NOCTUAS. 



243 



id is by no means uncommon in our English 

 aunties, and Mr. Birchall says it is common 

 Ireland. (The scientific name is Cymato- 

 horaflavicornis.} 



420. The Frosted Green (Cymatophora ridens). 



420. THE FROSTED GREEX. The antennco 

 are dull yellow, rather stout, and, in the 

 male, strongly ciliated ; the fore wings are 

 rather narrow, and have a very straight costa ; 

 their prevailing colour is gray-green, there 

 being a broad transverse median band darker, 

 a basal area paler, and a bar beyond the 

 median band also paler : the hind margin is 

 darker, and the fringe spotted alternately pale 

 and dark : this distribution of colour is incon- 

 stant, and every part of the wing is orna- 

 mented with transverse markings : the hind 

 ings are whitish gray, with brown wing- 

 ys, and a smoky cloud on the hind margin, 

 pecially towards the tip : the head and 

 thorax are beautifully mottled with the 

 colours of the fore wings ; the body is rather 

 stout and of the colour of the hind wings. 



The EGGS are laid on the twigs of oak 

 (Quercus Rolur} in April, and the young 

 CATERPILLARS emerge in the beginning of June, 

 and spin for themselves little domiciles for 

 concealment or protection ; this is generally 

 effected by curling the edge of a young and 

 tender oak-leaf, and securing it in that posi- 

 tion by a few silken threads : it continues to 

 conceal itself in this manner for several weeks, 

 and appears to be full-fed by the middle of 

 July. I took a great number on the 8th of 

 July, 1864, beating them from the oaks in 

 Birch wood. They fell into the umbrella 

 without any covering ; but, immediately it 

 had the opportunity, each caterpillar con- 

 structed a domicile for itself, generally fasten- 

 ing together two oak-leaves face to face, and 

 allowing them to remain perfectly flat ; but, in 



some instances, I found that a caterpillar had 

 bent the tip of an oak-leaf backwards, and 

 fastened it in this position in the manner 

 always practised by the recently - emerged 

 caterpillar: in either case the domicile was 

 perfectly closed all round with silken threads : 

 in this retreat it rests on its ventral surface 

 during the day, having the head always 

 turned on one side, and the thirteenth seg- 

 ment, with its claspers, tucked in under the 

 preceding segment. I have never seen one 

 feeding by day ; at night it makes an opening 

 in its dwelling-place, and devours the leaves 

 within its reach, but never those of which its 

 dwelling is constructed: sometimes a cater- 

 pillar would appear to be very circumspect in 

 what might be called keeping its seat during 

 temporary absence, the anal claspers adhering 

 to the entrance of its retreat, while the body 

 was stretched about in all directions : at other 

 times it would come completely out and 

 wander at random among the dwelling-places 

 of its brethren ; in such cases, it seems to lack 

 the unerring instinct of the bee in returning 

 to its own hive, for I have more than once 

 seen two caterpillars contending for the same 

 retreat : in these contests one of the com- 

 batants often receives an unpleasant gripe, 

 and its pale green blood issuing from the 

 wound, seems to impart cannibalistic propen- 

 sities to the aggressor, for in these civil wars 

 several caterpillars were destroyed and par- 

 tially eaten. The head of the full-grown 

 caterpillar is exserted, it is quite as wide as 

 the second segment, having very gibbose 

 cheeks and a notch on the crown : the body 

 is very flaccid and wrinkled, both transversely 

 and longitudinally, the latter more especially 

 along the sides : the divisions of the segments 

 are sufficiently obvious : a number of small 

 but obvious warts occur on the body ; the 

 second segment is without these warts ; the 

 third and fourth have ten each ; the rest, as 

 far as the tenth, have eighteen warts each ; 

 six of these are arranged in a transverse series, 

 reaching from spiracle to spiracle ; two, not 

 invariably present, are behind these; and five 

 others are situated on each side below the 

 spiracle. The colour of the head is wainscot- 



