ANTLER MOTH, OR GRASS MOTH. 
17 
Linnaeus describe this grass pest as “ the most destructive of Swedish 
caterpillars, laying waste our meadows, and annihilating our crops 
of hay.” 
The localities usually attacked are grass in mountainous districts, 
and the accompanying map will show the mountain ground and large 
area over which last summer’s attack extended in Glamorganshire. 
District of Glamorganshire attacked by caterpillars of Antler Moth (Photo etched 
from Crucliley’s Tourist’s Map). 
Scale of English miles. I-1-1-1--j-J 
The north-east side of the Bhondda Valley, which is the most 
easterly limit named, lies some ten or twelve miles N.N.E. of Bridgend, 
and it will be observed from the following account that the attack 
extended thence westward past the Ogmore Valley and the Garw Biver 
to Maesteg, the most westerly limit named, and that the large extent 
over which the smoke of the mountain fires was seen showed the cater¬ 
pillar-presence spread widely on a scale requiring strong measuies 
to check it. Altogether the area of the attack taking the diameter 
from W. to E. does not appear to have been less than ten miles. 
The account forwarded to me on the 18th of June mentioned that 
on the mountains of Ystrath-y-Fodwg (hills about ten miles north of 
Bridgend, in Glamorganshire) myriads of caterpillars were devouring 
every green thing, leaving the mountains brown behind them. 
It seems they were first noticed on Bwlch-y-Clawdd, a lofty ridge 
separating Cwm Park from the Bhondda Valley , but on Sunday (the 
15th of June) it was found that they had attacked, or lathei were 
attacking, also the north-east as well as the west side of the valley. 
At Treorky Station (a station on the Bhondda branch of the Cardiff 
c 
