592 



INSECTA ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. 



across the wings. They are remarkable for having the proboscis modified 

 into a kind of boring instrument, with which they pierce the skin of oranges, 

 and suck out the contents. 



We now come to the Geometrce, or land-measurers, which may always be 

 distinguished (if the transformations are known) by the larvae only possessing 

 ten legs, the first three pairs of prolegs being obsolete. 

 Geometrsa. When they walk they fix themselves by the last pair of pro- 

 legs and the claspers, stretch out their bodies, fix themselves 

 firmly by their true legs, and then draw up the four hinder legs, and repeat 

 the process. Thus, the body of the caterpillar is archeH into a loop at every 

 step, and these caterpillars are often called " loopers" on that account. This 

 performance, though it takes a long time to describe, is nevertheless com- 

 paratively rapid, and the larvae are able to make as good progress as other 

 caterpillars with the full complement of legs. These curious larvae often fix 

 themselves, as described, by the claspers and hind pair of prolegs, and stretch 

 their bodies straight out, when they look for all the world like little bits of 

 green or dried twigs. 



Most of these moths have slender bodies and broad wings. They are 

 frequently adorned with bright colours, and the fore and hind-wings are, 

 more or less similar in markings ; some species, however, have short, thick, 

 hairy bodies, and resemble Bombyces, except in their larvae. In several 



brown species, which appear during tho 

 winter, the females have only rudi- 

 mentary wings. One of the commonest 

 of the Geometrce is the magpie moth, 

 Abraxas grossulariata (Linn.), which 

 is found among gooseberry and currant 

 bushes, on the leaves of which tho 

 larvae feed. It measures an inch and a 

 half across the wings, which are white, 

 with black and yellowish spots. 



The next group of moths, the Pyrales, 

 have long slender legs and antennae, 

 slender bodies, and large wings, the 

 fore-wings being generally triangular, and the hind-wings rounded. They 

 are of rather small size, rarely much exceeding an inch in expanse, and are 

 often white, grey or yellow. Two of the best 

 known species, the small magpie, Botys urticata 

 (Linn.), which is white, marked with large black 

 spots ; and the mother-of-pearl, B. verticalis 

 (Linn.), are common among nettles. Some of 

 the smaller white and brown species are found 

 among reeds, the larvae feeding on water plants ; 

 other small species of this family, which fre- 

 quent hill-sides and mountains, are black, with 

 or without white lines or spots ; or are beauti- 

 fully marked with purple and gold. 



The foregoing butterflies and moths mostly include species of comparatively 

 large size, and are therefore often called Macro-Lepidoptera. The succeeding 

 families mostly include small moths. The first group of these is the Crambi, 

 which were frequently included in the Pyrales by the older entomologists. 

 They are small moths, generally not much exceeding an inch in expanse, 



Fig. 79. MAGPIE MOTH (Abraxas 

 grossulariata). Nat. size. 



Fig. 80. SMALL MAGPIE MOTH 

 (Botys urticata). Nat. size. 



