THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



245 



Potent'dla alpestre, Convallaria majaUs, 

 Acted spicata, Geranivm sanffuineum, Paris 

 quadrifolia, Primula vulgaris var. canlescens, 

 a plant I believe frequently mistaken for 

 P. elatior (the Oxlip.) 



Arriving at Kilnsey, time would not per- 

 mit us to visit the only habitat in the West 

 Riding for Dryas octopctala, which occurs a 

 few miles higher up the valley. After 

 lingering a short time at Kilnsey Crag, the 

 mail cart took us back again to Skipton. 

 On the way back we were somewhat sur- 

 prised at seeing Plant ago viaritiina, occur- 

 ring in profusion on the road. 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



By John E. Robson. 



3. TILI/E. 

 The Lime JIaivh-vwth. 



" Tili;e, L., Til'ioe, feeds on the Lime 

 (Tilia Europaa)." — A.L. 



Imago. — Fore-wings brownish pink or 

 greenish grey, with an olive green hind 

 margin, and interrupted central band, a 

 whitish patch at the tip. Hind-wings simi- 

 lar in colour, with a blackish band across 

 the wings from the anal angle. 



Larva. — Yellowish green, the ground 

 colour green, covered all over, except at the 

 segmental divisions, by yellowish spots in 

 regular rows ; seven oblique yellow side 

 stripes, sometimes edged with red ; spiracles 

 red. In a variety a red spot appears on the 

 side of each segment. Head bluish and 

 bi-lobed ; horn rough, blue above, and red 

 below. Pro-legs yellow, legs red ; a red 

 spot behind the anal angle. 



Pupa. — Dark reddish brown, generally 

 smaller than that of Occllatus, but more like 

 it than VopHli. 



Food Plants.— Elm and Lime; it 

 was once found by Mr. Bond feeding on 

 Sycamore. 



Times of Appearance . — The imago 

 emerges at the end of May or iu June, the 



eggs are laid singly and hatch in about a 

 fortnight. The earliest larvae are full fed by 

 the end of August, but some continue feed- 

 ing even into October. The pupa remains 

 over the winter. 



Habitat. — Not uncommon in the South 

 and in the Midlands, but it does not occur 

 in the more Northern counties of England 

 nor in Scotland. It is widely spread over 

 Europe. 



Varieties. — Besides the variation in 

 the ground colour, that of the central band 

 and hind margin vary considerably. In a 

 specimen in my collection these are deep 

 purplish red, much darker than the ground 

 colour. This specimen is figured in Mosley's 

 Illustrations, Smerinthus, pi. 2, fig. 3. The 

 central band is also subject to great varia- 

 tion. It is frequently interrupted in the 

 middle and forms irregular patches on the 

 costa and inner margin, sometimes there is 

 but one patch in the middle of the wing, 

 till in fig. 2 of the above plate, a specimen 

 is depicted in which it is reduced to a small 

 spot. On the same plate another specimen 

 is shown (fig. i.), in which there is no trace 

 of it, and the hind margin is beautifully 

 mottled or marbled. The hind wings are 

 also distinctly streaked through the darker 

 basal portion. 



ON THE MEANS OF DE- 

 FENCE OF INSECTS. 



By E. L. Ragonot. 



(From the Naturalist's Circular, by permission 

 of the Editor.) 



THE CATERPILLAR STATE. 

 The larval or caterpillar state is the most 

 important part in the life of an insect, for 

 it is in this state that many insects pass the 

 greater portion of their lives, the larva 

 merely passing through the pupal state to 

 perfect itself, and ultimately assuming the 

 imago or perfect form for the purpose of 



