GEOMETERS. 



195 



wings are ample, pointed at the tip, 

 lightly falcate, and have a sinuous hind mar- 

 in ; their colour is brown, with a tinge of 

 [nous red, particularly observable in recently 

 disclosed specimens, but always present in a 

 greater or less degree ; they have a basal 

 lotch, an d a median band somewhat darker, 

 id both these markings are darker at their 

 p, which are succeeded and bounded by 

 slender sinuous white line : the hind wings 

 rather lighter than the fore wings, and 

 ibit traces of a darker median band ; there 

 a thread-like white line on the hind margin 

 all the wings : the head and thorax are of 

 the same colour as the fore wings ; the body 

 of the same colour as the hind wings. 



The CATKRPILLAK rests by day in a straight 

 position on the under side of the leaves, or on 

 the leaf-stalk, of the common mallow (Malva 

 tykestris), on which plant it feeds : when 

 annoyed it tucks in its head, forming the 

 anterior part of the body into an lonie volute, 

 which becomes tighter as the annoyance con- 

 tinues, until at last the claspcrs lose thiir 

 attachment, and the caterpillar falls to the 

 ground, a compact but not uniform ring, 

 which closely resembles the curious seed of 

 the mallow, so familiar to all of us, when 

 children, under the name of " cheeses." 

 When the caterpillar' is stictched out at 

 length, and rigidly straight, it has an equal 

 resemblance to the leaf-stalks of the same 

 plant. The head is rather narrower than the 

 :id segment, scarcely notched on the crown, 

 and semi-porrect : the body is cylindrical 

 and slightly scabrous, the scabrosity being 

 caused by the presence of minute warts, some 

 of which are somewhat larger than the rest, 

 and each emits a bristle from its summit ; on 

 each segment there are usually six of these 

 bristle-bearing warts, four of them arranged 

 in a dorsal quadrangle : the colour of both 

 head and body is opaque apple-green, the j 

 latter with a medio-dorsal, narrow, and indis- 

 tinct stripe of a smoky- green hue, evidently 

 due to the presence of food in the alimentary 

 canal : the warts are white ; the ventral is 

 concolorous with the dorsal area, and the 

 clampers are of the same hue ; but the legs are 



almost colourless, and very . nearly trans- 

 parent. These caterpillars are full-fed in 

 June, and then retire below the surface of 

 the earth to undergo pupation. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in Sep- 

 tember, and is recorded as having been taken 

 in many English counties, and also in Scot- 

 land, and Mr. .Dire-hall says it is common at 

 Howth, in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Eiibolia cerrinaria.} 



\ 



368. The Fortified Carpet (Eiibolia mamata). 



368. T ii K. FORTIFIED CARPET. The antenna) 

 of the male are slightly pectinated ; the fore 

 wings are pointed at the tip, but in no de- 

 gree falcate ; their colour is leaden-gray, 

 with a broad median baud, the interior margin 

 of which is very straight, and is bordered by a 

 quadruple line, the first portion of which is 

 ochreous, the second ferruginous, the third 

 ochreous, and the fourth ferruginous ; equi- 

 distant between this and the band is a zigzag 

 ferruginous line ; the exterior margin of the 

 band has a prominent median lobe directed 

 towards the hind margin, and bordered by a 

 distinct white line ; the band itself has the 

 middle area leaden-gray, shading off to rich 

 sepia-brown at both margins ; the exterior 

 brown portion is much the broadest ; there are 

 two small and circular discoidal spots; the 

 hind margin is clouded with darker brown : 

 the hind wings are gray-brown : the head, 

 thorax, and body have the same tints as the 

 wing. 



The CATERPILLAR is " ashy-gray, more or 

 less reddish, dotted with brown ; dorsal line 

 brownish, with black longitudinal streak. 

 (TreitteKke] On broom."- Stointori's Jfn/i<n(f, 

 vol. ii. p. 119. 



" The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 again in August in pine woods and heaths on the 



