122 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



262. THE TAWNY SPECK. The central disk 

 of the fore wings is bright ferruginous, the 

 base, costal margin and hind margin being 

 smoky brown, and a nearly circular discoidal 

 spot is quite black ; the costal margin is inter- 

 rupted by numerous short, transverse, waved, 

 gray lines, and the hind marginal band is 

 intersected by a zigzag whitish line ; the 

 hind wings are smoke-coloured ; the head, 

 thorax, and body are also smoke-coloured ; 

 the body has a bright ferruginous belt near 

 the base. 



Two varieties of the CATERPILLAR are thus 

 described by Mr. Crewe : 



"'Var. 1. Reddish brown; the central 

 dorsal line pale olive, connecting a series of 

 perfectly oval, dusky olive blotches, which 

 become confluent on the anterior and posterior 

 segments; the sub-dorsal lines are blackish red, 

 interrupted ; they are dark opposite the dorsal 

 blotches, and pule and almost, if not quite, 

 evanescent between them ; the median dorsal 

 blotches are pale in the centre, very close 

 together, and almost confluent ; the spiracular 

 line is white ; the back is thickly studded 

 with minute white tubercles, and less thickly 

 with whitish hairs ; the belly is whitish, with 

 a purplish central line. 



" Var. 2. Ground colour pale yellowish 

 brown. Markings similar to Var. 1." 



It feeds on the leaves, flowers, and seeds of 

 the common yarrow (Achillea millefolium). 



The MOTH appears on the wing in August, 

 and occurs not unfrequently in most of our 

 English counties, more especially in gardens, 

 and Mr. Biichall reports it as common in the 

 county Grulway, in Ireland. 



263. The Shaded Pug (Etipithiciu ittitniibratu}. 



263. THE SHADED PUG. The ground colour 

 of the fore wings is white, intei mixed, es- 

 pecially along the costal and hind margins, 

 with smoke-colour ; there is a very small 

 discoidal spot, but so indistinct that in some 



specimens it is scarcely to be perceived ; the 

 smoke-colour is arranged transversely, and 

 interrupted by waved whitish transverse lines ; 

 the hind wings are almost white, with a 

 smoke-coloured hind marginal band, but this 

 band is also interrupted with whitish markings; 

 the head, thorax, and body are mottled with 

 white, and smoke- colour, and greatly resemble 

 the fore wings. 



Mr. Crewe describes t\vo varieties of the 

 CATERPILLAR as under : 



" Far. 1. Very long and slender, tapering 

 very much towards the head ; ground-colour 

 dull yellowish green ; the central dorsal line is 

 broad, dark green, narrower at the segmental 

 divisions ; the sub-dorsal lines are dusky, very 

 narrow, and indistinct ; the dorsal segmental 

 divisions are orange ; the ventral divisions 

 yellow ; the spiracular line is dusky green. 

 On each side of the head and segment is 

 a yellowish line. 



" Var. 2. The ground colour is dirty 

 greenish brown ; the central dorsal line dusky 

 olive; the sub-dorsal lines are of the same 

 colour ; and the narrow posterior segments 

 are reddish. In other respects it resembles 

 Var. 1." 



This singular long thin caterpillar I have 

 been in the habit of taking at intervals for 

 some years past in Buckinghamshire. It feeds 

 in the open spaces between and near beech- 

 woods, on the petals of almost any flower 

 which happens to grow in such localities, for 

 instance, Centaurea nigra, Knautia arvensis, 

 Gentiana amarelht, and G. eatnpettris, Aptn^ia 

 hispida, Origanum vulyare, Prunella vulyarix, 

 Gulium mollttffo, &c., preferring, perhaps, 

 Apargia hixpida, and Crepis taraxicifolia. It 

 is full-led at the end of August and throughout 

 September. 



The CHRYSALIS is enclosed in an eaithen 

 cocoon, and has the thorax and wing-cases 

 dark green ; the body is ochreous, with the 

 tip dusky red. 



The MOTH appears in June, and is not very 

 uncommon in England ; and Mr. Birchall 

 informs us that it is common in the county 

 Galway, in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Eupithei ia 



