160 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



a slender gray bar ; then a double white bar, 

 that is, a white bar intersected by a slender 

 smoke-coloured line ; immediately following 

 this is a broad smoky-brown band, which 

 includes the discoidal spot, and is traversed by 

 several slender waved lines, both lighter and 

 darker; beyond the dark band is a curved 

 white bar, intersected by a faint gray line, 

 which is often interrupted or broken up into 

 dots ; beyond this is a broad marginal band of 

 a blue-gray or lead-colour, and intersected by 

 a slender zigzag white line ; on the extreme 

 margin is a series of black spots ; the fringe is 

 brown-gray, interrupted with pale gray, and 

 having a conspicuous white spot at the apical 

 angle ; the hind wings are pale gray, rather 

 darker at the base, and having three darker 

 waved lines before the middle of the wing ; 

 on the first of these the discoidal spot is 

 situated ; there is a broad marginal blue-gray 

 or lead-coloured band, intersected by a slender 

 zigzag white line ; the extreme margin and 

 fringe are as in the fore wings. The head and 

 thorax are brown-gray, the body smoky-gray, 

 with two nearly black spots placed trans- 

 versely on the back of each segment. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR ia of nearly 

 the same width as the body, which is uniformly 

 cylindrical ; it rests generally in a slightly 

 bent posture, but when disturbed tucks in the 

 head, thus giving to the anterior portion of 

 the body the figure of the Ionic volute. The 

 colour of the head is dusky-brown, with two 

 darker brown lines meeting on the crown ; 

 the colour of the body red-brown or dingy 

 brown, beautifully variegated and mottled ; 

 the second and third segments have a median 

 black line, and on each side of this is a direct 

 white line, which extends into the fourth 

 segment ; on each of the four succeeding 

 segments is a somewhat horse-shoe shaped 

 median white mark ; these marks might be 

 called lozenge-shaped, but they are open at 

 the posterior extremity ; on the tenth segment, 

 and extending thence to the extreme tip of 

 the thirteenth, is a broad median dark brown 

 stripe, and separated from this by a space 

 equal to its owu diameter, is a white stripe of 

 corresponding length, terminated at its anterior 



extremity by a somewhat comma-shaped jet 

 black mark, which has a white dot iu the 

 head of the comma; on each side of the 

 median markings is a series of white dots 

 the third and fourth segments have two dot! 

 each, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth 

 have four each, the ninth and following ones 

 have two each ; there are several indistinct 

 stripes and dots on each side of the body. It 

 feeds on the great hedge bedstraw (Galium 

 mollugo), and is full-fed about the 22nd of 

 July, when it spins a cocoou on the surface 

 of the earth. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and 

 is common in most of the southern counties of 

 England, and also occurs at Manchester, in the 

 lake district, and near Durham. It is reported 

 by Mr. Birchall from Cork, on the authority 

 of Mr. Clear, and I think not from Scotland. 

 (The scientific name is Melanippe rivata.) 



Obs. The species is sometimes double- 

 brooded in captivity, but never in a state of 

 nature. 



324. The Common Carpet (Melcmippe subtristata). 



324. THE COMMON CARPET. The basal por- 

 tion of the wing is smoky-gray, bounded by a 

 slender waved white line, and beyond this is a 

 broadish gray-brown bar; then a double white 

 bar, and then abroad smoky-brown band, which 

 includes the discoidal spot, and is traversed 

 by darker and whiter slender lines ; beyond 

 this dark band is a curved white bar, inter- 

 sected by a distinct and continuous dark gray 

 line; beyond this is a broad marginal band of 

 a brown-gray tint, intersected by a slender 

 zigzag white line ; on the extreme margin is 

 a series of narrow linear black spots, not 

 always very distinct ; the fringe is brown- 

 gray, interrupted with pale gray : the hind 

 wings are pale gray, darker at the base, the 

 darker basal portion including the discoidal 

 spot ; the white bar following this is inter- 

 sected by a slender darker line ; there is * 



