174 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



These caterpillars come out at dusk to feed, 

 usually holding on the edge of a leaf, and at 

 the slightest touch dropping off, without 

 leaving any silken thread to return by ; when 

 on the ground, they curl into a regular St. 

 Catherine's wheel. They are very lively at 

 night, but quite the reverse by day. In 

 habits they closely resemble the caterpillars 

 of Melanippe procellata. The cocoon is 

 rather slight and subterranean. 



The MOTH appears in June ; its range is 

 confined to the eastern and southern counties 

 of England; indeed, it may be supposed 

 dependant on the abundant growth of its 

 food-plant It has not occurred in the north 

 of England, in Scotland, or Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Phibaletpteryx tersata.) 



841. The Slender-striped Rufous (Phibalapteryx 



lapidata) . 



341. THE SLENDER-STRIPED RUFOUS. The 

 antennae appear slightly thicker in the male : 

 the fore wings are somewhat falcate, and the 

 tips rather acute ; their colour is wainscot- 

 brown, with nine dark lines ; the first, second, 

 and third of these are separate and oblique, 

 the others in pairs and very sinuous, more 

 especially the first and third pairs ; ther^ is 

 a very obscure, scarcely perceptible, discoidal 

 spot : the hind wings are dingy brownish- 

 gray, with a double transverse slender line 

 parallel to the hind margin, and slightly 

 darker, and there are indications of similar 

 lines on the inner margin, but not continued 

 across the wing : the head, thorax, and body 

 are wainscot-brown. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in August, 

 but this is in all probability a second 

 brood ; it has been taken at Rannoch, in 

 Scotland, but neither in England Ire- 

 land. (The scientific name is Phibalapieryx 

 lapidata. ) 



342. The Oblique Carpet (Phibalapteryx lignata). 



342. THE OBLIQUE CARPET. The antennae 

 appear slightly thickened in the male : the 

 fore wings are somewhat falcate, and the tips 

 rather acute ; their colour is pale wainscot- 

 brown, with numerous dark oblique lines ; 

 three of these closely approximate to the base 

 and also to each other, are very short, and 

 being sharply angled on reaching the sub- 

 costal ray, return to the costa ; the next line 

 originates on the inner margin, and proceeds 

 two-thirds of the way towards the costa ; it 

 then suddenly returns to the inner margin, 

 enclosing a finger-shaped area, the inner half 

 of which is dark, the outer half pale; a very 

 conspicuous black discoidal spot is placed near 

 the finger-shaped mark, and there is also, in 

 some specimens, an extremely fine line run- 

 ning from its summit to the costal margin ; 

 next follow four oblique umber-brown lines, 

 the first, second, and third of which are bent 

 at the sub-costal ray, the fourth is continued 

 to the costa without bending ; there is a 

 conspicuous umber-brown cloud between the 

 discoidal spot and the tip of the wing, and 

 the four oblique umber-brown lines pass 

 through this cloud; a white line follows the 

 fourth of these dark lines, and then a trans- 

 verse series of dots, all of them seated on the 

 wing-rays ; these are very indistinct ; lastly, 

 there is a white line parallel with the hind 

 margin, and rather undulating : the hind 

 wings are of the same colour as the fore 

 wings, with eight transverse dark lines 

 parallel with the hind margin ; there is a 

 very distinct dark line on the margin itself 

 in all the wings : the head, thorax, and body 

 are variegated with the two shades of brown. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June. It 

 has occurred in several English counties, both 

 north and south, and has been taken in Scot- 

 land ; it is also reported by Mr. Birchall as 



