Part 25

The moth is out in June and July, and specimens have been recorded as captured in September. It may be found on the trunks of oak and fir trees, and will come to sugar and light at night. Although local it is not uncommon in the New Forest and other woods in Hampshire; also in Sussex, Surrey, Kent. {310} and Berkshire. It has been recorded from Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire, and Dorsetshire; and as local and scarce in the Lancaster district.

The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan, and in both countries it is represented by var. _conferenda_, Butler.

SPECKLED BEAUTY (_Cleora angularia_).

Stephens, who in 1831 figured this insect as _Cleora viduaria_, Wien. Verz., remarks, "All the examples I have seen of this beautiful species were captured in the New Forest: the first about June, 1822, the remainder in 1825 and 1826: I believe in the vicinity of Lyndhurst." Barrett states that the late Mr. Samuel Stevens obtained a number of specimens "by sweeping the upper branches of oak trees in the New Forest with a long pole." This was in 1849; and between that year and 1872, about which time it seems to have disappeared, the moth was found, by those who knew where to look for it, in the Forest between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst. Specimens have also been taken, in the past, in Tilgate Forest, Sussex, by the late William Tester, and by Mr. Merrifield, at Holm Bank, near Henfield, in the same county. There have been recent rumours of its reappearance in the New Forest, but I have been unable to ascertain anything definite about this. The specimen depicted in Plate 134, Fig. 2, has been kindly lent by Mr. R. Adkin.

The caterpillar, stated by Hofmann to feed on lichen growing upon oak and birch, is brownish variegated with paler shades.

BRUSSELS LACE (_Cleora lichenaria_).

The greenish grey species shown on Plate 136, Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female], varies in tint; the fore wings are often clouded with olive, and occasionally with blackish; there is frequently a tinge of {311} ochreous between the black cross lines, but sometimes this area is flushed with orange.

Two figures of the caterpillar will be found on Plate 133, Fig. 2. In colour and marking it so closely resembles the greenish-grey lichen upon which it feeds, that its detection thereon is not always easy. May and June are the best months in which to collect the caterpillars (although they may be found during the autumn and early spring), and they may then be jarred from the lichen (_Usnea barbata_), etc., growing on branches of trees and bushes, or searched for among the lichen on the tree trunks, or on wooden pales and fences.

The species is widely spread over the southern half of England, but is more or less rare from the Midlands northwards. It has occurred in South Wales; and Kane states that it is widely distributed and locally common in Ireland. In some parts of South Scotland it is not uncommon, and its range extends to Aberdeen and Ross.

THE DOTTED CARPET (_Cleora jubata_).

This species (Plate 136, Figs. 3, 4) has long been known as _glabraria_, Hubner, but as authorities are agreed that _jubata_, Thunberg, is an earlier name, it must be adopted. The general colour is whitish, powdered with dark grey and black; there are four black spots on the front margin and from these blackish markings cross the wings, but only the first line is generally distinct, although a second line, beyond the large black discal spot, is sometimes clearly defined and entire; occasionally a central shade and a submarginal line are both in evidence. The hind wings have a black central spot and a blackish line beyond, but the latter is often absent. Exceptional aberration takes the form of leaden black blotches, clouds, and streaks on the fore wings, and dusky clouding on the hind wings, chiefly on the basal area. {312}

The caterpillar is of a faint bluish green, inclining to greenish white on the back; a row of black spots along the back, and a broken black narrow stripe along each side. It feeds on tree lichens (_Usnea barbata_), etc., from September to June or July. Three figures of this caterpillar are given on Plate 133, Fig. 3.

The moth is out in July and August, and may be found at rest on tree trunks now and then, but is more frequently obtained by jarring the lichen-clad branches of oak. Although it is known to occur very locally and somewhat rarely in the counties of Wilts., Dorset, and Devon, the New Forest in Hampshire is the English district where one is most likely to meet with this species. It has been recorded from Cornwall (Falmouth district, 1904), Hereford, Pembrokeshire, Carnarvonshire (Beddgelert), and Cumberland. Charlton Forest, Sussex, has also been mentioned. In Scotland, Renton states that it is generally common in Roxburghshire; it occurs in several of the woods in Clydesdale, and has been noted from Argyllshire.

THE ENGRAILED (_Tephrosia bistortata_).

