430 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



I 



and all of them very dark sepia-brown : the 

 body is decidedly crested on the second, and 

 less so on the third and fourth segments, and 

 is dark gray-brown, the crests being darker. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in September 

 and October, and comes freely to sugar, it is 

 also attracted by ivy blossom ; it occurs 

 principally in our southern and midland 

 counties. The name does not occur in the 

 Irish list. (The scientific name is Xylina 

 semibrunnea.) 



667. The Pale Pinion (Xylina petrificata) . 



667. THE PALE PINION. The palpi are 

 porrected, and have the terminal joint almost 

 naked ; the antennje are almost simple in both 

 sexes ; the frontal tuft is four-lobed, the 

 lobes forming a square, two points being above 

 and two below the insertion of the antennte : 

 the fore wings are long and narrow, the 

 costal and inner-marginal borders being almost 

 parallel ; their colour is wainscot-brown, varied 

 with a number of zigzag markings parallel to 

 the hind margin : the hind wings are gray- 

 brown, the head and thorax are wainscot- 

 brown, the latter is almost square, and has 

 three longitudinal crests or rather ridges, the 

 middle slightly projecting over the head at its 

 anterior extremity : the body is gray-brown, 

 with a medio-dorsal series of small crests 

 which are darker at the tips. 



The CATERPILLAR is pale green, with white 

 dorsal and lateral stripes : the head and legs 

 are black, the claspers green (Parfitt in litt.). 

 It feeds on oak (Quercus robur), lime (Til'ia 

 fiv)'opcea),&c. (Stainton's Manual, vol. i. 283.) 



The MOTH appears on. the wing in September 

 and October, and again, after hybernation, in 

 March and April ; it is very abundant in the 

 south-western counties, and as far north as 

 Herefordshire. In Ireland it is widely dis- 

 tributed and frequently abundant. Mr. Birch- 



all says : " I once saw an ivy bush near Tulla- 

 more, the flowers of which were swarming 

 with this insect." (The scientific name is 

 Xylina petrificata.) 



668. The Mullein (Cucullia Verlasci). 



668. THE MULLEIN. Thepalpiare slightly 

 porrected and form a conspicuous tuft beneath 

 the head, the second joint being so densely 

 clothed with bristle-like scales as almost to hide 

 the terminal joint, which is short and very 

 neai'ly naked; the antenna? are quite simple in 

 both sexes ; the fore wings ai % e narrow, very 

 straight on the costa until towards the tip, 

 where it is finely arched ; the hind margin is 

 regularly scalloped, the notched border of the 

 fringe making the scallops still more conspi- 

 cuous ; their colour is rich umber-brown along 

 the costal margin, delicately shaded to pale 

 wainscot-brown, along the middle of the wing, 

 the inner margin again being dark umber- 

 brown, interrupted about the middle by two 

 pale crescents : the hind wings are smoky- 

 brown, paler at the base, and having the 

 fringe also paler and intersected throughout 

 by a darker line : the head is darkish brown, 

 the collar delicate wainscot-brown, and raised 

 into a very distinct crest, which is bordered 

 behind by darker brown ; the sides of the 

 thorax are pale wainscot-brown ; the body is 

 crested and dingy-brown, with a very dnrk 

 medio-dorsal stripe which is broadest imme- 

 diately behind the collar, and gradually de- 

 creases into a series of points. 



The head of the CATERPILLAR is slightly 

 narrower than the second segment, and sub- 

 spherical in shape ; the body is very stout, 

 slightly wrinkled transversely, and uniformly 

 cylindrical : the colour of the head is yellowish 

 with a few black spots, of the body pale or 



