The caterpillar (fig. 21) feeds throughout the winter on the roots of almost every plant in our gardens; and, during the warmer weather of the autumn and spring, on stems and leaves. It is full grown early in the summer, and then changes to a chrysalis in the ground. Its colour is dirty yellowish or greenish grey, with a row of dark spots on each side. Family--AMPHIPYRIDAE _The Gothic_ (_Mania typica_) The above family contains only four British species, two of which we shall briefly consider. [Illustration: FIG. 161.--THE GOTHIC.] The first of these is the Gothic--a very common moth that may be seen everywhere about midsummer. Its fore wings are brown with darker marblings, and there are numerous lighter markings which may be easily made out by reference to the accompanying woodcut. The caterpillar is smooth and velvety, of a dull brown or greenish colour, with darker dorsal and side stripes. The latter are crossed obliquely by a series of whitish lines. It feeds on fruit and other trees in clusters when very young in early autumn, and afterwards descends and feeds on low plants. It hybernates in the winter, and feeds again on low plants in the spring. When full grown it burrows into the soil to undergo its changes. _The Old Lady_ (_Mania Maura_) This fine moth is so very different from the last in appearance that the reason for placing the two in the same genus is not apparent till the earlier stages and life history have been studied. All its wings are very deep brown; the front pair has a darker band containing the orbicular and reniform spots, and the hind pair a lighter band across the middle. [Illustration: FIG. 162.--THE OLD LADY.] It is a common moth, often to be found at rest by day in outhouses and sheds. It flies in July and August. The caterpillar is dark purple or umber brown, with darker and lighter markings. It feeds in the autumn on fruit trees, and hybernates during the winter. In the spring it feeds again on low plants, and changes to a chrysalis in May under the ground. Family--ORTHOSIIDAE This is a large family of over thirty species, most of them of rather small size, which make their appearance, with two exceptions, either in early spring or in late autumn, often attracted in the former season by the sallow blossom, and in the latter by ivy bloom. Several of them are very common insects, that are almost sure to be taken by a young collector during his first season. The fore wings of these moths are more or less pointed at the tip, and the usual lines and spots are generally distinct. The males may be distinguished from the females by their antennae, which are always more or less ciliated. The caterpillars are smooth and velvety, and feed by night; and the pupae are inclosed in cocoons constructed of earth and silk. _The Common Quaker_ (_Taeniocampa stabilis_) Several of the species of the family are known popularly as Quakers, the commonest of which--_Stabilis_--is abundant in all parts.