NOCTUAS. 



255 



432. The Coronet (A crony eta Ligustri). 



432. THE CORONET. The antennae are 

 simple, but stouter in the male than in the 

 female ; the colour of the fore wings is 

 dark rich brown, sometimes with a tinge of 

 green, and always marbled and mottled ; 

 the orbicular spot is indicated by a white 

 outline ; the reniform has a white exterior 

 border, and beyond it is a large whitish 

 blotch, which has a double black outline : 

 the hind wings are brown-gray : the thorax, 

 like the fore wings, is marbled with dark 

 brown and white ; the body, like the hind 

 wings, is brown-gray. 



The CATERPILLAR will not roll in a ring 

 when handled. The head is of a delicate 

 green, almost transparent, and very shining ; 

 the mouth dark brown, or almost black. 

 The body is of a glaucous- green, with a 

 very narrow median white stripe down the 

 back, not always extending to the second 

 or thirteenth segment ; there is another 

 stripe, rather broader than the median 

 stripe, and of a yellowish white on each 

 side, extending from the head the entire 

 length of the caterpillar ; this is about 

 equidistant between the dorsal stripe and 

 the spiracles ; each segment emits eight, 

 ten, or twelve delicate silky-looking bristles. 

 It feeds principally on ash (Fraxinus ex- 

 celsior), but also sometimes on privet 

 (Ligustrum vulgare) , and is full-fed towards 

 the end of September, when it buries under 

 the moss growing on the trunks of ash- 

 trees. Mr. Greene says the CHRYSALIS is 

 to be found abundantly in such situations, 

 and directs that the moss must be torn off 

 very carefully, when the chrysalis-case, 

 which is black and very tough (not hard), 

 will, in most cases, be found adhering to 

 the moss ; if there be no moss, examine 

 the trunk. There are often long perpen- 

 dicular slits in the bark of ash-trees, and 

 this is a favourite retreat of this species. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June 

 and July, and is considered moderately 

 common both in England and Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Acronycta Ligustri.) 



433. The Knot-^rass {Acronycta Rumicis). 



433. THE KNOT-(TRASS. The antennae 

 are simple in both sexes, but rather stouter 

 in the male ; the colour of the fore wings 

 is dark gray, marbled and mottled with 

 black : the orbicular and reniform spots 

 are visible in outline, but are indistinct; 

 there are two rather small and closely 

 approximate white spots placed transversely 

 near the hind margin at two-thirds of the 

 distance between the base and anal angle : 

 the hind wings are brown-gray, the base 

 and fringe being paler : the thorax is mot- 

 tled and marbled with pale gray, almost 

 white, and dark gray, almost black : the 

 body is brown- gray. 



The EGGS are laid on the leaves of very 

 many low herbaceous plants in May or 

 June, and the CATERPILLAR is full-fed by 

 the second week in July : it then rests in a 

 nearly straight position, but with the head 

 somewhat bent under the anterior seg- 

 ments : when annoyed, it falls from its 

 food-plant feigning death and rolls in a 

 ring, but very soon unrolls and commences 

 crawling with some rapidity. The head is 

 rather narrower than the second segment ; 

 and manifestly narrower than those which 

 follow ; the body is obese, the segments 

 swollen, the incisions between them deep ; 

 on every segment is a transverse series" of 

 ten warts, all somewhat dilated and flat- 

 tened, and each emitting a fascicle of 

 spreading bristles. The colour of the head 