In the following brief remarks on _T. bistortata_, Goeze (= _biundularia_, Borkhausen), I have included reference to _crepuscularia_, Hubner (= _biundularia_, Esper). The former (which is also named _abietaria_, Haworth, and _laricaria_, Doubleday) appears on the wing in March and April, and there is a second flight in July and August. Moths of the second generation are few in number and small in size, and are referable to abs. _consonaria_ and _strigularia_, Stephens. A third generation of still smaller moths has been reared. _Crepuscularia_ is out in May and June, rarely in April; its caterpillar feeds in June and July or later; according to Barrett, a second generation of the moth has occurred in August. One or two moths have been captured in September or October, but whether these were referable to _bistortata_ or _crepuscularia_ is not quite clear.

By some authorities the double-brooded _bistortata_ is {313} considered specifically distinct from the, normally, single-brooded _crepuscularia_; others hold the opposite view. The March and April moths are generally rather browner in colour than those appearing in May and June, but I have some specimens taken in Wiltshire at the end of March, which are quite as pale as any example in the May-June series. Probably, we should be right in regarding _crepuscularia_ as the older stock from which the double-brooded race, _bistortata_, has sprung. The former has a more extensive range, as it inhabits Northern Europe (Sutherlandshire in British Isles), whilst _bistortata_ seems to be confined to Central Europe. A Perthshire form of the May-June race is shown on Plate 136, Fig. 7; and an example of ab. _delamerensis_, White, from Delamere Forest, Cheshire, is represented by Fig. 8. Figs. 6 [male], 7 [female], represent examples of the March and April race. Black or blackish forms, with the sub-marginal line more or less distinctly white, occur in both races, chiefly in Glamorganshire, South Wales.

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A photograph, by Mr. H. Main, of the caterpillar, is reproduced on Plate 138, Fig. 3. The general colour is grey, inclining to yellowish or brownish; sometimes it is reddish brown; two broken dark-grey lines on the back, and some pale blotches on the sides. The caterpillars of the first race (_bistortata_) feed in May and June, and again in August and September. Those of the second race in June and July, or later. They seem to eat the foliage of trees, including those in orchards.

NOTE.--Cross-pairings between _bistortata_ [male] and _crepuscularia_ [female] resulted in the ab. _ridingi_, Tutt, whilst the offspring of a crossing of _crepuscularia_ [male] and _bistortata_ [female] have been named _bacoti_, Tutt. Pairings of _bistortata_ [male] and _delamerensis_ [female] produce ab. _ridingi-suffusa_, Tutt; and those of _delamerensis_ [male] and _bistortata_ [female] = _bacoti-suffusa_, Tutt. Further, _bacoti-suffusa_ will pair with _ridingi-suffusa_, or the last named with _crepuscularia_; the progeny being in the first case _mixta_, Tutt, and in the latter, _reversa_, Tutt.

BRINDLED WHITE-SPOT (_Tephrosia luridata_).

Two examples of this species (also known as _extersaria_, Hubner) are depicted on Plate 137, Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]. There is variation in the amount of black speckling and in the strength of the cross lines.

The caterpillar is dull hazel or chocolate brown, often tinged with green; a row of whitish dots on each side of a series of pale spots along the middle of the back; rings 4 and 8 barred with black-brown or dusky rust colour. Sometimes the general colour is green. (Adapted from Fenn.) It feeds in July and August, or even later, on oak and birch, sometimes on alder and sallow. The moth is out in May and June, earlier or later in some seasons. In Britain apparently confined to England, where it occurs locally, in woods, from Worcestershire {315} southwards to Kent and Cornwall, and eastward to Norfolk and Suffolk. In the New Forest, Hampshire, where it is often plentiful, it may be seen on the boles of trees, but is more easily obtained after dark when it comes to the sugar patch.

SQUARE SPOT (_Tephrosia consonaria_).

Two examples of this species will be found on Plate 137, Figs. 3 [male], 4 [female]. There is variation in the greyish or brownish speckling of the wings, and this in some typical examples is so sparse that the wings appear to be almost white with brownish basal band and brownish markings on the outer area; the most conspicuous of the latter being the middle square spot between the second and submarginal lines, more or less distinct in all forms, to which the English name refers. In other specimens the wings are, especially the front pair, densely covered with the dark speckling. Some Surrey specimens, chiefly from the Leith Hill district, have an ochreous tinge; and quite recently a black form of the species has occurred in a wood near Maidstone, in West Kent. The last phase of aberration seems to be unknown in any other part of Britain, and also, I believe, elsewhere.

