Insects Injurious to the Apple. 35 



crimson and black on the back ; the venter is dull orange with black 

 spots, and the body is hairy, the sides fringed below with more 

 numerous and rather long grey hairs, with a few still longer dark 

 brown ones. In length they reach If inch. Another well marked 

 form described by Morris (3) is yellowish-grey with a dark grey 

 band spotted with white on each segment, darker on the back, on each 

 of which is an interrupted orange line and two red spots on the 

 posterior part of the second segment. 



Another form is dull brownish-grey with a black spot at the sides 

 of each segment and with traces of dark brown spots edged with black 

 on the dorsum, and four white spots in front and two behind. 



Buckler (2) figures a beautiful variety of pale grey and dark grey 

 hue with a black dorsal line swelling out on each segment and ' 

 bearing on each swollen area a pair of yellow spots ; the hairs brown. 



They mature by June and then pupate in a slaty-grey cocoon 

 amongst leaves, etc., at the foot of the trees, or even in the soil. The 

 pupa is reddish-brown. 



Teeatment. 



Should this caterpillar occur, as it has in Ireland, in such numlDers 



as to do harm, it may easily be checked by spraying with arsenate of 



lead. 



References. 



(1) Carpenter, Ci. H. Injurious Insects and other Animals observed in 



Ireland during the year 1905. Eco. Proo. Roy. Dub. Soo., vol. I., pt. 8, 

 p. 333 (1806). 



(2) BucUer, W. 'The Larvffi of British Butterflies and Moth^,' vol. III., 



p. 58. Pis. xlvii. and xlix. (1889). 



(3) Morris, F. 0. 'A Natural History of British Moths,' vol. I., p. 81 (1872). 



THE FIGURE-OF-8 MOTH. 



(Biloba cmruleocepliala. Linn.) 



The caterpillar of this rather inconspicuous yet readily identified 

 moth is popularly called the " Blue-head." It feeds upon apple,, 

 plum and cherry, and is also recorded as feeding upon blackthorn and 

 sloe by Morris (1) and Stainton (2). It is frequently abundant on 

 hawthorn hedges. In Huntingdonshire in 1887 the writer found it 

 stripping the hedgerows at Swineshead and Great Staughton, but 

 the following year it was quite scarce. Miss Ormerod refers to it 

 in 1890 (3), specimens Ijeing regularly sent to her as doing mischief 

 in the orchards. 



It, however, is seldom a serious enemy of the apple. The reason 



D 2 



