79 



THE BROWN TAIL MOTH. 

 Phalasna Phaorrhoea BRITAIN. 



PLATE XXVIII. 



Phatana Phaeorrhcea, Curtis's Hist. \782.-Marsh, Linn. 

 Tr. v. p. 68 Donovan's Brit. Ins. xvi. p. 39, pi. 555. 



THE antennae taper from the base ; the wings 

 of the male are yellowish, or cream yellow, and from 

 one inch and a third to one and a half inch ; the 

 female is from one inch and a half to two-thirds, 

 and pure white above. The first pair of wings 

 have a dusky cloud on the upper edge in the male ; 

 the antennae ferruginous ; the abdomen dark umber 

 brown, with the last segment of an orange brown. 



The caterpillar is black, with longitudinal double 

 lines of red along the back ; and each segment 

 spotted with white along the sides. The pupa is 

 brownish black. 



The history of this little moth is very interest- 

 ing, and was given at considerable length by Mr 

 W. Curtis, author of the " Flora Londinensis." 



In the year 1782, the inhabitants of London and 

 its vicinity were thrown into the utmost consterna- 

 tion by the appearance of a phenomenon far from 

 usual in the northern regions of the earth, a host 

 of insects, in numbers like the locusts of the deserts, 