The egg (Plate 138, Fig. 2) is yellowish green when laid; later it becomes yellow, and orange red markings appear, chiefly at one end.

The somewhat wrinkled caterpillar is ochreous brown above, inclining to greyish between the rings; an ochreous line along the middle of the back is only clearly defined on the front rings; the under side is greenish ochreous, and sometimes this colour extends to the upper side also; the head, which is notched on the crown, is pale ochreous, more or less marked with brown. It feeds at night, in June and July, on birch, beech, oak, pine, etc. {316}

The moth is out in May and June, earlier in some districts. In the daytime it may be seen on the trunks or boughs of trees, most frequently at too great a height to be easily secured; but still a few sit low enough for capture, especially on the trunks of fir trees. The species is a decidedly local one, and seems to be largely confined, in Britain, to the southern parts of England, Wales, and Ireland. It occurs in some of the woods of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, and Suffolk. Edwards notes the species as rare at Malvern, Worcestershire. Forsythe, in "A List of the Macro-Lepidoptera of Lancaster and District" (_Entom._ 1905, p. 12), states that the moth may be found sitting on the fir-tree trunks at the end of May, at Witherslack and Quernmore; and a single specimen has been recorded from Upton, near Birkenhead, Cheshire. The occurrence of _T. consonaria_ in the north of England seems open to question. The only county in Wales appears to be Glamorganshire, as mentioned by Barrett. Kane (_Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Ireland_) noted the species from Derrycunihy, and Mucross, Killarney, where he has taken it in moderate abundance; he also gives Clonbullogue, in King's County.

The range abroad extends to Amurland and Japan.

GREY BIRCH (_Tephrosia punctularia_).

Three examples of this greyish species are shown on Plate 137. The wings are usually whitish grey in the ground colour, and sprinkled or dusted with darker grey; there are three blackish, or black dotted, cross lines on the fore wings, often indistinct, but rarely entirely absent, and even then represented by black marks on the front margin. Sometimes the first and third lines may be well in evidence and the central one absent; occasionally the second line is placed quite close to the first; the sub-marginal line is whitish, inwardly shaded with dark greyish, especially at the middle and towards the front margin. The hind wings have two cross lines corresponding with the first and third on the fore wings. There is a good deal of variation in the amount of dark speckling, and this is occasionally so heavy that the insect becomes dark grey in colour; I have taken such specimens at Oxshott in Surrey. Dark aberrations are perhaps more frequent in the north of England, but the species is more local and less plentiful in that part of the country.

2 Pl. 136. 1, 2. BRUSSELS LACE. 3, 4. DOTTED CARPET. 5, 6. SMALL ENGRAILED. 7, 8. THE ENGRAILED.

2 Pl. 137. 1, 2. BRINDLED WHITE-SPOT. 3, 4. SQUARE SPOT. 5-7. GREY BIRCH. 8, 9. HORSE CHESTNUT.

{317} The caterpillar, which may be beaten from birch, and sometimes alder, in July, is bright apple green with yellowish lines on the sides and back; the ring divisions are yellow, and the head is tinged with that colour. (Adapted from Porritt.) Sometimes the caterpillars are brownish, or greenish grey in general colour. The moth, which is out in May and June, will be found in woods, or on heaths, where birches grow. It rests on the trunks of the trees and may be boxed, as a rule, with ease. On some occasions, however, it is very lively, and the net will have to be brought into action for its capture.

The distribution of this species extends through England, but it is far more plentiful in the south than in the north, although it has been recorded from several places in Yorkshire, and from Coal Law Wood in Northumberland. It is found also in Wales, and in Scotland up to Moray. In Ireland it is not frequent, but has been noted from Mucross, and the Upper Lake of Killarney, in Kerry, and from Tinahely in Wicklow; Kane also gives Clonbrock in Galway, and adds that "some specimens from this locality have the spots very large on a clear whitish ground, so that they have a superficial resemblance to _Cleora glabraria_."

The range abroad spreads to East Siberia, Amurland, and Japan.

NOTE.--Staudinger places the last four species in _Boarmia_, Treitschke; but Prout and others refer them to the genus _Ectropis_, Hubner. The latter will probably have to be adopted. {318}

HORSE CHESTNUT (_Pachycnema hippocastanaria_).

