The larvae are smooth, and generally brightly coloured, and feed princ.i.p.ally on low plants. The chrysalides are generally inclosed in coc.o.o.ns on or beneath the ground, and are often provided with spines or bristles on the under side.

We shall select two members of this family.

_The Early Grey_ (_Xylocampa Areola_)

One of the first of the _Noctuae_ to greet us in the spring is the Early Grey, which may be found resting on fences in April, and, if the season is mild, in March.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 172.--THE EARLY GREY.]

Its fore wings are light grey, often tinged with rose pink, and marked with dark grey. The orbicular and reniform spots are very distinct, and surrounded by a pale line; they are both united at their lower edges.

Along the hind margin is a series of dark spots. The hind wings are pale yellowish grey, with a darker central spot, a central transverse darker line, and a darker line along the hind margin.

The caterpillar is yellowish grey. The dorsal line is lighter, and pa.s.ses through a brownish spot on the eighth segment. It feeds on the honeysuckle (_Lonicera Periclymenum_) in July and August, being full grown towards the end of the latter month.

_The Shark_ (_Cucullia umbratica_)

The Shark is a very common moth, to be found everywhere on palings in June, but the colour of its wings so closely resembles that of oak and other light-wood fences that detection is not so easy as with most other moths.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 173.--THE SHARK.]

The fore wings are grey, and marked with longitudinal dark lines, the princ.i.p.al of which is a line from the middle of the base to about the centre of the wing. The wing rays are also darker than the ground colour. The hind wings are greyish white or brownish grey.

The caterpillar is very dark brown, with orange spots on the back and along the spiracles. It feeds on sow-thistles (_Sonchus oleraceus_, _S.

pal.u.s.tris_, and _S. arvensis_) and sleepwort (_Lactuca virosa_) at night from July to September, and hides during the daytime among the leaves that lie close against the ground. When disturbed it does not roll into a ring or feign death like many others of its kind, but wriggles about most vigorously as if to repel its foe.

Family--GONOPTERIDae

_The Herald Moth_ (_Gonoptera Libatrix_)

The above-mentioned family is so called on account of the angular margins of the wings, especially the fore pair. It contains only one British species, the Herald (Plate XII, fig. 1), a moth that is common everywhere in August and September. It hybernates in the perfect state, and the hybernated specimens may be seen in the spring time, from March up to the end of May or the beginning of June.

Its fore wings are reddish grey, thickly spotted and streaked with brown. Transverse whitish lines divide the base into three parts of nearly equal widths. The basal and central divisions are tinged with orange; and there is a small white spot in the base close to the thorax, also another near the centre of the wing. The hind wings are brownish grey.

The caterpillar is green and velvety, with a whitish stripe on the side, and yellow spiracles. It feeds on willow (_Salix alba_) and sallow (_Salix caprea_); and when full grown, about the end of June, it spins a white silken coc.o.o.n between leaves of its tree, and changes to a very dark chrysalis.

Family--PLUSIIDae

The most peculiar feature of the moths of this family is the tufts of hair that stand up perpendicularly on the top of the thorax. The abdomen also is crested, and the fore wings of several species have smooth patches that display a brilliant metallic l.u.s.tre.

Most of the larvae may be described as semi-loopers, for their claspers number only three pairs, and when they walk their backs are considerably humped, somewhat after the fashion of the _Geometrae_. Some of them further imitate the _Geometrae_ in their position of rest, holding on by their claspers only, with body straightened out at an angle with the leaf or twig on which they support themselves.

Unlike the majority of the _Noctuae_, they do not descend to the ground when about to change, but spin a silken coc.o.o.n among the food plants.

_The Burnished Bra.s.s_ (_Plusia Chrysitis_)

One of the commonest of the _Plusiidae_ is the Burnished Bra.s.s, so called on account of the large patches of bright golden green on the fore wings. The hind margin of these wings is very gracefully curved, and bordered with brown. A brown blotch fills the base of the wing, and the remaining area is of a beautiful metallic greenish yellow, broken by two large brown blotches, one on the costal and the other on the inner margin, which closely approach each other and sometimes meet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 174.--THE BURNISHED BRa.s.s.]

