154 ZOOLOGY. 



The Cabbage Snout Moth (Botys forficalis). 



Moth : Length about half an inch. Span of wings 

 rather over one inch. Fore wings shai-ply bent in 

 front before their sharp tips ; rusty yellow, somewhat 

 darker on the nerves, with rusty brown transverse 

 streaks from the outermost corners to the middle of 

 the hinder margin, and with other reddish-brown 

 markings. Hind wings and body shining straw 

 yellow. Caterpillar : ^ inch long, 16-legged, tapering 

 in front and behind. Yellowish green, with indistinct 

 longitudinal lines and bright brown head. A few 

 small yellowish-green hairs. Habits : The first gene- 

 ration appear in small numbers in May. The cater- 

 pillars hatched out from the eggs of these live (May 

 and June) on the leaves of cabbages and wild cruci- 

 ferous plants. They always shelter themselves 

 between the leaves, and spin a few thin threads across 

 the entrances to their abodes. The caterpillars burrow 

 horizontally in the earth, and there become pupae 

 invested in cocoons. The moths of the second gene- 

 ration appear in August; in autumn the caterpillars 

 hatched from their eggs damage cabbages, sometimes 

 to a large extent. In October they burrow into the 

 soil, where they hybernate. Remedy : Deep digging 

 or ploughing after the crop, by which the larvae 

 invested in webs are buried deeply, and consequently 

 for the most part killed. 



The Mother-of-pearl Moth {Botys margaritalis = B. 

 extimalis). 



Moth (Fig. 104) : Length nearly f inch ; span of 

 wing over 1^ inches. Fore wings bright sulphur 

 yellow, with large rust-coloured patches, and two rusty 

 yellow transverse lines. Hind wings shining straw 

 yellow ; all four wings with a mother-of-pearl sheen. 

 Caterpillar (Fig. 104) : ^ inch, 16-legged, yellowish. 



