THE SUBSTITUTE. 
239 
till after the second or third moult 
that they descend to the earth. 
The perfect insects are hatched 
in autumn, and often hybernate 
before copulation. Not uufre- 
quently we find them in early 
spring concealed in holes or 
crouching in shrivelled leaves, but 
only singly. The position of the 
wings is very different from that 
of the other Orlhosidw. Instead 
of having the anterior wings in- 
clined as a sharp angle, as in An- 
chocelis or Ort/iosia, they keep 
them parallel to the object on 
which they rest, and partly 
crossed one over the other as in 
Agrotis. If to this we add that 
the abdomen is so decidedly fiat- 
tened and even hollowed in the 
middle, we shall see why it could 
be impossible to confound the 
genus Ceraslis with any other. 
I’his last-named character is even 
found in the females, which are, 
hence, very difficult to distinguish 
from the males, and it is only by 
a little greater fulness of the body 
and by a slight difl'erence in the 
ciliation of the antennae, that we 
succeed in separating them, and 
even for that it requires an expe- 
rienced eye. 
In this genus we find numerous 
varieties very different from the 
types, and distinct species very 
close to each other ; hence it re- 
quires a profound study, and a 
knowledge of their first states is 
indispensible. But for that, we 
should certainly take some va- 
rieties of Vaccinii and erythroce- 
phala for distinct species (as in- 
deed many of us have done); on 
the other hand, we should not dis- 
I tinguish spadicea from the former, 
I nor Veronica from the latter. 
(Vol. I., pp. 377, 378.) 
Scopelosoma. 
This genus, which many authors 
have mixed with Cerastis, is dis- 
tinguished by the form and ha- 
bits of the larvae, and in the per- 
fect insect by the form of the 
thorax and the markings on the 
wings, which are much more ob- 
long and more dentate. 
The caterpillar lives, when 
young, either concealed between 
the seeds of the elm or inclosed in 
the young leaves of different 
shrubs, particularly of the bram- 
ble ; it fastens the edges of the 
leaves like the Cosmia and some 
of the Torlrices. When it is 
more fully grown it lives on low 
plants like all the Orlhosidce. 
This larva is carnivorous, and 
spares neither other larv® nor 
those of its own species when it is 
shut up with them. (Vol. I., p. 
386.) 
Dasycampa. 
This is the only exception in 
this and the allied families of a 
hairy larva. This is also the 
principal character of the genus, 
which I created in 1837, and 
which has been adopted by modem 
authors. In the perfect state 
there is very great affinity with 
Cerastis, from which it is only 
distinguished by the better deve- 
loped palpi, the crested thorax, 
and the markings of the wings. 
The perfect insects have precisely 
the habits of Cerastis, and like 
them their existence is prolonged 
far into the winter, and even into 
the following spring ; warm sea- 
sons are favourable with us to 
their multiplication. The larvre 
are fond of spinning their cocoons 
close to one another, and we find 
