316 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is narrower 

 than the second segment, and susceptible of 

 being partially withdrawn thereinto; it is very 

 glabrous, with a few scattered bristles : the 

 body is nearly cylindrical, very gradually 

 attenuated towards the anterior margin of the 

 twelfth segment, thence suddenly sloping to 

 the anal extremity ; it has a manifest lateral 

 skinfold, and a velvety surface. The colour of 

 the head is dark brown ; the antennal papillae 

 pale at the base ; the body is rich umber- 

 brown, with a very narrow pale medio-dorsal 

 stripe on the second, third, and fourth seg- 

 ments ; also a series of pale subdorsal markings 

 on each side, and each of these is bounded 

 below by a darker oblique mark ; the lateral 

 skinfold is paler; the ventral surface, legs, and 

 claspers are reddish-brown. It feeds on several 

 low plants which preserve their green leaves 

 throughout the winter, more especially on the 

 species of violet ( Viola) ; it continues to feed 

 during the winter ; in confinement it will eat 

 the common knot-grass (Polygonumaviculare}. 

 When full-fed it retires just below, or on the 

 surface of the earth, and there spins a silken 

 cocoon, attaching particles of earth to the ex- 

 terior, and in this it changes to a short dumpy 

 CHRYSALIS, resembling those of the Cuspidates. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and 

 occurs in some abundance in most of our 

 English counties, and also in Scotland, and 

 Mr. Birchall informs us it is common in most 

 places in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Rueina tenebrosa.) 



Obs. The male is the Feathered Rustic 

 (Bombyx phceus) of Haworth (Lep. Brit, No. 

 94), and the female the Brown Rustic (Noctua 

 obsoletissima) of Haworth (Lep. Brit., No. 

 129). 



522. The Archer's Dart (Agrotis valUgera). 



522. The Archer's Dart (Agrotis valUgera). 



522. THE ARCHER'S DART. The antennae 

 of the male are decidedly ciliated, those of the 

 female simple : the fore wings have the costal 

 margin straight, the tip rather blunt, but not 

 rounded ; their ground colour is pale bistre- 

 brown, varied with dark bistre-brown mark- 

 ings ; the orbicular spot is small, compressed, 

 and ocellated, its figure elongate-oval, its 

 colour very pale, and it almost invariably has 

 a dark brown dot in the centre ; it is usually 

 placed in a dark brown wedge-shaped mark, 

 the point of which is directed towards the 

 base of the wing, while its own base rests on 

 the reniform spot, which is large and con- 

 spicuous, with a dark centre, pale circum- 

 scription, and very dark surroundings ; near 

 the base of the wing is a third oval spot, with 

 very pale circumscription and light brown 

 centre, and on this rests a very dark and 

 distinct oblong spot called the claviform : th? 

 costal margin has three rather conspicuous 

 pale narrow spots, the third opposite the 



