var. 2. The ground colour is pale 

 yellowish green, the central dorsal line and 

 blotches being similar to those of Var. 1, but 

 much paler olive ; the spiracular segmental 

 divisions and lateral stripes are greenish 

 yellow. 



" Var. 3. The ground colour is orange 

 red. The back tinged and suffused with dull 

 yellowish green; the dorsal blotches are 

 wanting ; the central dorsal line reddish 

 brown or olive, enlarged in the centre of each 

 median segment ; the sub-dorsal lines are the 

 same colour, and slender ; the spiracular line 

 and lateral stripes greenish yellow, the latter 

 indistinct. It strongly resembles the larva of 

 Eupithecia abbreviata." 



These caterpillars under Mr. Crewe's care 

 fed on oak, and he has been in the habit of 

 beating them from the same tree for some 

 years. In confinement many of them died 

 when full-fed, a misfortune which he attri- 

 butes to the difficulty of supplying them 

 regularly with the youngest and most succu- 

 lent leaves, which they always seemed to 

 prefer ; but I have been so accustomed to 

 see full-grown caterpillars die, and hang like 

 bags of water from their food-plant, that I 

 think there must be some hitherto undiscov- 

 ered cause for this mortality. The CHRYSALIS 

 is either enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon, 

 or secreted under bark of oak and white 

 thorn ; it is of a dark dusky red colour, the 

 upper edges of the wing-cases being of a 

 brighter red than the rest; it has a rough 

 wrinkled appearance. 



The MOTHS appear on the wing in May and 

 June, and have been taken in several English 

 counties. (The scientific name is Eupithecia 

 dodoneata.) 



295. The Brindled Png (Eupithecia abbreviate). 



295. THE BRINDLED PUG. The fore wings 

 are broad, and rather prolonged at the apex ; 

 their colour and ornamentation are happily 

 described by the word " brindled," a peculiar 

 coloration formerly seen on cows and some 

 varieties of dog, but now extremely uncom- 

 mon ; the prevailing tint is ochreous brown ; 

 the discoidal spot is narrow, transverse, and 

 very inconspicuous ; the gray transverse bars 

 as well as the dark brown ones are irregular, 



