80 CATALOGUE OF MOTHS. 



its range. Only two specimens have been recorded from our 

 district, both from South Shields, where Mr. C. Eales took one 

 at rest on a wall, and Mr. C. Wasserman found another floating 

 in a pond at the Lawe (see Trans., vol. v., p. 287). 



LASIOCAMPA, Lat. 



35. Lasiocampa Quercus, (Linn). Oak Eggae. 

 Lasiocampa Quercus. Staint. Man., vol. i., p. 153. 

 Bomhyx ,, I^ewm. Brit. Moths, p. 43. 



Lasiocampa ,, Barr. Lep. Brit. Is., vol. iii., p. 25. 



,, ,, Meyr. Hdbk. Brit. Lep., p. 320. 



Lahva. Buck.,vol.iii.,pl.xlvii.,fig.2; 0.Wils.,pl.xiv.,fig.2. 



An abundant and widely-distributed insect, occurring almost 

 everywhere. The larva is equally at home on the herbage of 

 our sand-banks, on the heather of our moors and mosses, or on 

 the hedgerows of our country lanes. Much uncertainty obtained 

 formerly respecting this insect, some holding there were two 

 distinct species, but it is now well understood there is but one, 

 and the two forms depend more or less on habitat. The larva 

 hybernates when about an inch long, and feeds up the following 

 reason. In southern counties it generally does so rather rapidly 

 and the imago emerges the same year. Further north only a por- 

 tion of the brood appears in the perfect state, and in our districts 

 all, or nearly all of them, remain in pupa till the following season. 

 In the south the males are bright chestnut-brown with paler 

 markings, the females bright yellowish-brown. The variety 

 CalluncB (formerly called a species) is dark chocolate-brown in 

 the male and dark yellow-brown in the other sex. This form 

 occurs on our moors ; those found on the coast, though darker 

 than southern examples, are much lighter than Callunce. An- 

 other unnamed variety has a lighter brown spot near the base of 

 the forewings, sometimes called an epaulet. The margin of the 

 darker part of the hindwing also varies in direction, sometimes 

 running off at the anal angle and more frequently towards the 

 middle of the hind margin. These forms occur with us, but 

 another rarer and more peculiar variety having green stripes and 



