212 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



pillar emerges about the 1st of July, and 

 may be found feeding throughout the 

 month ; it rests on the upper surface of a 

 leaf, with the ventral claspers attached to a 

 silken pad, previously spun, apparently 

 with this object; both extremities are 

 slightly elevated, the posterior more than 

 the anterior. The head is decidedly nar- 

 rower than the second segment, into which 

 it is received, and by the anterior margin 

 of which it is almost entirely concealed ; 

 the face is flat; the second segment is 

 dorsally flattened, the flattened portion 

 being slightly dilated and squarely truncate, 

 the truncature terminating on each side in 

 an obtuse angle ; the third segment has a 

 narrow portion dorsally flattened and ele- 

 vated posteriorly into a narrow transverse 

 ridge ; the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth 

 segments gradually diminish into a conical 

 mass, at the apex of which are two cylin- 

 drical tubes nearly parallel, closely approxi- 

 mate, and directed backwards; they are 

 beset both above and beneath with short 

 stiff bristles, and each emits a slender 

 drooping filament from the extremity : the 

 colour of the head is pearly-gray, tinged 

 with purple ; the dorsal area of the body 

 is divided from the lateral area by a dis- 

 tinct white stripe, which is absent only 

 from the eighth segment ; this stripe com- 

 mences on each side on the second segment, 

 at the angles already described, ascends 

 obliquely to the dorsal ridge on the third 

 segment, descends obliquely to the spiracle 

 on the seventh segment, is lost and con- 

 fused on the eighth, re-appears on the ninth, 

 and is continued thence to the extremity of 

 the anal flap ; on the upper margin of this 

 white stripe, and immediately adjoining it, 

 is a delicate purple stripe, and within this 

 the dorsal area is white, with a median grass- 

 green stripe, and there is also an oblique 

 grass-green stripe on each side of the 

 seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh 

 segments ; the lateral surface is apple- 

 green, adorned with numerous roundish 

 purple spots, each ocellated with a central 

 white dot, and enclosed in a white ring ; in 

 addition to these are other larger and 

 amorphous purple spots, possessing the 

 white margin, but wanting the central dot ; 



the second segment has on each side in front 

 a large purple-brown blotch, bordered ex- 

 teriorly with yellow ; and on each side of 

 the seventh and eighth segments are ob- 

 scure orange patches ; the legs are princi- 

 pally purple ; the ventral claspers are apple- 

 green, with a purple, V-shaped, white-mar- 

 gined mark descending into each ; the 

 ventral surface is apple-green ; the anal 

 horns are nearly white above, with a ten- 

 dency to purple, and have a white ring at the 

 tip. When full-fed the caterpillar spins a 

 gtutinous cocoon on the bark of the sallow, 

 often towards the bottom of the stem, from 

 one to three feet from the ground, and 

 therein changes to a CHRYSALIS, in which 

 state it passes the winter. 



The MOTH appears in June, and is gene- 

 rally distributed throughout the United 

 Kingdom. (The scientific name is Dicra- 

 nura furcula.) 



387. The Poplar Kitten (Dicranwra btfda). 



387. THE POPLAE KITTEN. The antennae 

 of the male are strongly pectinated, those 

 of the female slightly so ; the shaft is white, 

 the pectinations black ; the fore wings are 

 rather narrow, straight on the costa, and 

 rounded at the tip ; their colour is pale 

 gray, with a broad transverse median band 

 of a darker gray ; the internal margin of 

 this band is straight, and bordered with a 

 straight black line, which is accompanied 

 by a straight yellow line ; the exterior mar- 

 gin is slightly concave about the middle, 

 and is bordered with black and yellow like 

 the interior margin ; but these colours, and, 

 indeed, the boundary line altogether be- 

 comes less distinct towards the inner mar- 

 gin : between this band and the base of the 

 wing is a transverse series of five black 

 spots, and at the base of the wing is a 

 single black spot : exterior to the band is a 



