NOCTUAS. 



239 



414. The Lesser Satin Moth (Cymataphora duplaris). 



414. THE LESSER SATIN MOTH. The 

 antennae are slender in both sexes, and 

 almost simple, but slightly stouter in the 

 male than in the female ; in both sexes they 

 have a very short pubescence : the fore 

 win^s are nearly straight along the costa. 

 and square-tipped, they are very ample 

 compared with the size of the body ; their 

 colour is smoky-gray, transversely marked 

 with different shades of the same colour ; 

 the basal area is pale, bounded by an 

 almost white line ; the middle area is dark 

 smoke-coloured, taking the form of a broad 

 median band, on the exterior margin of 

 which are two sub-linear black marks, 

 which, perhaps, represent the orbicular dis- 

 coidal spot ; then follows a paler band amd 

 then a smoky hind-marginal area, which is 

 traversed throughout by a zigzag white 

 line : the hind wings are dingy-gray, with a 

 paler transverse median bar : the head and 

 thorax are smoky-gray ; the body, which is 

 very slender, almost like that of a Geometer, 

 pale gray. 



The CATERPILLAR resides between two 

 leaves of birch (Betula alba), carefully 

 fastened together with silken cords ; I found 

 that instead of eating the leaves it used for 

 a domicile, it left them by night and ate 

 other leaves in the neighbourhood ; when 

 ejected from its dwelling-place by day, it 

 usually retreated backwards and invariably 

 hung by a thread ; no persecution could 

 induce it to roll in a ring or feign death : 

 but when on the carpet or table-cloth it 

 crawled to some place of concealment with 

 restless and unceasing activity, these char- 

 acters, which it possesses in common with 

 several species which follow, have reminded 

 me of those of the Tortrices. The head is 

 slightly narrower than the second segment ; 

 tho crown gibbose and very shining ; the 

 body is slightly depressed dorsally and flat 



ventrally : the colour of the head is pale 

 brown across the middle of the face, and 

 has a black space between the lobes of the 

 crown, and a black spot on each side of the 

 mouth ; the dorsal area of the body is 

 occupied almost exclusively by a very broad 

 bluish smoke-coloured stripe, within which, 

 on each lateral margin, is a series of white 

 mai'ks, two on each segment ; the lateral 

 area is whitish, slightly mottled with smoke- 

 colour; the belly, legs, and claspers, are 

 dingy whitish- green. 



The MOTH appears on the wing about 

 midsummer, and has occurred in most of 

 our English counties : Mr. Birchall informs 

 us that he has taken it at Killarney, in Ire- 

 land. (The scientific name is Cymatophora 

 duplaris.) 



415. The Satin Carpet (Cymatophora fluctuosa). 



415. THE SATIN CARPET. The antennae 

 are slender and very slightly pubescent in 

 both sexes ; they are rather stouter in the 

 males ; the fore wings are very ample, 

 nearly straight on the costa, and bluntly 

 square at the tip ; their colour is pale gray 

 at the base, traversed always by one, some- 

 times by more, waved transverse lines ; the 

 middle area is occupied by a broad smoky 

 band ; this is followed by a pale gray, 

 almost white, band traversed by darker 

 lines, the exterior of which dilates and 

 deepens into a costal blotch ; the hind- 

 marginal area is smoky-gray ; the hind 

 wings are pale gray, almost white ; the head 

 and thorax are smoke-coloured, the body 

 smoky-gray. 



The CATERPILLAR resides between two 

 leaves of the birch (Betula alba) when young; 

 when older, it uses more leaves than two 

 for the purpose of a domicile, and in this 

 always remains concealed during the day, 

 feeding by night only : it has a great pro- 



