NOCTUAS. 



403 



spots are distinct, and always white, with 

 green centres, bounded by black : the hind 

 wings are smoky black, with a darker discoidal 

 spot, a lighter median transverse line, and a 

 hind-marginal white line ; the fringe is smoke- 

 colour, with six white spots : the head and 

 thorax have the same colour as the fore wings; 

 the body is smoke-colom-, slightly paler at the 

 base. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is shining, and 

 of a greenish -gray colour, with a black cross, 

 resembling the letter X, on the face, the body 

 stout, cylindrical, and of a greenish-gray 

 colour, sometimes tinged with red ; the dorsal 

 area is dark, and interrupted by a series of 

 lozenge-shaped markings of the same pale 

 green gray, which is the general ground 

 colour, there is a pale stripe in the region of 

 the spiracles, bounded above by a somewhat 

 waved darker stripe. It feeds on oak 

 (Quercus Robur}, and is full-fed in June, when 

 it descends the trunk, and entering the earth, 

 constructs an earthen cocoon a considerable 

 depth beneath the surface, and therein changes 

 to a CHRYSALIS, of which Mr. Greene says it 

 occurs " in the Titmost profusion. I have 

 taken as many as twenty at one tree. This 

 will be one of the first chrysalids found by the 

 beginner; nothing can be easier; merely turn 

 up the earth and break it, and they will 

 tumble out of their brittle cocoons in plenty." 



This extremely beautiful MOTH appears on 

 the wing in October, and is very common in 

 England and Scotland, also in the counties of 

 Dublin and Wicklow, in Ireland. (The scien- 

 tific name is Ayriopis Aprilina.} 



634. The Angle Shades (Plitogopliora meiiculosa). 



634. THE ANGLE SHADES. The palpi are 

 slightly porrected and connivent at the extre- 

 mity ; the .second joint is cup-shaped and 



contains the very small terminal joint; the 

 form of the united palpi reminds one of the 

 mandibles of some coleopterous insect ; the 

 antennae are very slightly ciliated in the male, 

 simple in the female : the fore wings are 

 arched towards the tip, and very deeply 

 scalloped on the hind margin, particularly on 

 the lower half thereof ; they are folded longitu- 

 dinally in repose ; their colour is ochreous or 

 wainscot-brown, often tinged with olive-green ; 

 the two discoidal spots are very similar in 

 shape ; both are oblique btit in different direc- 

 tions, separating at the upper, and approaching 

 and actually connivent at the lower extre- 

 mity, they are separated by a dark V-shaped 

 mark, the apex of which is directed towards 

 the inner margin of the wing ; all these mark- 

 ings are enclosed in a larger V, the base 

 whereof occupies the middle third of the costal 

 margin, and the apex thereof touches theiniddle 

 of the inner margin : the hind margin of the 

 hind wings is also scalloped and produced into 

 a decided tooth at the apical angle ; their 

 colour is ochreous-gray, tinged with pink 

 towards the hind margin, and having two 

 darker waved transverse and parallel bars : 

 the head, antennse, thorax, and body are pale 

 wainscot-brown . 



The CATERPILLAR when touched or annoyed 

 feigns death, turning its head on one side of 

 the body, and I have sometimes seen it form a 

 complete ring ; the form is somewhat leech- 

 like, the head small, the second, third, and 

 fourth segments are gradually larger, those 

 following much larger, the twelfth gibbose, 

 but not humped on the back; smooth, velvety; 

 the colour of the head is pale obscure green, 

 semihyaline, and reticulated with darker lines; 

 the colour of the body is apple-green or olive- 

 brown , in either case it is densely sprinkled 

 with very obscure whitish dots ; there is an 

 interrupted very narrow median white line 

 on the back, and a broader, obscure whitish 

 line on each side just below the spiracles, 

 better defined on the twelfth and thirteenth 

 segments, and terminating in the anal claspers ; 

 the spiracles are whitish, stirrounded by a 

 delicate black line; the legs and claspers 

 semihyaline-green; it feeds throughout the 