The rather long and somewhat oval fore wings of this species (Plate 137, Figs. 8, 9) are brownish grey, inclining to purplish grey; the two cross lines are blackish, edged with whitish, but generally indistinct; when the lines are well defined, the enclosed central area is sometimes darker than the other parts of the wings; there is a black central dot, and occasionally there is a well-marked dusky central shade. Hind wings, whitish, more or less tinged with smoky grey; frequently there is a dusky, curved line beyond the middle, and this is sometimes outwardly edged with whitish.

The caterpillar is greyish brown, dotted with black, and marked on the back and sides with reddish brown. When at rest on the twigs of its food plant, heather or ling (_Calluna vulgaris_), this caterpillar agrees so well with its surroundings that it is not at all easy to see; at least, we may see it, but fail to distinguish it from the twigs of the plant. It may be obtained in June and July, and again in the autumn. (Figured on Plate 140, after Hofmann.)

The first flight of the moth occurs in April and May; the second in August, but specimens of the later generation are usually small in size and in number, as compared with those of the early brood.

In Britain, this species has so far only been found on the heaths of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, Berkshire, and Suffolk; in all these counties it is more or less local, but it abounds in some of its haunts. It has been recorded from Hereford, and Edwards states that it occurs rarely in the Malvern district of Worcestershire.

2 Pl. 138. 1. SATIN CARPET: _egg and caterpillar_. 2. SQUARE SPOT: _eggs_. 3. THE ENGRAILED: _caterpillar and chrysalis_.

2 Pl. 139. 1-3. ANNULET. 4, 5. SCOTCH ANNULET. 6, 7. BLACK MOUNTAIN MOTH.

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THE ANNULET (_Gnophos_ (_Sciadion_) _obscurata_).

In a general way, all the grey specimens of this species are referable to the type form _obscurata_, Schiffermuller; the true type, however, appears to be rare in Britain, even if it occurs at all. It is, perhaps, best represented by well-marked dark specimens from limestone districts, or the lighter ones from peaty ground. At Folkestone and in other chalky localities on the Kentish coast, the bulk of the specimens are pale grey inclining to whitish, usually with the black cross lines showing more or less clearly. Sometimes the lines are obscured by heavy freckling (ab. _woodiata_, Prout); not infrequently, at Folkestone chiefly, the inner and outer areas are pale, more or less free of freckling, but the central area, defined by black lines, is densely freckled; this is the banded form (ab. _fasciata_, Prout). A form occurs on the chalk hills at Lewes in Sussex, in which the wings are almost white, without freckling, but with distinct black lines and rings (ab. _calceata_, Staudinger); a modification of this whitish form from Lewes has been described by Prout as ab. _mundata_, "Almost pure whitish, with virtually no markings, excepting the annulets." On heaths in Surrey and Hampshire, and on the mountains of Aberdeen and Perthshire, a blackish form occurs (ab. _obscuriorata_, Prout = _obscuraria_, Hubner, 146); and sometimes specimens are found in which the wings are of "an intense and almost uniform black" (ab. _saturata_, Prout). In Devonshire and Cornwall, the species is darkish grey inclining to brownish (ab. _anthracinaria_, Esper); whilst on the coasts of North Devon and Wales it is of a slaty grey, more or less tinged with brown, and almost without markings; the Welsh specimens are large, and the wings are rather shining (ab. _uniformata_, Prout). A form, which I have not seen, of "a sandy or reddish colour" is referred by Prout (_Trans. City of Lond. Ent. Soc._, 1903, p. 39) to ab. _argillacearia_, Staudinger; it {320} occurs in sandstone localities. (Plate 84, Figs. 1, Folkestone; 2, New Forest; 3, Lewes.)

The rather rough and dumpy caterpillar is dark greyish brown above, inclining to purplish brown beneath; the raised dots are capped with white, and there is a pair of white-capped warts on the last ring (adapted from Barrett). It feeds on rock rose (_Helianthemum_), cinquefoil (_Potentilla_), salad burnet (_Poterium_), etc.; or the larvae may be reared on groundsel, chickweed, and strawberry, both wild and cultivated: September to May. (Plate 140, Fig. 2.)

