Pl. 90.
1, 2, 4, 5, 6.Speckled Footman Moth.
3.Feathered Footman Moth.

Pl. 91.
Speckled Footman: eggs and caterpillar.

The caterpillar is said to feed only in the sunshine, so that in our islands the weather conditions would often be most unfavourable to the species in the larval state. On the other hand its sun-loving habit would expose it to the attacks of parasitical flies and other enemies. Anyway, the Crimson Speckled seems quite unable to increase and multiply to any extent even for a season in any part of England. Along the African and European borders of the Mediterranean there are evidently several generations of the moth in each year; the life cycle of the summer broods being short, but more protracted in the later brood. Brownlow states that eggs laid on October 20, hatched on the 22nd of the same month, and the caterpillar stage lasted until February of the following year. Distribution: Southern Europe, Africa, Canaries, Madeira; Asia Minor, Armenia, Central Asia; India, and Australia.

Meyrick and others refer this species to Utetheisa, Hübn.

The Cinnabar (Hipocrita jacobææ).

This species was named the Cinnabar by Wilkes in 1773, such name of course referring to the more or less vermillion colour of the hind wings and the markings on the greyish black fore wings. The hind wings are often pinkish in tint, and probably it was to such specimens that Moses Harris gave the name "Pink Underwing." Very rarely the stripe on the front edge of the fore wings unites with the upper hind marginal spot; still less frequently there are some crimson scales in addition connecting the two hind marginal spots. Occasionally specimens have been recorded in which the usual red colour is replaced by bright yellow. The moth is shown on Plate [92], Figs. 1, 2, and the early stages on Plate [93], Fig. 1.

The caterpillar is orange yellow and each ring is banded with purplish black; the scanty hairs are short and blackish in colour. Head black. Feeds in July and August on ragwort (Senecio jacobæa) and sometimes occurs in such numbers as to completely clear large patches of the plant of every particle of green, leaving nothing but the tougher portions of the bare stems.