154 NATURAL HISTORY. 



two oblique brown stripes upon the fore wings ; on each 

 of the posterior wings is a large moonshaped spot of 

 brown ; the caterpillar, also brown, is two inches long, 

 lives on the alder and birch, and with its brown, rugged, 

 ligneous-looking body extended along the branch, may- 

 be easily mistaken for a dry twig. It changes in the 

 summer to a brown pupa, and makes its cocoon in the 

 earth or under leaves. 



The Birch Surveyor (geometra betularia). Two 

 inches long ; is yellow or greenish-white, with numerous 

 dark points and stripes ; the antennae of the males feath- 

 ery. The caterpillar, from two to tAvo and a half inches 

 in length, is very handsome ; lives on different trees and 

 shrubs ; always changes its color after feeding, but, when 

 stretched out to rest, resembles a dead twig. It does not 

 assume the pupa form until late autumn, when, as a 

 nympha of a dark brown color, it undergoes the transition 

 state in a smooth hole in the earth, coming forth in May. 



2. XOCTUA. 



The butterflies of this family are tolerably large and 

 more brightly colored than the Geometra or Loopers ; 

 head large ; antennae often pectinated ; proboscis very 

 short ; body hairy. The caterpillar is flat, seldom hairy, 

 and mostly dark colored. Enclosed in a cocoon, they 

 pass the transition stage in the earth. 



St. John's Bird (noctua jacobaea) is an inch and a 

 half long ; black and very common ; the upper wings, 

 dark brown, have each a stripe and two eye-shaped spots 

 of carmine color ; the under wings of the latter color, 

 bordered with black. The caterpillar, ringed alternately 

 yellow and black, lives in the flowers of the St. John's 



