THE EED UNDERWINGS. 485 



Just as one group of Moths is popularly termed the Yellow 

 Underwings, so is another termed the Eed Underwings, the 

 ground colour of their lower wings being brilliant red. 



The first of these splendid insects is the Ked Underwing 

 {Gatocala nupta), which is represented on Woodcut XL VIII. 

 Fig. 2. This is one of the largest and handsomest of the group, 

 though its colours are not quite so brilliant as that of another 

 species whicli will be presently mentioned. 



The upper wings are grey with a slight yellowish tint, and 

 profusely covered with waved bars and other marks of black, 

 nearly every such mark being accompanied by a grey bar of 

 similar shape. The under wings are red, diversified with two 

 black bars, one, a very broad one, parallel to the hind margin, 

 and another, a comparatively narrow and much curved bar, 

 running across the middle of the wing. Beneath, the upper 

 wings are white, crossed by three broad black bars, and the lower 

 wings are similarly coloui'ed, but warming into light red towards 

 the inner margin, and having two bars across them. 



The caterpillar is grey in colour, not unlike the hue of the 

 upper wings of the perfect insect, and sometimes has two black 

 waved stripes on the back. I never saw this caterpillar, but 

 Mr. Newman's account of its habits is so admirable that I 

 transfer it to these pages : — 



' It feeds on the Crack Willow [Salix fragilis), and, when 

 closely adherent to the bark, is almost impossible to detect. I 

 have sometimes found it by passing my hand gently over the 

 surface of the bark about a foot below the branches of a pollard 

 willow, when its cold, soft feel at once betrayed it. It spins a 

 network cocoon among the leaves, or in a crevice of the bark 

 about Midsummer, and changes to a smooth chrysalis covered 

 with a purple bloom.' 



The perfect insect appears about August ; and, though it 

 may be common, it is not often seen, owing to its mode of 

 concealment. It carries into its perfect state one of its cater- 

 pillar habits, and has a way of settling on the trunks of willow 

 trees and closing its wings. In this position the splendid red 

 under wings are completely hidden by the sombrely tinted 

 upper pair, which so exactly resemble the colour of the bark 

 that, even when the Moth is pointed out, very few can dis- 

 tinguish it. I well remember the first time of discovering one 



