n6 



INSECTS. 



and September on the spines of the Scotch fir. One of the most familiar of the 

 British loopers is the magpie-moth (Abraxas grossulariata), which at times makes 



GROUP OF LOOfERS. 



mottled umber— 1, Male ; 2, Female ; 3, Larva, scarce umber — 4, Male ; 5, Female, winter moth— 6, Male ; 



7, Female; 8, Larva. (Nat. size.) 



its appearance in great numbers. The perfect insect is prettily mottled with white 

 and black, and on this account is called in Germany the harlequin-moth. Another 

 species, the scarce or clouded magpie (A. idmata), is more abundant in the Midland 



2 g 



bordered white— 1, Male ; 2, Female, with larva; 3, argent and sable, with larva. (Nat. size.) 



counties of England than the common magpie, though less so in the south. Of the 

 common species the larva feeds on the gooseberry and black-currant, doing consider- 

 able damage at times. It is one of the most strikingly marked of the geometric 



