CUSPIDATES. 



217 



throughout : the fore wings are arched towards 

 le tip, but not pointed ; their colour is smoky - 

 jwn, with a large pale gray blotch at the 



?, and within this blotch, close to the body, 

 small black spot ; towards the hind 

 margin the wings are also paler, and the central 

 portion is bounded on each side by a zigzag 

 pale line, which gives it the appearance of a 

 median band ; between the outer of these pale 

 lines and the hind margin is a series of six 

 blackish spots, each accompanied by a pale 

 spot on its inner side ; five of these double 

 spots are ranged in a row parallel with the 

 hind margin, but the first or uppermost is 

 nearer the median band ; the inner margin, 

 more especially in the male, is tinged with 

 rust colour : the hind wings are uniform gray 

 brown, in some specimens having a median 

 waved whitish line : the head and thorax are 

 gray brown ; the body generally paler, except 

 towards the extremity, which in some speci- 

 mens is almost white, and the scales on this 

 are always long and hair-like, 

 e CATERPILLAR does not roll in a ring, or 

 gn death when disturbed ; when at rest, 

 it throws back its head so as entirely to hide 



second, third, and fourth segments ; the 



d being quite equal in bulk to these throe 

 segments if united ; the posterior segments 



at the same time elevated in an extra- 

 ary manner ; the first pair of legs is of 



erate size, the second and third pairs have 

 .e femora and tibia) extremely lengthened ; 

 the body is deeply incised at the division of 

 the segments; the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, 

 ninth, and tenth segments have each of them 

 two humps, those on the fifth, sixth, and 

 seventh are the largest and of equal size, the 

 others gradually decreasing in magnitude ; 

 the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth seg- 

 ments are without humps ; the eleventh 

 segment has a narrow, flattened, crenulated, 

 lateral margin ; the twelfth has a much more 

 extensive margin, having the same characters ; 

 the thirteenth segment terminates in two 

 erect, stiif, slightly clavate, slightly curved, 

 appendages or horns. The colour is testaceous- 

 brown, covered throughout with pale points 

 like shagreen ; there are two interrupted, 



slender, black stripes down the -back, and a 

 paler median stripe between them ; there are, 

 moreover, several slender black markings on 

 both sides of the caterpillar. This singular 

 caterpillar, which is known to collectors as 

 " The Lobster," feeds on oak ( Quercus Rolur] 

 and birch (Betula dlba], and is full fed about 

 the 25th of September ; it then spins together 

 two or three oak-leaves, and makes a retreat 

 wherein to form its cocoon ; in this it changes 

 to a CHRYSALIS, and when the united leaves 

 fall on the approach of winter, they form a 

 kind of parachute, which conveys the chry. alis 

 gently and safely to the ground, where it 

 remains throughout the winter. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June ; it 

 has occurred only in the southern and eastern 

 counties of England, Essex, Kent, Surrey, 

 Sussex, Hampshire, Devonshire, and once, 

 according to Mr. Greene's " Insect Hunter's 

 Companion," at Halton, in Buckinghamshire. 

 The London district would seem to be its chief 

 resort ; Epping, West Wickham, Birch, and 

 Darenth, are noted localities. (The scientific 

 name is Stauropus Fagi.} 



390. The Sprawler (Petasia cassinea], 



390. THE SPBAWLER. The antenna? are very 

 decidedly pectinated in the male, simple in 

 the female ; the fore wings are narrow and 

 have the costal margin remarkably straight, 

 the tip neither pointed nor rounded : their 

 colour is wainscot-brown with several distinct 

 longitudinal umber-brown streaks, the most 

 conspicuous of which originates at the middle 

 of the basal margin : the hind wings are pale 

 gray with the discoidal spot and wing-rays 

 decidedly darker ; on the extreme hind margin 

 is a series of dark brown markings : the head, 

 thorax, and body are gray brown ; the thorax 





