BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



may frequently be noticed on grass by roadsides. It is 



brownish in general colouration, with jet black rings, 



a white stripe on either side, and a profusion of hairy 



tufts all over the body. It has the unfailing habit of 



coiling up when disturbed. The hard, purplish-brown 



pupa is hidden in a cocoon of oval shape, and to this is 



attached a silky coverlet which enables the owner to 



spin itself up to some surrounding object on, or close to, 



the ground. The male imago is much darker and smaller 



than the female, being chocolate-brown on three-fourths 



of the upper surfaces, with a light spot on the forewings. 



There is a light dividing line of yellowish, followed by an 



outer edging of brown. The female is almost uniformly 



dressed in light brownish-yellow, and the head, thorax 



and abdomen are covered with thick " down." The 



venation of the wings is also very pronounced. As a 



rule, it takes a full year for this species to complete its 



life-cycle. 



Drinker. — {Cosmotriche potatoria.) This common 



species (Fig. i8) resorts to grassy hedgebanks and similar 



places, and is on the wing in July. The white eggs, 



marked with bluish-grey, are deposited in small batches 



on the stems of grass and other herbage. The larva 



hibernates through the Winter, but commences feeding 



again in Spring, and by the time the Cuckoo comes in 



April this bird of wandering voice finds an abundant 



food-supply close at hand. The bird in question is very 



fond of these larvae, and may be observed making a 



hasty meal of them soon after its arrival from overseas. 



The larvae seem to prefer feeding on grass blades and 



other succulent herbage after a shower of rain, when they 

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