182 LEPIDOPTERA (MOTHS). 



The Notodontidae, another family, contains the well-known 

 Puss Moth (Cerura vinula), which lives iijjon Willows and 

 Osiers, sometimes causing them much loss of leafage, and thus 

 of wood. The large hairy moth is greyish-white, with hlack 

 wavy markings, three inches in expanse of wing in the female, 

 smaller in the male. The curious larvas are provided with two 

 protrusible red tails, which can he extended some distance and 

 waved about to frighten off the Ichneumon flies that ]irey upon 

 them. 



Noctuina. — The Nootuse are all, or nearly all, nocturnal in 

 habits. They are mostly dull-coloured insects, with thread-like 

 antennae in the female, pectinate in the male. The abdomen is 

 broad, but slightly tapering to a point at the hind end. The 

 legs have strong tibial spurs. The front wings are generally 

 narrow, and usually darker than the under-wings. The posterior 

 pair are often coloured, as we see in the red and yellow under- 

 wings. The moths have a long trunk and projecting palpi. 

 There is a great superficial resemblance between many of the 

 species. The larvae are but slightly hairj', and are provided 

 with sixteen legs. If the Plusiadi-e are included in this group, 

 the number of legs must not be taken as a characteristic, as they 

 are reduced to fourteen, and some forms have only twelve. The 

 pupae of ISToctuas are generally found undergroiuid. Some are 

 naked, others surrounded by a case of earth in the soil : they 

 are brown in colour, and devoid of body spines. Many of the 

 larva3, especially of the genus Agrotia, are called Siirface Larvae. 



Surface Larva- (^Koctuw). 



One is constantly turning up duU-coloured caterpillars in the 

 soil at all times of the year, especially in the autumn, winter, 

 and spring. These sluggish larvae, (fig. 83, 2) can at once be 

 identified as moth larvae by the number of their leo-s. They 

 are of a varietv nf soecies : the maioritv. however belnn!? to 



