MOTHS. 181 



A small family, including rather discordant genera. The 

 European species of Xyleutes, Hiibn., are brown, reticulated with 

 black; the Goat Moth, X. Cossus, Linn., is a very heavy-looking 

 moth, three or four inches in expanse. Its great dark-red naked 

 larva feeds in the wood of old willows, etc., and takes three years 

 to arrive at maturity. 



Some of the South European species allied to Cossus are of 

 very small size, scarcely exceeding an inch in expanse ; these 

 belong to the genera Endagria, Boisd., and Stygia, Latr. 



Phragmatcecia Arundinis, Hiibn., is a light-brown insect, which 

 frequents marshy localities. The wings and abdomen are longer 

 and narrower than in the other genera of this family. 



Zeuzera jtEsculi, Linn., is a white, rather woolly-looking insect, 

 adorned with numerous steel-blue spots ; it is called the Wood- 

 Leopard Moth. The larva feeds in the smaller branches of several 

 forest and fruit trees. Many of the foreign species are of large 

 size and splendid colours, the wings being frequently marked with 

 blue or green. The largest species is Z. Eucalypti, Herr.-Schaff., a, 

 brown Australian species, with a broad white longitudinal stripe 

 on the fore wings ; the female sometimes measures seven or eight 

 inches in expanse. 



FAMILY XVI. Hepialidce. 



Antennae short ; wings rather long and narrow, rounded at the* 

 tips ; abdomen generally extending far beyond the hind wings. 



The typical genus of this family is Hepialus, Fabr. The largest 

 British species is H. Humuli, Linn., the Ghost Moth, which flies 

 with a peculiar hovering flight. The male is white above and 

 brown below ; and the female has yellow fore wings, with brick- 

 red markings, and the hind wings are of a pinky red. The smaller 

 species are brown or red, with white markings on the fore wings, 

 and are known as Swifts. 



Some of the foreign species, like those of Zeuzera, are large and 

 handsome. The genus Charagia, Walk., includes several beautifu 1 

 species from Australia and New Zealand, with green markings. 



Another large and beautiful species is Leto Venus, Stoll., a 

 native of South Africa. It is fawn-coloured, elegantly spotted 

 with silver. 



