The caterpillar feeds on oak (_Quercus Robur_), hornbeam (_Carpinus Betulus_), and birch (_Betula alba_), and may be found in abundance during May and June. It is green, with dark spots, and white lines on the back and sides. Although it partakes of the leaves of the above-named trees, yet its chief food seems to be other caterpillars, for it devours these with a savage greediness that is simply astonishing. It will chase an unfortunate caterpillar, seize it by the neck with a fatal grip, and rapidly devour it. Its chief prey seems to be the larva of the Winter Moth (_Brumata_). Family--HADENIDAE Nearly fifty British _Noctuae_ are included in the family _Hadenidae_. They are of variable dimensions, and differ much in the brightness of their colours, some being very dingy, and others gaily tinted. Their antennae are rather long; and when at rest the wings slope from the back like the sides of a roof. The larvae are smooth, and not very thick; and there is sometimes a hump on the twelfth segment. The pupae are brown and shiny, and are inclosed in earthen cocoons beneath the surface of the soil. _The Broad-barred White_ (_Hecatera serena_) Although not gaily coloured, this is a pretty little moth, there being a bright contrast between the white ground and the grey markings of the wings. It is common in the south of England, and seems to be plentiful in and around London. [Illustration: FIG. 167.--THE BROAD-BARRED WHITE.] The caterpillar is of a dingy greenish colour, with a yellowish stripe on each side of the back; and there are two distinct dots on the back of each segment. It feeds during July and August on sow-thistles (_Sonchus oleraceus_ and _S. arvensis_), sleepwort (_Lactuca virosa_), and hawkweeds (_Hieracia_). The moth flies in June and July. _The Marvel-du-jour_ (_Agriopis Aprilina_) The Marvel-du-jour is decidedly a beautiful moth--quite an exception among the _Noctuae_ in this respect, and it is withal both common and widely distributed. We need not describe it, since it is represented on Plate XI (fig. 2), and can hardly be mistaken for any other species. The caterpillar is dull green, often tinged with red. The dorsal line is broad and dark, and interrupted by a series of very light lozenge-shaped spots. It feeds on the oak in May and June, and is full grown in the latter month. It then burrows into the earth at the foot of the tree, and there constructs a fragile earthen cocoon previous to changing to a chrysalis. From July to September the chrysalides may be obtained in plenty by breaking up the sods at the roots of oaks, and the perfect insect may be found toward the end of September and throughout October. _The Small Angle Shades_ (_Euplexia lucipara_) This pretty little moth is represented in fig. 3 of Plate XI. It is very common throughout the country, and may be seen in June and July.