The fore wings of this species are dark brown, paler toward the hind margin. Most of the wing rays are generally of a pale yellowish colour, and a variable and complicated system of whitish lines crosses the wings near the base, and another near the hind margin. Among the latter there is always a series of dark triangular spots, with apices pointing towards the hind margin. This moth is moderately common throughout the British Isles, and is double brooded, appearing in May and August. The caterpillar is green, with a row of brown spots along the middle of the back. When full grown it changes to a chrysalis in a light web. Family--EUBOLIIDAE This is the last family of the _Geometrae_ we shall notice, and contains ten species. Most of these are rather pretty moths, and all have the tips of the fore wings more or less pointed. As a rule, too, there is a dark streak running from the very tip of the wing for a short distance obliquely inward. They are generally very light sleepers, and are easily beaten from their hiding places during the day. The larvae are not humped, and may be found feeding on low plants. We shall briefly examine two species. _The Small Mallow_ (_Eubolia limitata_) This moth is pretty abundant in waste places from June to August, and is easily obtained by lightly beating the foliage of small bushes and low plants. [Illustration: FIG. 208.--THE SMALL MALLOW.] Its fore wings are pale brown crossed by a broad central bar, the edges of which are darker. The hind wings are of a paler brown, and are crossed by two or three fine wavy lines. Although the perfect insect is so common, the caterpillar seems to be seldom met with. It is a grass feeder, and may be looked for in May and June. _The Treble Bar_ (_Anaitis plagiata_) Our last example of the _Geometrae_ is the Treble Bar, a very pretty moth, which is illustrated in fig. 9 of Plate XII. It may be readily identified by the aid of this coloured picture, and therefore need not be described in words. It is pretty generally distributed throughout the British Isles, and is in some parts a very abundant species, particularly so in the neighbourhood of London. The caterpillar is brown, with paler spaces between the segments. The dorsal line is black and interrupted, and a yellow line runs along each side. It feeds on the leaves and flowers of the perforated St. John's wort (_Hypericum perforatum_). This insect is double brooded, the moth appearing in May and August, and remaining with us throughout the month following in each case. CHAPTER XXI _THE MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA_ The butterflies, and all the moths contained in the groups of the last four chapters, are commonly spoken of as constituting the _Macro-lepidoptera_; but in addition to these there are many hundreds of small British moths that represent what is known as the _Micro-lepidoptera_.