178 



BE1TISII MOTHS. 



347. The Dark Umber (Scotosia rhamnata}. 



347. THE DAKK UMBER. The antennae 

 are simple in both sexes ; the wings are ample : 

 the hind margin of the fore wings is waved, 

 that of the hind wings scalloped ; the colour 

 of the fore wings is deep sienna-brown, with 

 an ohlique median hand of smoky umber- 

 hrown ; the margins of this band are bordered 

 hy a slender white line, and are very irregular, 

 the interior margin having an acute double 

 notch or indentation ; the exterior margin has 

 an acute double angle or tooth in a corre- 

 sponding position ; an oblique shade proceeding 

 from the tip of the wing, meets this projecting 

 angle, and at the first glance seems continuous 

 with it, but is not so ; within the oblique 

 band over the double notch, which I have 

 described, is a longish black discoidal spot ; 

 there is a slender sinuous gray line accom- 

 panied by a dark line of similar character 

 parallel to the hind margin, and the hind 

 margin itself has a distinct and continuous 

 slender line almost black, following its sinuosi- 

 ties : the hind wings are of nearly the same 

 colour as the fore wings, the median band 

 being absent, but in its place is a very distinct 

 slender line almost black, and there is a 

 similar line on the hind margin : the head, 

 thorax, and body have the same colour as the 

 wings ; the body has a blackish margin to each 

 segment, and that of the male is tufted at the 

 extremity. 



Mr. Crewe describes the CATKKPILLAR as 

 having the ground colour of a bright vivid 



green ; the medio-dorsal stripe is bright green, 

 the respiration being very apparent beneath 

 it ; the sub-dorsal stripes are very slender 

 and indistinct, and of a yellowish colour ; the 

 segmental divisions are deep yellow, the 

 spiracular stripe pale yellow and slender ; 

 on each side of the three posterior segments 

 below the spiracles, is a broad purple stripe ; 

 the anal flap, tip and claspers are deep purple, 

 the belly is traversed longitudinally by three 

 whitish stripes, the central one broader 

 than the others, and bordered with small 

 yellowish spots. It feeds on the common 

 buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus], and is full- 

 fed the first week in June, when it descends 

 to the earth, and forming an earthen cocoon, 

 changes therein to a dark reddish brown 

 CHRYSALIS. 



The MOTE, appears on the wing in August, 

 and occurs chiefly in the southern and 

 eastern counties of England, but has been 

 reported as far north as York. I have not 

 heard of its occurrence in Scotland or Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Scotosia rhamnata}. 



348. The Scarce Tissue (Scotosia certain). 



348. THE SCABCE TrssuE. The antennas 

 are simple in both sexes ; the hind margin of 

 the fore wings is waved, that of the hind 

 wings scalloped; the colour of all the wings 

 is grayish brown, with a slight tint of sienna- 

 brown ; there are several compound bars 

 composed of dark lines on the fore wings, 

 but nothing like a distinct median bund; 

 there is a conspicuous discoidal spot adjoining 

 one of these darker lines, and there is also 

 a zigzag gray line parallel to the hind 

 margin ; this dilates into a small gray blotch 

 nt the anal angle of the wing; there is a 

 slender dark line on the hind margin of all 



