CREAM-SPOT TIGER-MOTH. 
213 
serratures terminating in a bristle ; in the proboscis 
being short, scarcely longer than the head ; and the 
ivings being densely clothed with scales. The 
thorax is without a crest, and, as well as the abdo- 
men, is thick and strong. The species figured as 
an example of the genus is by no means so gene- 
rally distributed as the Great Tiger-moth, but it is 
not very rare in some parts of England. It measures 
fi-om two inches to two inches and a half across the 
anterior wings, which have the ground colour deep 
black ; each of them with about eight yfeUowish or 
cream-coloured spots of various sizes, the basal one 
triangular or heart-shaped, the others in pairs 
placed transversely, and an insulated one on the 
hinder margin. The under wings are rather deep 
yellow, ivith a few scattered small black spots, and 
a large black patch on the outer angle, enclosing a 
few irregular spots of the ground colour. The 
thorax is deep blaek, ivith a cream-coloured mark 
on each shoulder ; the abdomen yellow at the base, 
bright red posteriorly, with three longitudinal rows 
of black spots. On the imder side the anterior 
edge of all the wings is tinged with bright red, and 
the breast and sides are thickly garnished with 
hairs of the same colour. 
The caterpillar is black after its last moult, and 
covered with aigrettes of greyish-brown hairs : the 
head and legs reddish-brown, the former having a 
black heart-shaped spot in the middle. It feeds on 
most of our common field plants. The chrysalis 
has short tufts of reddish hairs on the segments. 
