NOCTUAS. 



THE NOCTFAS, OWL MOTHS, OR FULL-BODIES 

 (in science Noctuse), constitute the next 

 principal division. They are very numer- 

 ous ; in Britain alone three hundred species 

 have been discovered, and in Guenee's 

 great work on the Noctueliies, no less than 

 eighteen hundred and eighty -four are 

 characterized ; the three hundred species 

 inhabiting Britain are remarkably unifonn 

 in appearance, size, and tint ; there are, 

 indeed, a few grand and striking departures 

 from the usual brown and sombre colouring, 

 but these exceptional instances, like gleams 

 of sunshine in a dark cloudy day, seem to 

 make the pervading gloom still more op- 

 pressive. This uniformity adds greatly to 

 the difficulty of the describer ; for, although 

 the more striking differences may be ren- 

 dered intelligible without much difficulty, 

 it is comparatively a hard task to dis- 

 tinguish, either by words or representations, 

 objects that closely resemble each other, 

 and seem almost to defy our powers of 

 discrimination, even when placed side by 

 side. 



Although this general uniformity per- 

 vades the Noctuas in their perfect state, 

 there is a great difference among the cater- 

 pillars, both as to their appearance and 

 economy. In the two species which stand 

 at the head of the list, the Buff-arches and 

 the Peach-blossom, the caterpillars are 

 smooth and velvety, and feed exposed on 

 the leaves of the bramble : they attach 

 themselves by their ventral claspers, and 

 hold the anal claspers slightly elevated, in 

 the same manner as the Cuspidates. In 

 the next genus, Cymatophora, the cater- 

 pilJa,rs live between two leaves, the edges 

 of which they spin together ; in this home 

 they remain all day, with their heads 

 turned round towards the middle of their 

 bodies : they come out to feed by night. 



The caterpillars of the genus Bryophila 

 reside in cases formed of silk and frag- 

 ments of lichen, and come out to feed at 

 night, and also in wet weather. In the 

 large and interesting genus Acronycta, the 

 caterpillars are generally hairy, sometimes 

 excessively so, and greatly resemble the 

 bear caterpillars of the Tiger-moths ; they 

 feed perfectly exposed, having no means of 

 concealment. Many of the genera which 

 follow these have perfectly smooth cater- 

 pillars, which feed on herbs, coming abroad 

 only by night, and, when disturbed, roll 

 themselves in a compact ring, and, thus 

 disguised, fall to the ground, and, feigning 

 death, remain motionless at the roots of 

 the herbage until the supposed danger has 

 passed. As regards the number of claspers, 

 ten is the general number, the last, or anal, 

 pair being always present. In the genus 

 Erastria the first pair are wanting, and in 

 the beautiful genus Plusia the first and 

 second pair are wanting, the number being 

 thus reduced to eight in Erastria, and to 

 six in Plusia. 



These caterpillars, as well as those of the 

 grand genus Catocala, comprising the Clif- 

 ton Nonpareil and the Red and Crimson 

 Underwings, crawl with arched backs, like 

 the Geometers, and hence were called by 

 my predecessor, Half-loopers or Hernigeo' 

 meters. 



The pupation of the Noctuas is as various 

 as the economy of the caterpillar ; the 

 greater number undergo this change under- 

 ground ; the numerous chrysalids found by 

 gardeners in digging for the winter crops 

 are those of Noctuas, for they abound 

 everywhere ; but others are found spun up 

 among the leaves of trees, and others, again, 

 on the ground ; they are generally very 

 shining, and of a bright reddish-brown 

 colour, or black ; the body is conical and 



