NOCTUAS. 



253 



on one side and brought into contact 

 with the side of the tenth segment : it fre- 

 quently spins together the edges of two poplar 

 leaves, and thus conceals itself from observa- 

 n, generally, however, maintaining the bent 

 iture. The head is porrected, and much 

 .der than the second segment ; indeed, so 

 .arge as to justify the name of " megacephala," 

 probably given to the species on this account ; 

 the body is rather depressed, of nearly uniform 

 width, and has the divisions of the segments 

 clearly marked ; it has several series of small 

 warts, each of which emits a few hairs. The 

 anal claspers are rather long and spreading. 

 The colour of the head is whitish, with a large 

 and almost circular black blotch on each cheek ; 

 this is enclosed in a whitish circle, and this 

 again in a black (ircle; the clypeus is in- 

 cluded in a black V-shaped mark ; the dorsal 

 area of the body is smoky-black with a slender 

 medio-dorsal line extending from the head to 

 the fifth segment ; the second, third, and fourth 

 segments have a whitish spot on each side of 

 s median line ; the fifth segment has a 

 hite spot and a red spot on each side of it ; 

 the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth 

 segments have each two longitudinal com- 

 pound marks, each composed of four closely 

 approximate spots, the first of which is white, 

 the second and third reddish, and the fourth 

 white ; the eleventh segment has a medio- 

 dorsal whitish blotch, and the twelfth segment 

 four white spots ; the thirteenth segment and 

 its claspers are dingy white ; the ventral area, 

 legs, and ventral claspers, are pale smoke- 

 colour, tinged with pink. The caterpillar 

 feeds on several species of poplar. I 

 found it commonly on the tacamahack poplar 

 (Populus balsamtfera), at Leominister, in July 

 and August, 1866 ; in the latter month it- 

 appeared to be full-fed. In order to undergo 

 pupation, it creeps into the very smallest 

 chinks of the bark of the trees on which it 

 has been feeding : Mr. Greene gives the fol- 

 lowing directions for finding the chrysalis : 

 Break off every bit of loose bark with the 

 oint of the trowel, and the chrysalis-case, 

 which with the chrysalis closely resembles 

 that of Acronycta Psi, will be found firmly 



glued to the surface : the cocoon is formed of 

 decayed wood." Guenee also informs us that 

 the readiest way to obtain this species is to 

 search the bark of poplars and aspens. 



The MOTH appears in June, and is of common 

 occurrence in most of our English counties. 

 Mr. Birchall says it is also common in Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Acronycta megacephala.} 



430. The Grisette (Acronycta strigosa). 



430. THE GRISETTE. This insect is smaller 

 and more slender than its congeners : the an- 

 tennae are very slender; the fore wings are 

 pale gray, marbled with smoky gray, and 

 having at the base of the inner margin an 

 ochreous linear patch, the two combining to 

 form on the closed wing an ochreous spot at 

 the base of the thorax : the costal and hind 

 margins are spotted with smoke-colour ; the 

 orbicular and reniform spots are distinct, and 

 there is a conspicuous angled line between 

 the reniform spot and the hind margin : the 

 hind wings are very pale gray, with a rather 

 darker but still very pale discoidal spot, and 

 transverse median bar: the head, thorax, and 

 body are gray. 



The EGGS are laid at the end of June, on 

 the twigs of whitethorn, more particularly in 

 old whitethorn hedges, growing in chalky 

 districts throughout the neighbourhood of 

 Cambridge ; the CATERPILLAR emerges in July, 

 and is usually full-fed at the end of August, 

 or beginning of September. The head is 

 porrected, flat, of about the same width as the 

 second segment ; the body is of nearly uni- 

 form width throughout ; the segments are 

 strongly pronounced, and the divisions between 

 them deeply incised ; there is a double series 

 of bristle-bearing warts down the back two 

 each on the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and 

 tenth segments ; four each on the fifth, eighth, 

 ninth, eleventh, and twelfth segments. The 

 colour of the head is umber-brown, with very 



