446 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



and interrupted sub-dorsal stripe, and a 

 spiracular stripe of the ground-colour between 

 two shades of a brick-red colour ; the head is 

 concolorous with the body, and has two black 

 spots ; the legs are reddish : it feeds in August 

 and September on different species of bramble 

 (Rubus fruticosiis, <fec.). 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 July, and seems common in Cornwall and 

 Devonshire, and also in Monk's Wood among 

 brambles ; it is occasionally found by Mr. 

 Doubleday at Epping among brambles in dry 

 situations. Mr. Birchall informs us of this 

 species, also Bankia argentula and Hydrelia 

 unca,ihsit they occur in profusion at Killarney, 

 in Ireland ; he says : " Any one who has 

 traversed the bogs of the county Kerry in the 

 early part of June, will not soon forget the 

 astonishing numbers of tlie.se three insects, 

 which rise around him as he pushes his way 

 through the thick growth of sweet-gale (Myrica 

 gale). 



689. The Silver-barred (Bankia argentula). 



689. THE SILVER-BARRED. The palpi are 

 porrected, rather long, very slender, and 

 sharp-pointed ; the antennae are slightly 

 pubescent in both sexes : the fore wings are 

 slightly arched on the costa, and sharply so at 

 the base ; their colour is olive-green with two 

 white bars ; 'the first commences near the 

 middle of the inner margin, and ascends 

 obliquely to the costal margin near its base, 

 it then proceeds along the costa until it touches 

 the thorax, and then curving downwards 

 ceases on the inner margin near its base ; the 

 second white bar commences near the anal 

 angle and ascends obliquely to near the middle 

 of the costal mat-gin; just beyond its middle 



this bar projects a lobe towards the base of 

 the wing ; there is an oblique white line near 

 the tip of the wing, and a double whitish band 

 on the hind margin : the hind wings are gray : 

 the head is olive-green sprinkled with white 

 scales ; the collar olive-green in front, white 

 behind ; the body is gray and slightly crested, 

 its shape is linear, and its extremity tufted in 

 the male ; it is stouter, porrected, and pointed 

 in the female. 



The CATERPILLAR, according to Guenee, is 

 green, the dorsal area and the incisions of the 

 segments being a little darker ; there are two 

 lateral stripes of a yellowish-white, both of 

 them surmounted and bordered with dark 

 green : the head and legs are also green : it 

 feeds on grasses. The CHRYSALIS is short and 

 enclosed in a small oval cocoon on the surface 

 of the earth. 



The MOTH appears on the wing iu June, and 

 has been taken in profusion at Killarney. Mr. 

 Stainton also gives Beachamwell, in Norfolk, 

 and Whittlesea Mere, in Cambridgeshire, as 

 localities where it has occurred. (The scien- 

 tific name is Bankia argentula.) 



690. The Silver Hook (Hydrelia unca). 



690. THE SILVER HOOK. The palpi are 

 porrected, slender, widely separated, and 

 pointed ; the antennae are short, slender, and 

 very slightly pubescent in both sexes : the 

 costal margin of the fore wings is straight ; 

 there is a costal stripe of dove-colour, some- 

 times tinged with ochreous, and this is bordered 

 below by another stripe almost white ; the 

 disk of the wing is wood-brown, excepting 

 the reniform, which is of the same white hue 

 as the sub-marginal stripe, of which it seems 

 to form an oblique projecting lobe ; the hind- 

 marginal band is most delicately lined with 

 different shades of brown, the extreme inRfl? 

 and extreme outer borders of this band being 