This moth is very common everywhere, and is one of the frequent visitors to our flower gardens from June to August.

The caterpillar is thickest at the twelfth segment, and tapers from this point. Its colour is pale green. It has no longitudinal stripes on the back, but each segment is adorned with four or six oblique white marks.

Just above the spiracles is a white stripe. It feeds on the dead nettle (_Lamium alb.u.m_), stinging nettle (_Urtica dioica_), and burdock (_Arctium minus_), and is full grown in June.

_The Silver_ Y (_Plusia Gamma_)

Our second example of this family is the Silver Y, which may be found in abundance everywhere from June to October. Its fore wings are of a shiny grey colour, beautifully marbled with a rich dark brown; and just below the orbicular spot is a brilliant silvery spot, in form something like the Greek letter [gamma] placed obliquely. The base of the hind wings is grey; along the margin is a broad and dark smoky brown band, and the fringe is very light grey, barred with the dark tint of the band. This moth is commonly driven out of its hiding places among low plants as we walk in waste places, and when thus disturbed it takes a short and rapid flight, generally disappearing so suddenly among the herbage that it is difficult to locate it correctly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 175.--THE SILVER Y.]

The caterpillar is thickest at the twelfth segment, and tapers gradually from this point towards the head. Its body is green, with several thin longitudinal white stripes, and a thin yellow stripe along the spiracles. It may be found from June to October, feeding on many kinds of low plants.

Family--EUCLIDIIDae

_The Mother Shipton_ (_Euclidia Mi_)

Pa.s.sing over a few small and less important families, we come to the _Euclidiidae_, which contains only two British moths. One of these is the Mother Shipton, a very common insect that flies in June.

The fore wings of this species are very dark brown with whitish markings. The latter include a peculiarly tortuous line, the character of which will be made out more easily from our ill.u.s.tration (Plate XI, fig. 4) than from a written description. The hind wings are also very dark brown, and rather prettily spotted with an ochreous tint.

The caterpillar is pale grey, with four white stripes, and has only three pairs of claspers. It feeds in May on clovers (_Trifolium pratense_ and _T. repens_) and other plants.

Family--CATOCALIDae

This family contains only four British species, but these few are very striking moths. They are of large size; and, unlike the _Noctuae_ generally, the chief adornment is reserved for the under wings. When at rest, the outer or fore wings completely hide the other pair, and then their general appearance is dull, though if closely examined it will be observed that these outer wings are really beautifully marbled with shades of grey.

The caterpillars of this family are very peculiar creatures. Their bodies are convex above and flattened beneath; and if disturbed as they rest on the bark of a tree, instead of leaving their hold and rolling into a ring like so many other larvae of _Noctuae_, they apply themselves the closer, and hold on as if to defy our attempts to remove them.

Another peculiarity of these larvae is the possession of fleshy projections along the sides, just above the legs. They feed on the leaves of trees, and when about to rest they descend to the trunk, and there remain protected by their imitative colouring, detection being rendered even more difficult by the close application of their flattened under surface to the bark. Before changing to the chrysalis state, they spin a light coc.o.o.n among the leaves or on the bark.

_The Clifden Nonpareil_ (_Catocala Fraxini_)

This is the largest of the family, and, indeed, of all British _Noctuae_.

The fore wings and thorax are light grey, dotted and marbled with darker grey (see fig. 5, Plate XI); and the thorax and abdomen are banded with black and greyish blue.

The young entomologist can hardly expect to meet with this fine insect, for it is very rare, and it is only occasionally that a specimen is seen in Britain; but its characteristics are so striking that we have endeavoured to find it a place here. Reputed British specimens of _Fraxini_ command the price of a few pounds each, but specimens from the other side of the Channel may be obtained for a few pence. With such rarities we should advise a young entomologist to purchase the foreign specimen rather than adopt the two other alternatives--give an exorbitant price for a supposed Britisher, or else remain a stranger to the gem, but all foreign specimens should be labelled according to their nationalities.

_The Red Underwing_ (_Catocala Nupta_)