NOCTUKNI. 



33 



The Wood Tiger (Female). 



the orange colour occupies the basal part of 

 the wing. Fore wings of the female much 

 like those of the malej hind wings also very 

 similar, but the basal portion of the wing is 

 black. Antennae black, with a yellow spot at 

 the base in the male ; neck black in the middle, 

 bright-orange on the sides ; thorax black, with 

 four longitudinal pale markings one at the 

 base of each wing, the other intermediate be- 

 tween them, and often wanting in the female : 

 body of the male black in the middle and 

 orange at the sides ; of the female, black in 



the middle and crimson on the sides. The 

 caterpillar is of a greyish-black colour ; it is 

 covered with warts or tubercles, from which 

 spring a number of long hairs ; these are 

 much longest at the hinder extremity of the 

 caterpillar ; at both ends of the caterpillars 

 the hairs are black, but red-brown on- the 

 middle segments j the caterpillars come out 

 of the egg at the end of summer, and, after 

 feeding for fourteen days, retire for the winter 

 or hybernate until March, when they re-ap- 

 pear, and feed again for seven or eight weeks, 

 lu May they spin a slight web between the 

 leaves of various herbs, especially violets, on 

 which, as well as on plantain, and a number of 

 other plants, the caterpillar feeds. The Moth 

 comes out in May or June, and is common in 

 the woods of the south of England, especially 

 after they have been cut down. (The scien- 

 tific name is Chelonia Plantaginis.) 



72. The Tiger (Chv 



72. THE TIGER. Fore wings rich velvety- 

 brown, with cream-coloured markings, so 

 various in their size, shape, and position, that 

 it is impossible to describe them ; hind wings 

 red with blue-black spots, three of which are 

 ranged in a row parallel with the hind margin. 

 This grand insect is so variable in colour that 

 we have thought it best to give three figures 

 of it to show the curious manner in which the 



nut cftjit). (Xo. 1.) 



colours are distributed. Sometimes the brown 

 occupies the whole, not only of the fore wings, 

 but also of the hind wings, as in No. 3 ; but 

 in other specimens the cream-colour greatly 

 predominates, as in No. 2 ; the upper figure, 

 No. 1, represents the most common variety. 

 Antennae white, with a brown fringe : head 

 brown ; thorax brown, with a crimson ring 

 round the neck ; body crimson with a row of 



(No. 2.) 



EDWARD NEWMAN'S BRITISH MOTHS: " 

 No. 3. PRICE 6. / 



f LONDON: B. HABDWICKE, 

 i 192, PICCADILLY. 



