GEOMETERS. 



S3 



on the hind wings, is not unfrequently entirely 

 filled up by dark brown, and when this is 

 the case the lines themselves are scarcely 

 visible, but a broad brown band or riband 

 crosses the middle of all the wings. This is 

 the true " riband wave." When this band or 

 riband is present there is generally also a 

 waved, narrow, and rather indistinct band 

 between it and the hind margin ; the hind 

 margin itself has a delicate brown line, inter- 

 rupted only by the wing-rays ; the fringes of 

 all the wings are of the same ground colour as 

 the wings themselves* but at the end of each 

 wing-ray is a round brown dot in the fringe. 



The CATERPILLAR is rough, rather like 

 shagreen, being divided transversely into 

 narrow sections of segments, and these being 

 composed of minute warts ; its ground colour 

 is dark brown, except towards the anal ex- 

 tremity, which is ochreous-gray ; on each side 

 in the region of the spiracles is a pale, almost 

 white line : it feeds on a great number of 

 hedgerow plants, as water avens, common 

 avens (Gcum rivale and G. urlanuni), meadow 

 sweet (Xj>i ><!<! ulmarici), &c. 



The MOTH appears about midsummer, and is 

 very common in England, Scotland, and 

 Ireland. (The scientific name is Acidalia 

 aversata.) 



brown line interrupted only at the wing-rays ; 

 the space between, the outer transverse line 

 and the hind margin on all the wings is fre- 

 quently intersected by one or two paler 

 waved transverse lines ; the fringe is un- 

 spotted. 



The CATERPILLAR rests in a straight posture, 

 and does not fall off its food when touched or 

 disturbed; the head looks downward, and not 

 forward ; the body is rather flattened, and 

 spread out at the sides ; the divisions of the 

 segments are very clearly marked, and each 

 segment is divided by transverse furrows into 

 eight rings ; these rings in the second, third, 

 fourth, ninth, and following segments are 

 composed of warts which emit short stumpy 

 bristles ; the colour is red-brown, with little 

 variation of shade, but having a whitish me- 

 dian spot on the back of the sixth and seventh 

 i segments. This caterpillar feeds on several 

 low plants, and also on low shoots of willow ; 

 it is full fed at the end of May ; and then 

 spins a slight web among the leaves of its 

 food plant, and therein changes to a CHRYSALIS. 

 The MOTH appeai-s about midsummer : it is 

 not common, but has been taken in several 

 i of the English counties, and at Kingstown 

 | and Killarney, in Ireland, but not in Scotland. 

 (The scientific name is Acidalia inornata.} 



191. The Plain Wave (Acidalia inornata). 



194. THE PLAIN WAVE. The antennae of 

 the male are very slightly pubescent, those of 

 the female quite simple. All the wings are of 

 a pale dingy yellowish gray with a slightly 

 iridescent gloss something like mother-of- 

 pcarl ; the fore wings having generally five 

 transverse waved lines, and the hind wings 

 four j all these are very pale, although darker 

 than the ground colour of the wing : on the 

 fore wings there is a central brown spot on. 

 the second line ; on the hind wings there is a 

 similar central spot on or just below the first 

 line ; the hind margin itself has a delicate 



195. The Portland Eiband Wave (Acidalia 

 degeneraria) . 



195. THE PORTLAND RIBAND WAVE. 

 Antennae simple in both sexes. Fore wings 

 slightly hooked : all the wings pale yellowish- 

 gray, the fore wings having a reddish costal 

 margin and a broad transverse brown band 

 situated rather before the middle of the wing ; 

 in this band is a central brown spot ; half 

 way between this band and the hind margin 

 are two transverse waved lines very near 

 together, the inner being rather darker than 

 the outer; the hind margin itself has a 

 delicate dark line ; hind wings with the basal 



