NOCTUAS. 



423 



segments, and in others also at the segmented 

 divisions. A series of darker brown diamond 

 and wedge-shaped marks down the middle of 

 the back, on the fifth to the twelfth segment, 

 inclusive ; namely, on each side of these seg- 

 ments a diamond united to a wedge-shape on 

 either side, the broad ends of the wedges 

 extending to the end of the twelfth segment 

 only, and to about one-third from the ends of 

 the other segments, each wedge pointing 

 forwards reaching a third into the segment 

 in advance. The tubercular dots blackish, 

 the upper pair placed 011 the edges of the 

 diamonds, the lower pair on the broad ends of 

 the wedges ; in the purplish-brown variety 

 the dots and lines are paler than the ground- 

 colour, and in some instances not visible. The 

 whitish spii'acles edged with blackish are 

 placed along the terminal line of the above 

 brown colouring, and the remaining surface 

 below, including the legs, is of a dirty whitish 

 or pale drab-colour, the legs tipped with 

 brown. Head with two central black streaks 

 across the face ; a dark brown plate on the 

 second segment, sometimes marked with one 

 pair, and in others two pairs, of pale spots." 

 It feeds freely in confinement on chick weed 

 (Alalne mt'dia,), and persicaria (Polygonum), 

 and is full-fed by the second week in August, 

 when it retires just beneath the surface of the 

 earth to undergo pupation. 



The MOTH appears on the wing at the end 

 of May, and occurs not infrequently in our 

 southern counties, and as far north as Worces- 

 ter, but I think not in Scotland : Mr. Birchall 

 says that it occurs in the county Wicklow, 

 but is not common in Ireland. (The scientific 

 name is Hadena Genista.) 



657. The Saxon (Hadena redilinea). 



THE SAXON. The palpi are slightly por- 

 rected, and have a small naked white terminal 



joint ; the antennae are simple ; the colour of 

 the fore wings is a mixture of pale gray almost 

 white, and rich sepia-brown; the lighter colour 

 occupies the base of the wing, more particularly 

 the costal half of the base, and also the hind- 

 marginal area ; the median area of the wing 

 is occupied by the sepia-brown, and includes 

 the discoidal spots: the orbicular is small, 

 obscure, and flattened longitudinally, some- 

 times reduced to a mere line ; it varies also in 

 colour, sometimes being pale gray, at others 

 concolorous with the brown area by which it 

 is surrounded ; in some instances it is a dark 

 line united to the reniform, of which it ap- 

 pears a mere appendage ; the reniform is more 

 distinct but narrow, its usual colour is gray 

 with a slender median shade of brown ; the 

 hind-marginal area contains cloudy brown 

 marks and darker wedge-shaped marks, the 

 points of which are directed towards the base 

 of the wing ; the outer lower angle of the 

 gray blotch which occupies the costal portion 

 of the base of the wing is often prolonged into 

 a kind of hook, the point of which is directed 

 towards the base of the wing ; it must, how- 

 ever, be admitted that the markings of the 

 wings are far too inconstant to afford any 

 reliable characters : the hind wings are gray- 

 brown ; the head is gray ; the thorax is gray, 

 with the sides and a transverse line in front 

 rich brown ; the body is gray-brown, and 

 crested. 



The EGG is laid in June, on the leaves of 

 sallow (Salix capreci), and the young CATER- 

 PILLAR emerges in July ; it feeds with great 

 voracity, and grows very rapidly, attaining 

 its full size before it retires for the winter, 

 which is usually about the end of October, 

 but sometimes earlier ; in a state of nature 

 these caterpillars probably hybernate on the 

 surface of the ground, under the fallen leaves 

 of the sallow ; but in confinement they have a 

 diversity of practice, sometimes concealing 

 themselves in the debris covering the earth in 

 the breeding-cage, sometimes ascending the 

 sides of the cage, and adhering to the sides 

 or top : they also differ in another respect, 

 sometimes covering themselves with a slight 

 web, at other times being perfectly exposed : 



