374 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



principally in Devonshire, especially at Ply- 

 mouth, Ivybridge, Bickleigh, Devonport, 

 Exeter, and Barnstaple ; also in Somersetshire, 

 Wiltshire, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Wor- 

 cestershire, &c. (The scientific name is 

 Hoporma croceago.) 



698. The Orange Sallow (Xanthia eitrago). 



598. THE ORANGE SALLOW. The palpi 

 are rather long, straight, and very sharp- 

 pointed ; the antennae are simple in both 

 sexes : the fore wings are slightly arched and 

 pointed at the tip ; their colour is saffron- 

 yellow ; the discoidal spots have a very 

 siender but perceptible circumscription some- 

 what darker than the general area of the 

 wing; the reniform has its median area also 

 darker; three darker transverse lines cross the 

 wing, dividing it- into four nearly equal por- 

 tions ; the first of these is very slender ; it 

 originates on the costa, tends for a short dis- 

 tance towards the anal angle, and then is sud- 

 denly elbowed ; turning towards the base of 

 the inner margin, before it reaches which it is 

 again elbowed, and finally meets the second 

 transverse line on the inner margin ; the 

 second is oblique, and rather diffuse, but 

 much the most conspicuous of the three ; the 

 third is very slender, but very distinct ; it is 

 situated half-way between the second and the 

 hind margin : the hind wings are slightly 

 tinged with saffron, but very pale ; the head 

 and thorax are of the same colour as the fore 

 wings; the body as the hind wings. 



The CATERPILLAR, according to Freyer, is 

 gray, with paler medio-dorsal and sub dorsal 

 stripes ; the latter is surmounted on each 

 segment with a black spot and three or four 

 white dots: there is a lateral stripe in the 

 region of the spiracles, edged above with black. 

 It feeds on the, lower leaves of the lime (Tilia 

 europcea), eating the green portion, and leaving 

 the veins like a network. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September, 

 and is not uncommon in most of the English 

 counties, principally in the south, but extend- 

 ing as far north as Northumberland. I am 

 not aware that it has been taken in Scotland 

 but Mr. Birchall reports it from the County 

 Wicklow in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Xanthia citrago.) 



699. The Sallow (Xanthia cerago). 



&J9. THE SALLOW. The palpi are almost 

 concealed by the scales on the head, the 

 terminal joint being small and naked : the 

 fore wings are very slightly arched, and very 

 indistinctly pointed at the tip; their colour is 

 canary-yellow; the orbicular spot is indis- 

 tinguishable ; the reniform almost so, it is 

 only rendered perceptible by its lower half 

 being dark smoky-brown, and forming a spot 

 in the very centre of the wing; the wing ia 

 transversely traversed by many cloudy mak- 

 ings of sienna-brown, inclining to purple, 

 all of whirh are strongly pronounced on the 

 costal margin, but vanish before reaching the 

 inner margin ; the position and direction of 

 these will be seen in the upper figure : the 

 hind wings are almost white : the head is 

 pale canary yellow ; the thorax is bright 

 yellow and crested, it is slightly paler in 

 front ; the body is pale. The variety Fla- 

 vescnis of Esper, represented in the lower 

 figure, is pale yellow without any of the 

 cloudy transverse markings, but having the 

 central spot, which from the absence of 

 other markings is rendered very conspi- 



