VAPOURER— PALE TUSSOCK 



FAMILY LYMANTRIWrn, OR TUSSOCK- 

 MOTHS 



Vapourer. — {Orgyia antiqua.) Of general distribu- 

 tion, the Vapourer Moth is nevertheless of great interest 

 because the female only possesses rudimentary wings > and 

 is incapable of flight. It is not at all particular as to its 

 food-plant, and is found in our large cities as well as in 

 the heart of the country. The pale brownish eggs are 

 deposited in batches on the remains of the cocoon, and 

 each egg is indented at the top. They do not hatch 

 until the succeeding Spring, and Tits do an immense 

 amount of good in searching for and devouring them 

 during Winter time. The violet, or greyish, larva is 

 characterised by the possession of four little brushes, or 

 tussocks, of hair which has given this family of moths 

 their popular name. The somewhat hairy pupa is 

 blackish in colour, with a pronounced polish, and it is 

 enclosed in a silky cocoon suspended in sundry places. 

 The male imago is reddish-brown, with a white spot on 

 each of the forewings. The wingless female is smoke- 

 grey. 



Pale Tussock. — (Dasychira pudihinda.) This species 

 (Fig. i6) seems to prefer the Southern Counties, but also 

 occurs elsewhere, though unknown in Scotland. It 

 appears in May and June, and dehghts in bracken- 

 covered areas near woods. The larva, however, feeds 



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