342 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



hind margin ; the head, thorax, and body 

 have the same variation in general tint as the 

 fore wings. 



The EGG is laid in July, on a number of low 

 plants, on which the young CATERPILLARS feed; 

 one of those very commonly selected is the 

 common chickweed (Alsine media); they are 

 hatched in August, and hybernate early : as 

 soon as the buds of the sallow and whitethorn 

 open, they ascend the stems and feed on the 

 young leaves. The caterpillar is full-fed in 

 May, when it rolls into a compact ring if dis- 

 turbed. The head when moving is porrected, 

 and is rather narrower than the body ; the 

 body is velvety, nearly uniformly cylindrical, 

 but increasing almost imperceptibly to the 

 twelfth segment, which is the largest ; the 

 colour of the head and body is dingy umber- 

 brown, the head being slightly variegated 

 with darker shades of the same colour ; the 

 dorsal region of the body is uniformly brown; 

 the anterior segments from the second to the 

 fifth, both inclusive, are interrupted by a 

 median very narrow and very indistinct line ; 

 the eleventh and twelfth segments have each 

 two very conspicuous velvety dorsal markings 

 almost black ; on the eleventh segment these 

 are distant, narrow, longitudinal, and waved; 

 those on the twelfth segment are decidedly more 

 approximate, broader, and larger) their figure 

 is irregular, but their anterior extremity is 

 pointed, the posterior extremity square; the 

 spiracles are white, and are situated at ..the 

 extreme edge of the brown, dorsal area ; below 

 them is a broad pale wainscot-brown stripe 

 extending the entire length of the caterpillar, 

 and this, from the second to the seventh seg- 

 ment, is tinged along the middle with brick- 

 red ; the belly is smoky-brown, and the legs 

 and claspers are of the same colour. It 

 changes to a smooth brown CHRYSALIS on the 

 surface of the earth. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and 

 is common everywhere. (The scientific name 

 is Tryplw&na, orbona.) 



Obs. I am indebted to Mr. Bond for the 

 variety represented in the third figure, and to 

 Mr. "Wellman for the richly-marked variety 

 represented in the fourth figure. 



550. The Large Yellow Underwing (Tryphcena 



550. THE LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING. In 

 different specimens the fore wings vary in 

 general colour, from pale wainscot-brown to 

 rich umber-brown, and occur with almost 

 every intermediate shade ; the discoidal spots 

 are generally clearly defined, the circumscrip- 

 tion being paler than the ground-colour ; in 

 some specimens the orbicular is entirely pale ; 

 there are many transverse lines, some darker 

 and some paler; but these are very variable 

 and inconstant; there is, however, a pale Hne 

 parallel with the hind margin, almost invari- 

 ably present, and adjoining the Tipper or costal 

 extremity of this is a double black spot : the 

 hind wings are orange-yellow without a dis- 

 coidal spot, but having a narrow waved black 

 band parallel with the hind margin ; the head 

 and thorax are of the same colour as the fore 

 wings; the body paler, and inclining to 

 reddish-yellow towards the tip : on the last 

 segment but one is a transverse black spot. 



