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THE SPRING USHER MOTH AND ITS HABITS. 
B. MORLEY. 
Among the oaks in Cannon Hall Park, Cawthorne, the Spring 
Usher Moth, Hybernia leucophaearia, is very abundant, much 
more so than the moths sitting on the tree-trunks in the 
day-time would suggest. The insects then seen have emerged 
on that day, and are reposing on the lower parts of the trunks 
near the places where their wings developed, until evening. 
The emergence of the males commences on mild days at about 
two hours before noon. Only comparatively few emerge and 
develop on the trunks, most go through that process on the 
grass stems and fallen leaves under the trees. As oak is the 
food plant of the larva, it is natural that pupation will take 
place in the ground at the foot of the oaks, and more moths 
occur on those trees than on any other ; but I have found the 
moths commonly on the trunks of lime, ash, pine, hawthorn, 
sycamore, beech, and on February 26th last, three in- 
dividuals were seen at one time on a small willow tree. Last 
year a fine specimen of var. merularia (Weymer) was taken 
off palings, from which the suggestion that the moths only 
sit on oaks is not borne out by fact, and it also indicates that 
they are more concerned about getting through the daylight 
hours safely than by the particular tree they rest upon. 
After dark, the females emerge, and their development being 
complete, they lose no time before running quickly up the 
trunks on to the boughs and twigs aloft, where also the males 
assemble. It is no uncommon thing for this species to remain 
abundant for a month or even six weeks, and if the weather is 
uncertain, its time of appearapce is generally most protracted. 
It becomes responsive to mild weather by the middle of 
January, and will become common in a day or two when 
climatic conditions remain favourable, but as soon as con- 
ditions become adverse, emergence ceases, and those already 
out disappear, and some seasons, when the weather quickly 
changes from mildness to severity recurrently, there will be 
three or four distinct emergences of moths. This Cawthorne 
race of the species is extremely variable in colour, the typical 
light form being by far the commonest. The var. merularia 
Weymer is black, but of this I have only seen two individuals 
var. marmorinaria esper, a form with blackish base and outer 
margins, is not uncommon, and every gradation between the 
type and these forms occurs. 
: o : 
Natureland for April has notes on Waxwings in Norfolk, What is it ?" 
Frog Voices, Southern Pigmy Rattlesnake, Bird Words, Ornithological 
notes from Cyprus, etc. There are some good plates from photographs.. 
Naturalist 
