414 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



blotch of about the same size, but this is 

 inconstant in form, size, and colour ; it 

 sometimes forms an obscure triangle in con- 

 junction with the two discoidal spots ; parallel 

 with the hind margin is a bent transverse 

 series of white dots ; the hind wings are 

 smoky-brown, rather paler at the base ; the 

 hind margin is waved, the fringe is paler than 

 the general area, and is intersected through- 

 out by a slender darker line ; the head and 

 thorax are richly mottled like the fore wings, 

 the body smoky-brown. 



The CATERPILLAR rests in a nearly straight 

 position, but falls from its food-plant rolled in 

 a compact ring when annoyed : the head is of 

 nearly the same width as the second segment, 

 the body is almost uniformly cylindrical, soft 

 and velvety : the head is gray, tinged with 

 tesfcaceous-brown, and having a very slender 

 darker median line, and a rather broader dark 

 stripe down each cheek; the body is pale 

 gray or putty-coloured, with a treble medio- 

 dorsal stripe, the interior division being almost 

 white, the exterior divisions nearly black, and 

 each projecting a decided lateral lobe into the 

 middle of each segment; on each side there is 

 a less distinct stripe of a smoky-.brown colour; 

 this stripe emits a rather slender branch, 

 directed obliquely backwards and upwards; 

 the ventral surface is nearly of the same 

 colour as the dorsal area, but has a tendency 

 to green between the claspers and between j 

 the legs. 



The MOTH appeal's on the wing in Sep- 

 tember, and seems to be very generally dis- 

 tributed in England and Scotland, and Mr. 

 Birchall says it is common in the county 

 Wicklow in Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Hadena Proteus.} 



Obs. 1. The beautiful varieties represented 

 in the second and third figures are kindly lent 

 me by Mr. Bond and Mr. Wenman, pui-posely 

 to illustrate this work. 



Obs. 2. It will be observed that I have 

 restored the proper name " Proteus " to this 

 species, it having been previously changed to 

 " Protea " in order to make it agree with the 

 genus Hadena. Entomologists have rather 

 peculiar views about the construction of Latin, 



but I do not consider myself under any obli- 

 gation to depart from the ordinary rules of the 

 language as wo find it in the classics. 



646. The Glaucous Shears (Hadena glauca). 



646. THE GLAUCOUS SHEARS. The palpi 

 are porrected and rather distant, the scales 

 rough and hair-like ; the antennse are simple : 

 the colour of the fore wings is smoky-black, 

 much variegated with gray, and having the 

 discoidal spots of a chalky whiteness, with a 

 slight median shade ; the reniform is very 

 conspicuous, the orbicular less so, and there is 

 an oblong pale spot below the orbicular, also 

 less distinct ; the other markings are sharply 

 defined, but of the same colours smoky- 

 black and gray; the fringe is spotted; the 

 hind wings are gray-brown, with a small 

 black discoidal spot and a whitish fringe : the 

 head and thorax are variegated like the fore 

 wings, the body plain gray-brown, like the 

 hind wings ; it is crested, the tips of the 

 crests being darker. 



The QATERPILLAR, when full-fed, rests in 

 a nearly straight position, but falls off its food- 

 plant and rolls in a compact ring when dis- 

 turbed ; the head is narrower than the second 

 segment, and very shining; its colour is pale 

 testaceous-brown, reticulated with darker 

 brown ; the body is smooth and cylindrical ; 

 its colour is umber-brown, and reticulated, 

 like the head, with a darker tint ; there is a 

 narrow and somewhat interrupted medio-dorsal 

 stripe, and a double series of oblique markings 

 on e'ach side of this stripe ; each mark has a 

 portion darker and a portion lighter than the 

 general ground colour ; there is a rather 

 broad and very distinctly defined side-stripe of 

 a dingy white colour, extending from the head 

 to the extremity of the anal claspers ; the 

 spiracles are white ; the belly is dingy brown 

 and the claspers concolorous. It feeds on 



