206 



BEITISH MOTHS. 



alterations ; otherwise I should feel inclined 

 to place the beautiful Kentish Grlory (En- 

 dromis versicolor) next to the Great Pro- 

 minent (Notodonta trepida), to which it is 

 so nearly allied ; and to remove the choco- 

 late-tips (Clostera), and, perhaps, also the 

 buff-tips (Pygsera) to the neighbourhood 

 of the genus Cymatophora, to which they 

 are very closely related. 



With regard to the proper place of the 

 Cuspidates in a natural system, I also differ 

 from my friend. I incline to place them in 

 close proximity to the Sphingiforms, es- 

 pecially the genus Smerinthus, and I think 

 they should be followed by the Tau Em- 

 peror (Aglia tau), introduced by Haworth 

 as a British insect ; and this again by the 

 Verticillates, of which the Emperor moth 

 (Saturnia Carpini) is the only British 

 example, but which contains three European 

 and a host of Asiatic and American species, 

 some of them lately rendered very interest- 

 ing from the praiseworthy attempts to 

 obtain silk from their cocoons. 



379. The Scalloped Hook-tip (Platypteryx lacertula). 



379. THE SCALLOPED HOOK-TIP. The 

 palpi are very small, scarcely perceptible ; 

 the antennae of the male are decidedly 



pectinated, those of the female very slightly 

 so ; the wings are broad and ample ; the 

 fore wings are pointed at the tip, falcate, 

 and have the hind margin toothed ; the 

 teeth or angles are five in number, three 

 small ones immediately below the tip, and 

 two larger ones below these ; their colour is 

 wainscot-brown, having two oblique trans- 

 verse lines, the outer of which is angled 

 immediately after leaving the costal margin ; 

 between these is a small circular discoidal 

 spot ; there is great diversity in colour in 

 different specimens varying from wainscot- 

 brown to umber-brown ; and in the male 

 the hind-marginal area is traversed by a 

 transverse whitish bar : the hind wings are 

 paler, and have a very minute discoidal 

 dot. 



This species is double-brooded, the cater- 

 pillar occurring in June and again in Sep- 

 tember. The EGG is laid on birch (Betula 

 alba) in June, and the CATERPILLARS, 

 hatching in about two weeks, feed on the 

 leaves ; they are full-fed in September, and 

 then spinning a slight cocoon among the 

 leaves, turn to CHRYSALIS and remain in 

 that state during the winter ; when full-fed 

 the caterpillar rests in nearly a straight 

 position, but with both extremities slightly 

 raised, the ventral claspers only being 

 attached to a silken pad which is apparently 

 spun for the purpose of affording a safer 

 foothold : when jerked by a sudden blow, 

 it falls hanging by a thread ; the head is as 

 wide as the second segment, prone, and 

 slightly indented on the crown ; the body 

 is rather depressed, and has two tubercles 

 placed transversely on the back of the third 

 and fourth segments, and two much smaller 

 ones on the twelfth : its colour is yellowish- 

 brown, blotched, and variegated with darker 

 brown. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June 

 and September. It occurs not uncommonly 

 in the southern counties of England, but 

 not so commonly in the north. (The scien- 

 tific name is Platypteryx lacertula.) 



Obs. The figures were drawn from speci- 

 mens very differently coloured, in the hope 

 that the difference would be exhibited in 

 the engraving : this unfortunately is not 

 sufficiently the case. 



