178 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



347. The Dark Umber (Scotosia rhamnata). 



347. THE DARK UMBER. The antennae are 

 simple in both sexes ; the wings are ample ; 

 the hind margin of the fore wings is waved ; 

 that of the hind wings scalloped ; the colour 

 of the fore wings is deep sienna-brown, with 

 an oblique median band of smoky umber- 

 brown ; the margins of this band are bordered 

 by a slender white line, and are very irregular, 

 the interior margin having an acute double 

 notch or indentation; the exterior margin 

 has an acute double angle or tooth in a cor- 

 responding position ; an oblique shade pro- 

 ceeding from the tip of the wing meets this 

 projecting angle, and at the first glance seems 

 continuous with it, but is not so; within the 

 oblique band over the double notch, which I 

 have described, is a longish black discoidal 

 spot ; there is a slender sinuous gray line ac- 

 companied by a dark line of similar character 

 parallel to the hind margin, and the hind 

 margin itself has a distinct and continuous 

 slender line almost black, following its sinuosi- 

 ties : the hind wings are of nearly the same 

 colour as the fore wings, the median band 

 being absent, but in its place is a very dis- 

 tinct slender line almost black, and there is 

 a similar line on the hind margin : the head, 

 thorax, and body have the same colour as 

 the wings ; the body has a blackish margin 

 to each segment, and that of the male is 

 tufted at the extremity. 



Mr. Crewe describes the CATERPILLAR as 

 Having the ground colour of a bright vivid 



green ; the medio-dorsal stripe is bright green, 

 the respiration being very apparent beneath 

 it ; the sub-dorsal stripes are very slender 

 and indistinct, and of a yellowish colour ; 

 the segmental divisions are deep yellow; the 

 spiracular stripe pale yellow and slender ; 

 on each side of the three posterior segments 

 below the spiracles is a broad purple stripe; 

 the anal flap, tip and claspers are deep purple, 

 the belly is traversed longitudinally by three 

 whitish stripes, the central one broader 

 than the others, and bordered with small 

 yellowish spots. It feeds on the common 

 buckthorn (Ehamnus catharticus\ and is full- 

 fed the first week in June, when it descends 

 to the earth, and forming an earthen cocoon, 

 changes therein to a dark reddish-brown 



CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in August, 

 and occurs chiefly in the southern and 

 eastern counties of England, but has been 

 reported as far north as York. I have not 

 heard of its occurrence in Scotland or Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Scotosia rh<tmnata). 



348. The Scarce Tissue (Scotosia certata). 



348. THE SCARCE TISSUE. The antennae 

 are simple in both sexes ; the hind margin 

 of the fore wings is waved, that of the hind 

 wings scalloped ; the colour of all the wings 

 is grayish-brown, with a slight tint of sienna- 

 brown ; there are several compound bars 

 composed of dark lines on the fore wings, 

 but nothing like a distinct median band ; 

 there is a conspicuous discoidal spot adjoining 

 one of these darker lines, and there is also 

 a zigzag gray line parallel to the hind 

 margin ; this dilates into a small gray blotch 

 at the anal angle of the wing ; there is a 

 slender dark line on the hind margin ot" ail 



