62 MOTHS 



PLATE XXXII 



THE DRINKER (2 and 3) 



This seems rather an odd name to give to a 

 moth, doesn't it? But it really belongs to the 

 caterpillar, which you may often see drinking 

 the dewdrops on the long grass on which it feeds. 

 It is a very hairy caterpillar, of a dark brown 

 colour, with yellow spots and streaks upon its 

 sides, and little tufts of short white down between 

 them. I would advise you to be very careful in 

 handling it, for its long hairs have a way of work- 

 ing themselves into one's skin, and causing big 

 swellings and a great deal of irritation. Indeed, 

 if you were to rub your eyes after handling one 

 of these caterpillars, you would run a good deal 

 of risk of losing your sight ! 



Drinker caterpillars are very common indeed 

 in some places, and you may often see them 

 feeding on the long grass by the roadside in 

 May. About the beginning of June they spin 

 shuttle-shaped yellow cocoons, which are always 

 fastened to stout grass-stems, and turn to dark 

 brown chrysalids, out of which the moths hatch 

 in July. The male moth, like that of the "oak 

 eggar," is a good deal smaller than the female, 

 and is much darker in colour. 



