284 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



In all three varieties the reniform spot is 

 of the usual form, the orbicular oblong and 

 oblique. 



The CATERPILLAR is obese, cylindrical, shin- 

 ing, and of a reddish colour, the second seg- 

 ment having a darker tint than the rest, 

 and being adorned with three longitudinal 

 streaks, which serve as the commencement of 

 three stripes, one of which is medio-dorsal, 

 dingy white, and bordered on each side with 

 brown ; the others are lateral and bordered 

 on the upper side with brick- dust red : it 

 feeds on the species of Primula, Rumex, and 

 several grasses, and when full fed buries 

 itself just below the surface of the earth, and 

 there forms a very fragile earthen cocoon, in 

 which it changes to a CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and 

 is common in most of our English counties ; it 

 has also been taken in Scotland by Dr. Gordon, 

 and it is said by Mr. Birchall to be common 

 and widely distributed in Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Xylophasia rurea.) 



476. The Light Arches (Xylophasia lithoxylea). 



476. THE LIGHT ARCHES. The palpi are 

 curved and very slightly porrected, and the 

 terminal joint is slender; the antennae are 

 slightly ciliated : the fore wings are narrow, 

 nearly straight on the costa, blunt at the tip, 

 and waved on the hind margin ; their colour is 

 very pale wainscot-brown or whitey-brown : 

 they have on them three darker but very 

 imperfectly defined blotches, the first near the 

 middle of the costal margin, the second below 

 the middle of the wing, and the third at the 

 anal angle ; I do not trace the discoidal spots, 

 but there is a transverse series of dark dots 

 beyond the middle of the wing, and each is 

 seated on a wing-ray : the hind wings are very 



pale and thinly clothed with scales, so as to 

 appear semi-transparent, but they have a 

 rather darker though indistinct crescentic dis- 

 coidal spot, and an equally indistinct bar 

 parallel with the hind margin : the hea^, 

 thorax, and body are of the same pale colour 

 as the wings ; the thorax and body are crested ; 

 the body has a large spreading tuft at the 

 extremity. 



The CATERPILLAR has been described in 

 the Entomologists' Weekly Intelligencer by 

 Mr. Robsou, who says, " I have bred Xylo- 

 phasia lithoxylea this summer from a cater- 

 pillar found at the roots of grass : it was of 

 large size ; the colour dirty white, with 

 bluish tinge below; head and tail black, with 

 two rows of black shining spots on each seg- 

 ment, one hair in each spot. I found it on 

 the 8th of May : it seemed then nearly full 

 fed. The perfect insect appeared on the 8th 

 of July." 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June, 

 usually about midsummer : it is very common 

 in England ; has be^n taken in Scotland, and 

 is common and widely distributed in Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Xylophasia lithoxylea.) 



477. The Eeddieh Light Arches (Xylophasia 



sublustris) . 



477. THE REDDISH LIGHT ARCHES. The- 

 palpi are short, curved, and scarcely porrected ; 

 the antennae are slightly ciliated in the male : 

 the fore wings are nearly straight on the costa, 

 blunt at the tip, and waved on the hind mar- 

 gin ; their colour is wainscot -brown, tinged 

 with the reddish hue of raw sienna ; there is a 

 darker transverse median blotch, almost con- 

 tinued into a band, but ceasing before the inner 

 margin ; there are two other blotches of ex- 

 actly the same tint on the hind margin, the 

 first rather above the middle of the wing, the 



