2 BRITISH MOTHS 



their colours they are much more beautifully ornamented than the Noctuidae, and many species have a broad 

 wavy band across the fore wings, whence they have obtained the name of carpet-moths ; they never exceed a 

 moderate size. In a few species, the females are almost or entirely destitute of wings, and some of these, as 

 Cheimatobia brumata, are exceedingly injurious to fruit-trees, devouring the tender shoots and leaves in the 

 sprincr (see Kollar's work on Noxious Insects) ; whilst Bupalus piniarius is sometimes equally destructive in the 

 pine-forests of Germany. (See Silbermann, Eev. Ent. No. 9.) 



Of the relations of these insects but little can be said. The larger species with feathered male antenns, as 

 Latreille long ago remarked, exhibit so strong a relation to some of the Bombycidse, that it would be rash, 

 looking at the imagines alone, to assert that the relation was not one of affinity. The terminal Noctuida, as we 

 have already shown, are, in several respects, very much allied to this family, whilst some of our fanciful 

 entomologists have imagined a relation between the swallow-tailed butterfly and the swallow-tailed moth, 

 because each of their hind wings happens to terminate in an elongated appendage. 



llr. Curtis proposes to divide these insects into two families, characterised by the structure of the male 

 antenna, but such a step would imnaturally break many strong relations, as pointed out by Mr. Stephens in his 

 " Illustrations," (vol. iii. p. 143). Platypteryx constitutes an anomalous group, which, in the imago state, 

 seems to be one of the types of form of this family ; but its larva is altogether distinct, and more nearly 

 resembles that of Cerura. But this relation is so slight, that Latreille has evidently confounded analogy with 

 affinity, in uniting them into one tribe, which he named Aposura, the larvee being destitute of anal feet. 



The comparatively little which is known of the transformations of this family, and our ignorance of the 

 exotic groups, arising from the neglect with which the smaller exotic Nocturnal Lepidoptera liave been treated, 

 render the classifications hitherto proposed of these, and indeed of all the subsequent families of moths, very 

 unsatisfactory. An elaborate examination of their characters, as exhibited in their different states, and extended 

 over the exotic as well as native species, will alone determine the propriety of the establishment of many of the 

 genera which have already been proposed, and which are adopted in the following pages. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE LVII. 



Insrcts. — Fig, 1. Psodos trepidaria (the black mountain-moth). 

 ,, Fig. 2. Psodos alpinata (the gold four-spot). 

 ,, Fig. 3. Speranza brunneata (the Rannoch Looper). 

 ,. Fig. 4. Speranza Limbaria (the frosted yellow). 5. 



The Caterpillar, 

 ,, Fig. 6. Bupalus piniarius (the bordered white). 7. The 



Female. 

 ,, Fig, 8. Fidonia atomaria (the common heath). 9, 



Another variety. 10. A Female, 

 ,, Fig, 11, Fidonia fuliginaria (the waved black). 12, The 



Caterpillar, 

 ,, Fig, 13. Fidonia ericetaria (the bordered gray). 14. The 



Female, 

 ,, Fig, 15, Ma;sia Favillacearia (the gray scalloped bar), 

 ,, Fig, IG, Hybernia leucophearia (the spring usher). 17. 



A variety. 

 ,, Fig. 18. Anisopteryx jEscularia (the March moth). 19, 



The Female, 

 ,, Fig. 20. Hybernia Capreolaria (the dotted border). 21. 



The Female. 22. The Caterpillar. 

 T, Fig. 23. Hybernia prosapiaria (the ecarce umber). 24. 

 The Female. 



Insects. — Fig. 25. Hybernia defoliaria (the mottled umbre). 2C. 

 A variety. 27. A variety. 28. The Female. 

 29, The Caterpillar, 



Plants — Fig. 30, Cytisus scoparius (common broom). 



The whole of the insects figured in this plate are from the cabinet 

 of Mr. Bentley, who has, on this and numerous other occasions, 

 most liberally allowed me to talte all the insects I required to my 

 own house, for the purpose of copying even unique specimens of 

 great value. I have only given three varieties of Atomaria, but they 

 are three of the most striking; for to give every intermediate gradation 

 connecting the three distinctly-marked varieties figured, would have 

 filled the plate. The females vary as much as the males. The same 

 remark will apply to Defoliaria, with the exception of the female, 

 which is apterous. The female of Capreolaria from a specimen sent me 

 by Mr. H. Doubleday, is, he informs me, usually placed in cabinets as 

 the female of Leucophearia; but he has had abundant opportunities 

 this spring of proving that such is not the case. The female of 

 Leucophearia, Mr. E, Doubleday informs me, is perfectly apterous. 



The caterpillars are from Hiibner and Freyer. H. N. H. 



