164 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



327. The Garden Carpet (Melanippe fluntuata) . 



327. THE GARDEN CARPET. The fore 

 wings are gray, with a dark smoky-brown 

 blotch at the base, and another much larger 

 on the middle of the costal margin; this 

 latter includes the discoidal spot, which is 

 always present but indistinct; from the 

 costal blotch tc the inner margin of the 

 wing there is a smoky-gray cloud ; beyond 

 the blotch the wing is irregularly clouded and 

 barred with smoky-brown: the hind wings 

 are clouded and transversely barred with 

 smoky-brown, and have a discoidal spot : 

 the head, thorax, and body are gray : the 

 body has two indistinct brown spots placed 

 transversely on each segment. 



The CATERPILLAR is slightly attenuated 

 towards each extremity ; it generally rests 

 in a slightly bent posture : it is very variable 

 in colour, brown, gray, or green. I describe 

 the brown type : the head delicately marked 

 transversely with dark brown, median stripe 

 interrupted and of various colours, of which 

 brick-red and deep black are most con- 

 spicuous ; a small oblong red space sur- 

 rounded by dingy white, occupies the middle 

 of the hind margin of each segment after the 

 fourth, and is united to a black spot similarly 

 surrounded on the anterior margin of the 

 succeeding segment ; the two combined con- 

 stitute what Mr. Hellins terms the arrow- 

 head markings; the dorsal surface of the 

 tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth seg- 

 ments is very pale, forming a conspicuous 

 pale patch, and this is continued beyond the 

 posterior margin of the ninth segment ; each 

 of the segments after the fourth has four 

 distant and distinct white dots arranged in 

 a square ; those on the tenth, eleventh, and 

 twelfth segments are surrounded with small 

 back markings ; the sides are pale, the belly 

 is also pale, but has darker stripes : it feeds 

 on the several varieties of cultivated cabbage 



(Brassica), or nasturtium (Tropceolummajus), 

 and other garden plants, and is double- 

 brooded both in a state of nature and in 

 captivity ; the second brood of caterpillars is 

 full-fed at the beginning of September. 



The MOTH flies throughout the summer : it 

 is the commonest of all our garden geometers 

 in England, Scotland, and Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Melanippe fluctuate,,) 



328. The Eoyal Mantle (Antidea sinuata). 



328. THE ROYAL MANTLE. The fore wings 

 are parti-coloured ; there is a large dark and 

 somewhat triangular blotch at the base, the 

 prevailing tint of which is dark leaden-brown, 

 approaching to black, but it is divided by a 

 transverse median bar of two colours, brown 

 or smoky-gray towards the base, rust-coloured 

 gray externally, where it is bounded by a 

 double slender bent line, the inner half of 

 which is nearly black, the outer half white ; 

 beyond this basal blotch there is a large 

 creamy- white area, restricted at the costa, but 

 expanding before the middle, and continued 

 to the inner margin ; beyond this is an almost 

 square black costal blotch, sprinkled with 

 gray, and bounded by a double zigzag black 

 line, which extends to the inner margin; 

 beyond this is a rust-coloured bar, broad at 

 the costa, but gradually diminishing in width 

 to the anal angle; then follows a zigzag white 

 line, and finally a mixed marginal band which 

 has a darker central cloud : the hind wings 

 are grayish-white, with a transverse zigzag 

 umber-brown line parallel with the hind 

 margin. There is a narrow and scarcely 

 perceptible discoidal spot on all the wings. 

 The head and thorax are almost black, the 

 body creamy-white. Such are the principal 

 markings of this beautiful moth, on which 

 the older collectors conferred the name of 

 the Royal Mantle. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is slightly 

 divided on the crown, as broad as the body : 



