28 
TRANSFORMATIONS OF INSECTS. 
same species differ very much in their ornamentation and tint- 
ing. The propriety, then, of separating these kinds of Noctuina 
is very doubtful. 
The little dark caterpillars of the A crony eta are very fond 
of the mosses and lichens which grow upon trees, and upon 
the walls of our towns, and which are often found on the quays 
and parapets by the water-side. They usually hide themselves 
in the day-time in holes and corners, and they finally shut 
themselves up there, and form their cocoons with silk, moss, and 
pieces of lichen. One of the commonest of the Noctuina does 
a great deal of mischief. It belongs to the family of the 
Noctuidee, and is usually seen about the flower beds at dusk on 
a summer’s evening. This little moth, Agrotis segetum , is called 
the Reaper by the French. The fore wings are of a greyish 
brown or fawn colour, and are marked at the base with two 
undulating lines, and the hind wings are whitish. The males 
have lighter tints than the females. The moths fly at the end 
of May, or the beginning of June, their appearance depending 
upon the warmth of the season. The females generally lay 
their eggs in little patches on the lower surfaces of such plants 
as the chicory and beetroot. The caterpillars do not stop 
upon these leaves, but descend and hide themselves in the 
ground during the day. They only move during the night- 
time, and then never trouble the leaves, but enjoy the succulent 
roots, which they gnaw and perforate just where the stem is 
united to them. By about the middle of July, the caterpillars 
have attained their full size, and they then measure an inch 
to an inch and half in length. Their bodies are smooth and 
shining, and are sombre coloured. They are ornamented with 
two rows of black wart-like points surmounted with hair, and 
there is a general greenish hue over all. Their mandibles are 
strong and trenchant, and the upper lip has no notch, the 
mouth being admirably adapted for munching roots. Their 
hinder or membranous feet are very short, and have a very 
small hollow in them, surrounded by a hard border, and covered 
with short hooks. The larva, which gardeners call the grey 
worm, can crawl over the ground, but its feet are not suited for 
climbing stems and leaves, or for clasping them. 
