430 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



and all of them very dark sepia-brown : the 

 body is decidedly crested on the second, and 

 less so on the third and fourth segments, and 

 is dark gray-brown, the crests being darker. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September 

 and October, and comes freely to sugar, it is 

 also attracted by ivy blossom ; it occurs 

 principally in our southern and midland 

 counties. The name does not occur in the 

 Irish list. (The scientific name is Xylina 

 semibrunnea.) 



667. The Pale Pinion (Xylina petrificata). 



667. THE PALE PINION. The palpi are 

 porrected, and have the terminal joint almost 

 naked ; the antenna? are almost simple in both 

 sexes ; the frontal tuft is four-lobed, the 

 lobes forming a square, two points being above 

 and two below the insertion of the antennfe : 

 the fore wings are long and narrow, the 

 costal and inner-marginal borders being almost 

 parallel ; theircolour is wainscot-brown, varied 

 with a number of zigzag markings parallel to 

 the hind margin : the hind wings are gray- 

 brown, the head and thorax are wainscot- 

 brown, the latter is almost square, and has 

 three longitudinal crests or rather ridges, the 

 middle slightly projecting over the head at its 

 anterior extremity : the body is gray-brown, 

 with a medio-dorsal series of small crests 

 which are darker at the tips. 



The CATERPILLAR is pale green, with white 

 dorsal and lateral stripes : the head and legs 

 are black, the claspers green (Parfitt in litt.}. 

 It feeds on oak (Quercus robur), lime (Tilia 

 Juropoea),&c. (Stainton's Manual, vol. i. 283.) 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September 

 and October, and again, after hybernation, in 

 March and April ; it is very abundant in the 

 south-western counties, and as far north as 

 Herefordshire. In Ireland it is widely dis- 

 tribiited and frequently abundant. Mr. Birch- 



all says : " I once saw an ivy bush near Tulla- 

 more, the flowers of which were ewarming 

 with this insect." (The scientific name is 

 Xylina petrificata.} 



668. The Mullein (Cucullia Vcrbasci). 



668. THE MULLEIN. Thepalpiare slightly 

 porrected and form a conspicuous tuft beneath 

 the head, the second joint being so densely 

 clothed with bristle-like scales as almost tohide 

 the terminal joint, which is short and very 

 nearly naked ; the antenna? are quite simple in 

 both sexes ; the fore wings are narrow, very 

 straight on the costa until towards the tip, 

 where it is finely arched ; the hind margin is 

 regularly scalloped, the notched border of the 

 fringe making the scallops still more conspi- 

 cuous ; their colour is rich umber-brown along 

 the costal margin, delicately shaded to pale 

 wainscot-brown along the middle of the wing, 

 the inner margin again being dark umber- 

 brown, interrupted about the middle by two 

 pale crescents : the hind wings are smoky- 

 brown, paler at the base, and having the 

 fringe also paler and intersected throughout 

 by a darker line : the head is darkish brown, 

 the collar delicate wainscot-brown, and raised 

 into a very distinct crest, which is bordered 

 behind by darker brown ; the sides of the 

 thorax are pale wainscot-brown ; the body ft 

 crested and dingy -brown, with a very dark 

 medio dorsal stripe which is broadest imme- 

 diately behind the collar, and gradually de- 

 creases into a series of points. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is slightly 

 narrower than the second segment, and sub- 

 spherical in shape ; the body is very stout, 

 slightly wrinkled transversely, and uniformly 

 cylindrical : the colour of the head is yellowish 

 with a few black spots, of the body pale o* 



