230 



13BITISII MOTHS. 



tip, slightly scalloped on the hind margin, and 

 having a conspicuous lobe or angle near the 

 middle of the inner margin ; their colour is 

 dull purplish-brown, with a pale blotch at the 

 base, and two pale waved transverse bars, one 

 before, the other beyond the middle, and 

 midway between these is a transverse oblong 

 discoidal spot, which has pale margins and 

 dark centre ; the outer pale bar expands into 

 a decided pale spot on the costa ; beyond the 

 outer pale bar and midway between this and 

 the hind margin, is a rust-coloured bar fre- 

 quently broken up into spots ; the pale bars 

 are generally accompanied by rust-coloured 

 markings : the hind wings are smoky-brown, 

 with a darker discoidal spot, a darker anal 

 angle, and two paler transverse bars, the first 

 below the middle of the wing, the second on 

 the hind margin : all the wing-markings are 

 obscure and confused : the head and thorax 

 have the colours of the fore wings ; the body 

 is dingy-brown. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is broader than 

 the second segment, and bifid on the crown? 

 the lobes being blunt and rounded ; it is 

 shining and of a brown colour, speckled with 

 darker brown ; the sides are rather paler ; the 

 body is not regularly cylindrical, but uneven, 

 being humped on the fifth, sixth, seventh, 

 eighth, and ninth segments ; the hump on the 

 eighth segment is the least ; those on the fifth, 

 sixth, seventh, and eighth, have obtuse sum- 

 mits directed backwards ; that on the twelfth 

 segment is erect ; the colour of the body is 

 yellow-green, with purplish-brown markings, 

 which form a conspicuous stripe on the back 

 of the second, third, and fourth segments, and 

 which crown all the five humps and fill the 

 interstices between the second and third, and 

 between the third and fourth ; on the fifth 

 hump this purple-brown colour forms a mere 

 line, and there is a similar line on the last or 

 thirteenth segment ; a very similar colour 

 occupies nearly the whole of the ventral area, 

 which is darkest on the tenth, eleventh, and 

 twelfth segments. It feeds on birch (lie In la 

 alia}, and is full-led about the 20th of Sep- 

 ti-mlier, when it descends the tree, and gene- 

 rally spins a slight cocoon on the earth, 



attaching the upper side of the cocoon to a 

 fallen leaf ; in this situation it remains in the 

 CHRYSALIS state all the winter. 



The MOTH appears in June, and has occurred 

 not uncommonly in most of our English coun- 

 ties, and also in Scotland and Ireland. (The 

 scientific name is Notodonta dromedarius.} 



Obs. The Irish specimens of this insect 

 are much darker than the English ones, and 

 have been described as a distinct species under 

 the name of Notodonta perfusca. Mr. Greene 

 states that he found nine chrysalids at the 

 roots of alder (Alnus glutinosa). 



406. The Three-Humped (Nutodonta trilophas). 



406 THE THREE-HUMVEU. The antenna? 

 are slightly pectinated in the male, and simple 

 in the female ; in both sexes there is a fascicle 

 of longish scales at the base ; the fore wings 

 are blunt at the tip, and have a prominent 

 angle or tooth about the middle of the inner 

 margin ; their prevailing colour is umber- 

 brown, with various markings of other tints 

 | between the base and the discoidal spot ; a 

 double transverse line, waved but almost 

 direct, crosses the wing from the costa to the 

 inner-marginal lobe ; the interior portion of 

 this line is light, the outer dark ; the discoidal 

 spot is very conspicuous, transverse, and 

 oblong ; the middle is rust-coloured, the ex- 

 terior gray ; parallel with the hind margin is 

 an oblique and rather vague ferruginous band 

 bordered exteriorly with gray ; at the anal 

 angle this band turns inwards and upwards 

 towards the discoidal spot, but is lost before 

 reaching it ; above the discoidal spot is a pale 

 costal blotch, and beyond this a short gray 

 oblique streak: the hind Avings are gray 

 tinged with brown, and having a conspicuous 

 but vague blotch at the anal angle, which 



