NOCTTJAS. 



375 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is shining and 

 of a ferruginous- brown colour : the second 

 segment has a dorsal shining corneous plate 

 nearly black with three white lines, the 

 middle one of which is rather obscure, the 

 outer ones very distinct ; the colour of the 

 body is violet brown, and with a medio-dorsal 

 stripe bordered by two pale thread-like lines ; 

 there is a lateral line, of pearl-gray colour, in 

 the region of the spiracles : it is found in early 

 spring feeding on the catkins of the sallow 

 (Saiix caprea), but as it approaches its full 

 growth it leaves the sallows, and feeds on the 

 plants which grow near the ground. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September, 

 and occurs in all our English counties, and 

 occasionally also in Scotland. Mr. Birchall 

 says it is common in the County Wicklow in 

 Ireland. (The scientific name is Xanthia 

 cerago.) 



600. The Pink -barred Sallow (Xanthia silago). 



600. THE PINK-BARRED SALLOW. The palpi 

 are rather long, porrected, and sharp-pointed : 

 the antennae are simple in both sexes : the 

 fore wings are very slightly arched on the 

 costa and incompletely pointed at the tip : 

 their colour is orange-yellow : the discoidal 

 spots are scarcely to be recognized ; there are 

 several ferruginous-purple markings on the 

 wing ; first there is a conspicuous blotch on 

 the costa near its base, beyond which are 

 four small sjx)ts on the costa ; then a broad 

 but broken band extending from the costa 

 obliquely to the middle of the inner margin ; 

 there are other small spots between this band 

 and the base of the wing, and a semi-double 

 transverse series of similarly-coloiired spots 

 between the band and the hind margin : the 

 hind wings are very pale, but the hind margin 

 is decidedly tinged with yellow ; the head 

 and front of the thorax are deep ferruginous- 



purple ; the hind part of the thorax is yellow ; 

 the body grayish yellow. 



The CATERPILLAR is reddish-brown with 

 numerous brown, red, yellow, and white dots, 

 by which a paler lateral stripe is formed 

 (Freyer). (Staintoris Manual, vol. i., p. 253, 

 under the name of Flavago.) It feeds on the 

 sallow (Salix caprea). 



The MOTH appears on the wing in Sep- 

 tember, and has occurred in all our English 

 counties, and also in Scotland. Mr. Birchall 

 has taken it not uncommonly in the counties 

 Wicklow and Dublin, in Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Xanthia silago.) 



601. The Bwred Sallow (Xanthia aurago). 



601. THE BARRED SALLOW. The palpi are 

 conspicuously porrected ; the antennae are 

 simple : the fore wings have the costal margin 

 very slightly arched, and the tip pointed ; 

 their colour is yellow, with a ferruginous- 

 purple band at the base, and another broadly 

 occupying the whole of the hind margin, but 

 interrupted throughout by a transverse waved 

 yellow line which expands into a blotch at the 

 tip of the wing ; the discoidal spots are repre- 

 sented by two small and imperfectly defined 

 ferruginous-purple marks, the orbicular being 

 the larger and somewhat reniform, the reni- 

 form the smaller and somewhat orbicular ; the 

 hind wings are pale fulvous-yellow, with an 

 indistinct crescentic discoidal spot, and 

 double bar, also indistinct, on thehind margin ; 

 the head is yellow tinged with pink; the 

 thorax yellow, variegated with ferruginov.s- 

 purple, inclining to pink ; the body is of the 

 same colour as the hind wings. 



Although there is something like a descrip- 

 tion of the CATERPILLAR I cannot trust to it. 

 M. Guenee says " it is imperfectly known. 

 It feeds on birch (Fagus sylvatica). 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September, 



