 |
| Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) |
Carl Clerck was an entomologist who was a contemporary of Linnaeus and he gave this moth its name (fercula meaning 'small fork') from the two-pronged appendage on the tail of the caterpillar - rather like those of the Puss Moth. When this moth was persuaded to rest on an ash twig it went through a gentle ruffling routine as it settled. A crouch, a kneading movement with the legs and then an abrupt stop as the moth appeared to almost clamp itself in position. The Emerald moth and The Magpie both flap their wings in increasingly gentle movements as they settle - flap, flap, flap - then still. Adjustments not dissimilar to those made by dogs and cats when they settle - round, round and slump. Tiny behavioural movements that are astonishingly exact.
