AND TIIKIR TKANSI'ORJIATIONS. 57 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XI. 



Insects.— Fig. 1. Lusiocinipa Rubi, fcuialu (the Fo.v motli). 2. The Caterpillar. 3. The Cater|iillar when young. 4. Tlic Cocoon an.i 



Clirysalip. 

 " Fig. 5. L.asiocampa Trifolii (the grass-egger). 6. The Female. 7. The Caterpillar. 



" Fig. 8. Lasiocampa Koboris, female (the oak Eggcr moth). 9. The Male. 10. The more common variety of the Male witli 



dark bonier. 11. A variety of the Female with a correspondiug dark border. 12. The Caterpillar. 

 '* Fig. 13. Lasiocampa i^ueiciis (of Hiihner). 



** Fig. 14. Lasiocampa Dumeti. 



Tlie male of tlic fox motli is very similar to the female, hut differs in being of a somcwh.it richer colour, smaller, and having the antenna" 

 pectinated. Tlic male of L. Trifolii, as exhibited in the plate, has a pale band on the hind wings, a peculiarity upon which a separate species 

 has been founded ; but :is I have found none but males so distinguished, I .am inclined to tliiuk it a mere sexual difference. The two varieties 

 of L. Roboris have also been by some made two species. L. Quercus is from HUbncr's figure, and L. Dumeti and the dark female arc in the 

 British Museum ; L. Dumeti being a foreign specimen. The others are all fiom llie beautiful specimens furnished by Mr. IL Doiibledav. The 

 young caterpillar of the fox moth, the cocoon, and the caterpillar of L. Trifolii, are from Hiibner ; the other two are from nature. In the 

 present plate a few leaves of plants are introduced merely for the purpose of exhibiting the caterpillars more conveniently. H. N. H. 



LASIOCAMPA, Sriiii.v.NK. UOMBYX, p. Boisimv.u.. 



This group has the wings entire, and comparatively elongated and opaque, the hinder ones rounded ; the 

 abdomen of neither sex regularly tufted at tlio tip, hut bifid in the males ; the palpi minute, and not porrected 

 like a beak ; the antennao deeply bipectinated in the males, straight and serrated in tlie females. The males 

 fly with amazing rapidity by day. The larvi^; are solitary in their habits, and clothed with lung hairs (whence 

 the generic name, derived from the Greek) ; when alarmed they curl themselves up in a ring, when tlie pale 

 annulations of the body become distinct, as represented in our fig. 3, whence they have gained the name of the 

 ' devil's gold rings.' The nomenclature of llic species has been greatly confused, varieties having been often 

 regarded as distinct species. Dr. Boisdnval, in his new work, gives only L. Rubi, Quercus, and Trifolii, as 

 natives of central and northern Europe. 



SPECIES 1.— LASIOCAMPA RUBI. Plate XL, Pre. 1—4. 



SvNONYMES. — Phaliena (Do.) Rudi, Liunixus ■, Albin, pi. 81, fig. 1 Lasiocampa Rubi, Schrank ; Stephens; Wood, Ind. Eiit., t. 6, 

 a— d ; Wilkes, pi. 54 ; Donovan, 2, pi. 69. fig. 40. 



I Uletunastra Rubi, Hiibner, Verz. bek. Sclim. 



This species varies from 2 '. to 2j inches in the expansion of its fore wings, which, as well as the body and 

 hind wings, are of a fox colour, (whence the English name of the species), the fore wings having two .scarcely 

 oblique pale stripes, variable in their position, across the middle ; and the fringe of the hind wings is whitish. 

 The female is paler, but similarly marked. 



Tlie caterpillar when young is blackish and velvety, with golden rings (fig. 3), but it afterwards becomes 

 ferruginous above and black beneath, with l)!ack rings edged with fulvous and reddish hairs ; it forms a long 

 and nearly transparent cocoon, through which the chrysalis can be seen. It feeds on the bramble, and appears 

 in the autumn ; the perfect insect being produced at the beginning of the following summer. It is not an 

 uncommon insect, but is difficult to rear. 



