302 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



colour to a rich chestnut-brown ; there is a 

 conspicuous but small pale spot on the costa 

 immediately above the reniforrn, and other 

 smaller ones nearer the tip ; there is also an 

 irregular series of yellowish dots on the disk 

 of the wing parallel with its hind margin : the 

 hind wings are pale towards the base, very 

 dark smoky-brown towards the hind margin, 

 tliis colour forming a broad band ; thecrescentic 

 discoidal spot and wing-rays in the pale portion 

 of the wings are darker : the thorax, which 

 has a double crest in front, is dark bistre- 

 brown ; the body is smoky gray-brown, with 

 a ferruginous tuft at the base ; the tip has a 

 triple tuft in the male, the median lobe being 

 erected, the lateral lobes arched. 



The EG is laid in June and July, and the 

 young CATERPILLAR emerges toward the end 

 of the latter month ; when full-fed it r-'lls it- 

 self in a tight ring if disturbed, and falls to 

 the ground ; the head is rather small, and 

 partially withdrawn into the second segment 

 when at rest , the body is smooth, very stout, 

 and somewhat attenuated anteriorly ; the 

 twelfth segment is the largest, tumid and 

 obtusely humped : the colour is various, 

 bright green, dingy green, rosy brown, or 

 dark brown ; as in many other cases where 

 this difference of colour prevails, the brown 

 specimens generally produce males, the green 

 ones females ; in the following definition I 

 describe only the intensity, not the colour of 

 the markings. The head shining, pale, mottled 

 with darker; the second segment has a nearly 

 square dark velvety patch on the back, 

 bounded on each side by a longitudinal white 

 line, and being intersected in the middle by a 

 third longitudinal white line ; a pale narrow 

 median stripe commences at the terminationof 

 this short white line, and terminates on the 

 twelfth segment ; on each side are two series 

 of oblique dark markings; those of the upper 

 series commence on the fifth segment; and are 

 continued to the twelfth segment, each com- 

 mencing about the middle of the side, pass 

 obliquely upwards and backwards to the 

 median stripe, and there meet a corresponding 

 marking on the opposite sside, thus forming 

 a series of V-shaped markings, the points of 



the V's directed backwards; those V's on the 

 fifth and sixth segments have the greatest in- 

 tensity ; the twelfth segment is also much 

 darker than the rest, but the dark portion has 

 lost the V-shape ; there is a slender dark 

 rivulet stripe on each side below the V-shaped 

 markings, and from this descend five other 

 oblique markings, taking an opposite direction 

 to the upper ones, and terminating in the 

 claspers ; in the upper part of each of these 

 is situated a white spiracle ; the twelfth seg- 

 ment has a pale squarish patch behind ; the 

 anterior part of the body is dark beneath. It 

 feeds on a great variety of plants, and is pai*- 

 ticularly fond of elder ; is full-fed at the end 

 of September, and buries itself in the earth 

 in order to undergo the change to a CHRYSALIS. 

 The MOTH appears at the end of June, and 

 is common throughout July in most of our 

 English counties, and extends also into 

 Scotland ; but Mr. Birchall did not meet with 

 it in Ireland. (The scientific name is Ma- 

 mestra Persicarice. ) 



501. The Rustic Shonlder-Knot (Apamea basilinea). 



501. THE EUSTIC SHOULDER-KNOT. The 

 antennae are slightly ciliated in the male ; the 

 palpi are porrected and prominent, the second 

 joint densely clothed with scales, the terminal 

 joint very distinct and almost naked : the fore 

 wings have the hind margin slightly waved ; 

 their colour is pale ochreous-brown, marbled 

 with shades of greater or less intensity ; the 

 orbicular is ra! her oblique and very indistinct ; 

 the renifonn is more cleai'ly defined, its border 

 outlined in dingy white, and the lower half of 

 its area filled with smoky-brown ; there is a 

 short black line at the base directed towards, 

 but not nearly reaching, the middle of the 

 winer : this black line is slightly elbowed in 

 the middle, and often emits at the elbotv a 



