GEOMETERS. 



199 



be: 



* 



ouble median transverse line, the inner por- 

 tion of which is darker, the outer lighter than 

 the disk of the wing ; near the base of the 

 ing is a faint discoidal spot : the head, tho- 

 x, and base of the body are dove-coloured, 

 the rest of the body pale brownish gray. 



The CATEKPILLAU rests in a nearly straight 

 sition with the claspers only attached, but 

 jends itself in a loop when annoyed ; the head 

 is about equal in width with the body, prone, 

 rounded on the crown, and partially im- 

 mersed in the second segment ; the body is 

 cylindrical, the segments wrinkled trans- 

 versely ; the anal flap is truncate at the 

 extremity. The colour of the head is wainscot- 

 brown ; the dorsal area of the body wainscot- 

 brown, with a paler, almost yellow space at the 

 interstices of the segments ; and there are a 

 number of darker rivulet lines extending the 

 entire length of the back, and these are par- 

 ticularly conspicuous when passing through the 

 yellow spaces already mentioned ; these darker 

 markings approximate and unite in the anal 

 flap ; on each side is a narrow yellow stripe 

 commencing at the bead aud terminating in the 

 nal ilap ; the upper margin of this stripe is 

 gue, fading off into the dorsal area, the lower 

 margin is sharply defined, and contrasts 

 strongly with the ventral area, which is dark 

 wn with a medio-ventral stripe rather paler: 

 ic lens and claspers are nearly of the same 

 colour as the ventral area. It occurs twice in 

 e year, feeding on the leaves and flowers of 

 e perforated S:. John's wort (Hypericum 

 perforatum), but chiefly among the flowers. 

 The CHRYSALIS is of a reddish yellow colour 

 irrorated with white ; it has a small scabrous 

 plate of a reddish brown colour on each side 

 of the neck at the base of the tippets; this 

 plate is connected with the first spiracle. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in May and 

 June, and a second brood in August and Sep- 

 tember : my specimens of the second brood 

 are much smaller and less distinctly marked 

 an those of the first. It occurs in many of 

 r English counties, both north and south ; 

 also in Scotland; and Mr. Birchall informs us 

 it is common and generally distributed in Ire- 

 land. (The scientific name is Anaiti* pi ay in fa.*} 





y 



37.3. The Pale Gray Carpet (Lithostcge Giiteata). 



375. THE PALE GRAY CARPET. The fore 

 wings are sharply pointed at the tip, and of a 

 whitish gray colour, in some specimens deepen- 

 ing into a smoky tint ; there is an oblique 

 stripe extending from the tip of the wing to the 

 inner margin just within the anal angle : the 

 hind Avings are whitish at the base, and slightly 

 tiuged with smoke-colour towards the hind 

 margin : the head, thorax, and body are ex- 

 tremely pale gray, almost white : the dull tint 

 more or less observable in this moth is due to 

 minute black dots, most of them consisting of 

 single scales only. 



I am indebted to Mr. Hellins for the follow- 

 ing description of the CATERPILLAR : 



"To Mr. T. Brown of Cambridge I am 

 indebted for a liberal supply of the eggs 

 and caterpillars of this species, as well as for 

 the food-plants, without which I could not 

 have reared them. Mr. Brown having found 

 the caterpillars feeding on the seed-pods of 

 Xisymbriun Sophia, last year kindly sent 

 me seeds (as he believed) of this mustard, 

 in order that I might be prepared for the 

 coming season of 1867 ; it has turned out, 

 however, that the seeds so sent were those 

 of Erysimum cheiranthoides, but fortunately 

 the mistake did no harm ; the caterpillars 

 hatched here from the egg, took to the Erysi- 

 mum at once, and throve on it well ; whilst 

 those captured at large on Sisymbrntm Sophia, 

 when sent to me did not make much diffi- 

 culty about taking to their substitute food, 

 and lost no time in completing their full 

 growth on it. 



"I received eggs on June 18th and 25th; 

 the caterpillars appeared soon afterwards, and 

 took about a month to feed up, all being in 

 chrysalis by August 1st, Two days after 

 this date Mr. Brown sent me some more 



