28 FEBRUARY. 



circumstances, he would most carefully avoid, while 

 the earwigs chase each other, meeting with occasional 

 tumbles during their rapid progress, contrasting strongly 

 with the slow and measured tread of the Geometrce 

 larvae as they slowly emerge from the heap of debris 

 below. On examining the contents of the net we shall 

 find a pretty green larva (a Geometra) ; this is the 

 larva of Thera variaria. If we turn out some of the 

 rubbish, carefully examining it as we proceed, we shall 

 most likely see some small fleshy looking flat circular 

 objects, with silvery looking dots upon them : if we 

 take one in our hand we shall find it is a Geometra 

 larva coiled up into this spiral form ; this is caused 

 partly, perhaps, for the purpose of concealment, and 

 partly from cold ; for if we hold one of them in our 

 hands for a short time, or put one of them in a pill-box 

 into our pocket, we shall, after a time, find he has un- 

 coiled himself and become more active, and that the 

 silvery spots have become brighter ; this is the larvae 

 of the Red Bar (Ellopia fasciaria). But what are 

 those little brown clouded moths flitting about among 

 those oaks, now settling upon the leafless branches, 

 and now threading their way among the herbage ? this 

 is the pretty, but common, little tortrix (Tortricodes 

 Hyemana). If we look closely at the bark of that 

 rugged oak we shall see in the crevices a dark object ; 

 on closer examination we see it is a moth with its 

 wings crossed ; this is the male of Anisopteryx JEscu- 

 laria : while if we look lower down the trunk we may 

 perhaps see a dark wingless (apterous) object ; this is 

 the female of the above " Anisopteryx ^Escularia," 

 and in the same situations, upon the trunks of the 



