The Grass or Antler Moth. By James Hardy. 201 



thistles, and is recorded in all our local lists. I am told by Mr 

 William Evans that it is common round Edinburgh. I have 

 taken it at Gullane Links, at South Shields, on the Berwickshire 

 coast, and in Northumberland where it is common on the links 

 at Newbigin-by-the-Sea ; and I have seen a few of the cater- 

 pillars near Boughtrig, in the parish of Hownam ; the moth 

 being also recorded from Roxburghshire. 



Hitherto most of these districts have escaped material damage 

 from its presence, the condition of the hill pastures being adverse 

 to its overgrown production. They have not, however, been 

 altogether free. Mr John Anderson, at Milkhope, one of the 

 oldest shepherds in Kidland, informed me that, many years ago, 

 a brown-coloured caterpillar that moved under the soil and 

 destroyed the grass roots, laid quite bare several acres of grass 

 on Carlcroft, an extensive sheep-farm, which reaches from the 

 Coquet almost to the AVindy Gyle. This continued till a thunder- 

 spate fell and washed thousands of the caterpillars to the sides 

 of the Carlcroft burn, where the rooks that led out their young 

 as soon as fledged to the moorlands discovered the piles of dead 

 and dying worms, and crowded to feed on them. Mr Telfer of 

 Blindburn, said the grass which they had undermined looked as 

 if scorched by fire. The caterpillars had also been observed on 

 the fine grassy slopes adjacent to the Usway. This points to 

 the months of June and July ; the caterpillars that I saw on the 

 Hownam side of the hills were active in the beginning of June. 



On the 11th July a tin box, containing 11 of the caterpillars, 

 pretty well grown, reached me from the Rev. John Falconer, 

 Ettrick. They are sub -cylindrical in shape ; in length, 1-^ inch ; 

 in breadth, one-tenth of an inch ; smooth, without hairs, slightly 

 shining, slaty brown, striped longitudinally with narrow dull 

 3'ellow lines ; head corneous, of a 

 chestnut colour ; a shining polished 

 black plate on the back of the second 

 segment, and another on the 1 3th ; 

 both divided by the dorsal and 

 lateral stripes. The yellowish lines 

 on the body are — one dorsal, two 

 near each other on each side of this, Caterpillar* of Antler Moth. 

 sub-lateral ; a broader dirty chestnut line above the spiracles, 

 with a narrow interrupted line beneath this, and pale dashes on 

 each segment : belly dirty chestnut, more dusky over the feet, 