Mr. A. J. Scollick kindly gave me some eggs, laid by a female taken in Surrey; they were yellowish green at first, but changed to pale brownish. The caterpillars hatched and seemed to thrive on groundsel, but they died during the winter.

The moth is out in July and August, and is widely distributed in England, but except that it occurs in Surrey, Berkshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire, it seems to prefer the seaboard counties, and in them chiefly affects localities near the sea. It is found in Wales, and in Scotland up to Moray; but in both these countries and also in Ireland it is most frequent on the coast.

SCOTCH ANNULET (_Gnophos myrtillata_).

This species (Plate 139, Figs. 4 [male], 5 [female]) was introduced, as a species new to Britain, by Curtis, who described and figured it as _Charissa operaria_ in 1826, from specimens captured in Scotland. Subsequently, it was found to be the _obfuscaria_, of Hubner, and also the _obfuscata_ of the Vienna Catalogue (1776). The latter, however, being only a bare name without description, was not generally accepted, although, if valid, it would be prior to Hubner. Still later the species was ascertained to be the _myrtillata_ of Thunberg (1792), and as this name is much earlier than _obfuscaria_ it is here adopted. As a matter of fact, both names are in use, as that of Hubner applies to our ashy grey form of the species, whilst that given by Thunberg belongs to the typical fuscous grey form.

2 Pl. 140. 1. HORSE CHESTNUT: _caterpillar_. 2. ANNULET: _caterpillar_. 3. BORDERED WHITE: _caterpillar, and chrysalis (enlarged)_.

2 Pl. 141. 1, 2. NETTED MOUNTAIN MOTH. 3. FROSTED YELLOW. 4-7. COMMON HEATH. 8-10. BORDERED WHITE.

{321} The rather stout caterpillar is grey with darker lines and V-shaped marks along the middle of the back, and dark-edged pale lines on the sides; two erect whitish points on ring 12. It feeds on heather (_Calluna_), broom (_Sarothamnus scoparius_), and needle furze or petty-whin (_Genista anglica_), but it may be reared on knot grass. September to June, sometimes later.

The moth is out in July and August, and frequents heaths, moor, and mountain, in Scotland from Clydesdale (including Bute and Arran) to Aberdeen and Ross, and the Isle of Lewis. A male specimen has been recorded from Ireland (Dowros Head, co. Donegal, 1898). It may be found resting upon rocks, stone walls, etc.; where these have suitable holes, crannies, or projections they are selected as hiding places. Sometimes the moth has been noted on the wing during the day, but at night it flies freely, and will then visit light.

BLACK MOUNTAIN MOTH (_Psodos coracina_).

The smoky-grey species represented on Plate 139, Figs. 6 [male] 7 [female], has two black lines on the fore wings; these are often edged with whitish, and the space between them blackish; the submarginal line is whitish, and the discal spot is black; the hind wings have a black central spot and two pale lines or bands. The female is rather smaller and much paler. In both sexes the central band of the fore wings is generally narrowed below the middle, and sometimes it is completely divided at this point.

As regards the British Isles, this species is known only to occur in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a day flyer, and very fond of sunshine, but its favourite haunts are situated at elevations of from 2000 to 4000 feet.

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NOTE.--Newman (_British Moths_, p. 68) figures this species as The Dusky Carpet (_Mniophila cineraria_), and the insect, then known by the latter name, is figured as _Psodos trepidaria_, a synonym of the present species. In referring to this transposition of names, it may be well to add that _M. cineraria_, catalogued as British by Doubleday, and stated by Stainton (_Manual_ ii., p. 31) to have once occurred at Tenby, South Wales, can only be regarded as an "accidental." The specimen, which is in the Natural History Museum, at South Kensington, appears to be _Tephronia sepiaria_, Hufnagel, which is the _cineraria_ of Hubner.

A moth, supposed to be a specimen of _Dasydia tenebraria_, Esper = _torvaria_, Hubner, was reported as taken in Ireland "many years" before 1843, but at the present time that specimen, apparently, does not exist, and there is no exact description of it extant.

NETTED MOUNTAIN MOTH (_Fidonia carbonaria_).

The white wings of this species (Plate 141, Figs. 1 [male], 2 [female]) are freckled with blackish and crossed by black stripes; sometimes the freckling is so heavy that the white ground colour is much obscured and only distinctly seen as edging to the cross stripes.