212 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



and S. cincrea] : the young caterpillar emerges 

 about the 1st of July, and may be found feed- 

 ing throughout the month ; it rests on the 

 upper surface of a leaf with the ventral clas- 

 pers attached to a silken pad, previously 

 spun, apparently with this object ; both ex- 

 tremities are slightly elevated, the posterior 

 more than the anterior. The head is decidedly 

 narrower than the second segment, into which 

 it is received and by the anterior margin of 

 which it is almost entirely concealed ; the 

 face is flat; the second segment is dorsally 

 flattened, the flattened portion being slightly 

 dilated and squarely truncate, the truncature 

 terminating on each side in an obtuse angle ; 

 the third segment has a narrow portion 

 dorsally flattened and elevated posteriorly 

 into a narrow transverse ridge ; the eleventh , 

 twelfth, and thirteenth segments gradually 

 diminish into a conical mass, at the apex of 

 which are two cylindrical tubes nearly parallel, 

 closely approximate, and directed backwards ; 

 they are beset both above and beneath with 

 short stiff bristles, and each emits a slender 

 drooping filament from the extremity : the 

 colour of the head is pearly-gray, tinged with 

 purple ; the dorsal area of the body is divided 

 from the lateral area by a distinct white stripe, 

 which is absent only from the eighth segment ; 

 this stripe commences on each side on the 

 second segment, at the angles already described, 

 ascends obliquely to the dor sal ridge on the third 

 segment, descends obliquely to the spiracle on 

 the seventh segment, is lost and confused on the 

 eighth, re-appears on the ninth, and is continued 

 thence to the extremity of the anal flap ; on 

 the upper margin of this white stripe, and 

 immediately adjoining it, is a delicate purple 

 stripe, and within this the dorsal area is white, 

 with a median grass-green stripe, and there is 

 also an oblique grass -green stripe on each side of 

 the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh 

 segments ; the lateral surface is apple-green, 

 adorned with numerous roundish purple spots, 

 each ocellated with a central white dot, and 

 enclosed in a white ring ; in addition to these 

 are other larger and amorphous purple spots, 

 possessing the white margin, but wanting the 

 central dot ; the second segment has on each 



side in front a large purple-brown blotch, 

 bordered exteriorly with yellow ; and on each 

 side of the seventh and eighth segments are 

 obscure orange patches ; the legs are principally 

 purple ; the ventral claspers are apple-green, 

 with a purple, Y shaped, white-margined mark 

 descending into each ; the ventral surface is 

 apple-green ; the anal horns are nearly white 

 above, with a tendency to purple, and have a 

 white ring at the tip. When full-fed the 

 caterpillar spins a glutinous cocoon on the 

 bark of the sallow, often towards the bottom 

 of the stem, from one to three feet from the 

 ground, and therein changes to a CHRYSALIS, 

 in which state it passes the winter. 



The MOTH appears in June, and is generally 

 distributed throughout the United Kingdom. 

 (The scientific name is Dicranura furcula,.} 





387. The Poplar Kitten (Dicranura bifida). 



387. THE POPLAR KITTEN. The antennte of 

 the male are strongly pectinated, those of the I 

 female slightly so ; the shaft is white, the j 

 pectinations black ; the fore wings are rather 

 narrow, straight on the costa, and rounded at 

 the tip ; their colour is pale gray, with a 

 broad transverse median band of a darker 

 gray ; the internal margin of this band is 

 straight, and bordered with a straight black 

 line, which is accompanied by a straight 

 yellow line ; the exterior margin is slightly 

 concave about the middle, and is bordered 

 with black and yellow like the interior 

 margin ; but these colours, and, indeed, the 

 boundary line altogether becomes less dis- 

 tinct towards the inner margin : between 

 this band and the base of the wing is a 

 transverse series of five black spots, and at 

 the base of the wing is a single black spot : 



