THE CINNABAR 53 



PLATE XXVIII 



THE CINNABAR (1 and 2) 



The Cinnabar Moth is really almost a prettier 

 insect than the "burnets," and it looks most 

 beautiful as you see it slowly flying over the 

 long grass in the hay-fields, or along a bank by 

 the roadside, on a hot midsummer day. For 

 the upper wings are deep olive-brown in colour, 

 with a broad crimson streak and two round 

 crimson spots upon them, while the lower ones 

 are rich crimson with a narrow black margin. 

 And the under surface is coloured just like the 

 upper, except that the crimson tint is just a 

 little bit paler. 



This is one of the "local" moths, for while 

 it is very common indeed in some places, it is 

 seldom or never seen in others. You should 

 look for it where ragwort grows, for on that 

 plant the caterpillars feed. They are handsome 

 little creatures, which you cannot possibly mis- 

 take for those of any other moth, for they are 

 bright orange in colour, with black rings round 

 their bodies. And sometimes they are so plentiful 

 that they quite strip the ragwort plants of their 

 leaves. When they are fully fed they change into 

 shiny reddish-brown chrysalids on the surface of 

 the ground. 



