GEOMETERS. 



149 



the CATERPILLAR feeds freely in confinement. 

 When full-fed, which is towards the end of 

 June, the caterpillar rests in a nearly straight 

 position, the anterior extremity being slightly 

 raised, and the middle of the back slightly 

 arched. The head is prone, hidden from above 

 by the an terior margin of the second segment ; 

 ibis not perceptibly notched on the crown; 

 the body is rather obese, rather depressed, and 

 has a conspicuous dilated skinfold on each 

 side, just below the spiracles, and two short 

 points directed backwards, below the anal 

 flap; the colour of the head is dull green, 

 with intensely black ocelli ; the body is dull, 

 opaque green above, and has a narrow white 

 stripe on each side, including the dilated skin- 

 fold ; this white stripe extends from the head 

 to the apex of the anal flap ; the anal points are 

 slightly tinged with pink; the belly has a 

 broad median glaucous stripe, between which 

 and the white lateral stripe the belly is nearly 

 concolorous with the back ; the legs are semi- 

 transparent and pale green ; the claspers are 

 green, slightly tipped with pink. It spins a 

 slight web on the surface of the ground, and, 

 changing to a CHRYSALIS, remains in that 

 state throughout the winter. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in April, 

 and occurs in England as well as Scotland, 

 but is not recorded from Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Lobophora lobulata.) 



308. The Barred Tooth-striped (Lobophora poly- 

 commata). 



308. THE BARRED TOOTH-STRIPED. The 

 antennae are almost simple in the male, quite 

 so in the female ; the fore wings are long and 

 rather narrow; their colour is pale wainscot- 

 brown, with various umber-brown markings; 

 the principal of these are, first, a brown spot at 

 the extreme base of the wing ; then a short 

 transverse angled line ; then a broad and 



well-marked band of a very rich brown ; this 

 band is interrupted at the costal extremity by 

 a large wainscot-brown blotch, contiguous 

 to the outer border of which is the discoidal 

 spot, not very apparent ; at its lower ex- 

 tremity this band is interrupted by a small 

 wainscot-brown blotch; beyond the band is a 

 double waved bar, interrupted in several parts, 

 but more particular near its costal extremity, 

 by a pale space ; and this is immediately 

 followed by a double darker blotch, which has 

 two acute angles, pointing towards the hind 

 margin ; there is a narrower band of brown 

 contiguous to the hind margin ; and on the 

 margin itself is a series of minute black spots, 

 arranged in pairs ; the hind wings are pale, 

 with a discoidal spot, a beautifully scalloped 

 transverse line below the middle, and a dark 

 interrupted liae on the hind margin. 



The EGG is laid in April or May, on honey- 

 suckle or ash, on both of which the CATER- 

 PILLAR feeds in confinement ; it is full-fed 

 about the middle of June, and then rests in a 

 nearly straight position, the head is prone, 

 indeed, bent completely under, and the mouth 

 closely pressed against the legs, which are 

 crowded together, and directed forwards as if 

 purposely to meet the head. Head decidedly 

 smaller and narrower than either of the 

 following segments ; second segment slightly 

 dilated at its anterior margin, thus forming a 

 kind of shallow cup, into which the head is 

 partially received ; body obese, of uniform 

 substance, and cylindrical with the exception 

 of a dilated lateral skinfold ; its surface both 

 above and below most delicately shagreened ; 

 the thirteenth segment terminating in two 

 pointed processes directed backwards. The 

 colour of the head is dull but pale green ; the 

 dorsal surface of the body is dull green, with 

 a narrow, medio-dorsal stripe slightly darker; 

 this is sometimes so faint as to escape obser- 

 vation ; indeed, it may possibly arise at all 

 times from the presence of food in the ali- 

 mentary canal ; ventral surface with a broad 

 median stripe of glaucous green, having within 

 it a narrow medio- ventral stripe of a still 

 paler and almost white green ; but this, like 

 the medio-dorsal stripe, is very obscurely 



