The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to NoctuidæSouth, Richard
History
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to Noctuidæ
South, Richard
Lepidoptera -- Great Britain; Moths -- Great Britain
The caterpillar figured by Harris is of the brown form, so we see that even
at this early date something was known of the life history of this moth and
the variation of the caterpillar. Since that date and up to 1894 only very
few larvæ appear to have been found in our islands. Barrett states that it
is doubtful if more than twenty had then been recorded. In 1895
caterpillars were obtained in Cornwall (four) and in Kent (two). Then for
five years little or nothing was reported about this stage, although the
moth seems to have occurred in varying numbers each year. In 1901, August
and September, over one hundred were reported, rather more than half of
which were taken from a hedgerow, overgrown with _C. sepium_, in {30}
Northumberland; twenty-six were obtained on the bindweed growing on
Lancashire sandhills, thirteen or fourteen in Essex, and others in
Bedfordshire, Kent, Hants, Dorset, and Devon.
Mr. Bell-Marley obtained thirty eggs, September, 1897, and although these
were kept in a cold room, thirteen caterpillars hatched, September 21. They
were supplied with _Convolvulus arvensis_ and _C. soldanella_, and seemed
to relish one as much as the other. Seven died during the first three
moults. The bindweeds being nearly over, seedlings were raised by forcing,
but before these were ready the larvæ had been on short commons, and just
immediately before the seedlings came to hand, had been twenty-four hours
without food. On these tender seedlings and some endive the remaining
larvæ, six in number, attained full growth in December. Two subsequently
died in the first half of that month, and the others went under the soil.
Only one, however, managed to assume the chrysalis state.
A small caterpillar, about one week old, described by Paymaster-in-Chief G.
F. Mathew ("Notes on Lepidoptera from the Mediterranean," _Entom._, xxxi.
115), was 1¾ inch long, pale glaucous green in colour, and thickly covered
with raised white dots; oblique side stripes white, bordered above with
dark green. On September 26, 1897, this caterpillar, which had been found
on September 18, was nearly full grown, and the writer goes on to state
that when gathering bindweed he obtained either eggs or tiny caterpillars
at the same time, and he eventually found that he had eight of them
altogether. They fed up rapidly, as a caterpillar, hatched about September
27, had gone down on October 18. Owing to accident, four produced deformed
chrysalids, but each chrysalis resulting from the others was perfect and
healthy on February 15, 1898. The large reddish-brown chrysalis is figured
on Plate 11, and it will be noted that the "tongue" case forms a curious
bent projection not unlike the handle of a pitcher. To give some idea of
the irregular way in which this migratory species visits our islands, it
will suffice to note the records only since 1894. Previous to that year it
was common, more or less generally, in 1846, 1868, 1875, 1885, and 1887.
[Illustration]
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