BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



51 



PI. XVII. fig. 14. Fore wings pale yellow, 

 with an oblique row of black dots extending 

 from the tip to the inner margin, and a few 

 similar dots on the costa and sometimes on 

 the hind margin. Hind wings still paler, with 

 a black dot near the middle of the costa, and 

 sometimes another towards the hind margin. 

 The antennee are black and white. Head and 

 thorax pale yellow, abdomen bright yellow, 

 witl} five rows of black spots. It is common 

 in May and June, and is widely distributed 

 throughout Europe. The larva is brownish 

 yellow, with hair of the same colour, growing 

 from orange-coloured warts. It has a pale 

 dorsal and a white lateral stripe. It lives on 

 nettle, dandelion, raspberry, juniper, etc., in 

 the Autumn. The pupa is reddish brown, with 

 a brown cocoon mixed with hairs. Var. zatima. 

 Cram, has a black longitudinal line replacing 

 the spots on the fore wings, and black hind 

 wings. It is found occasionally in England, 

 Holland, etc., but is not common. 



S. menthastri, W. V. The White Ermine 

 Moth. PL XVII. fig. 13. is common in most 

 parts of Europe in gardens, etc., appearing in 

 May and June. The larva is dark brown, with 

 light warts, a yellow dorsal line, and black 

 hair. It feeds on nettle, mint. Polygonum, Ncpeta, 

 etc., in the Autumn. 



S. urticae, Esp. The Water Ermine has 

 the wings snow-white. Fore wings longer than 

 in the last species, with two small obliquely 

 placed black dots near the costa. Hind wings 

 with no lunule on the under side. The antennas 

 are black, dusted with white. The abdomen 

 has longitudinal rows of black dots, and a yellow 

 space in the middle. The caterpillar is uniform 

 light or dark brown. It feeds on nettle, mint, 

 and other plants. 



FAMILY 



H E P I A L I D .^. 



Middle-sized or small moths with long 

 narrow wings, separated at the base, with 

 nearly similar neuration on both fore and 

 hind wings. Fore wings with one or two, 

 hind wings with two submedian nervures. 

 The basal cell is divided into three in all the 

 wings. The hind wings are without a frenulum. 

 Proboscis small. Palpi small. The antennas 

 are very short and are bipectinated. The ab- 



domen projects beyond the hind wings. The 

 tibiae are without spurs, and the claws have 

 pulvilli. 



Genus Hepialus, Fabr. 



The wings are differently marked and irre- 

 gular in size. Most species have a band on 

 the fore wings, which runs from the tip to 

 the inner margin and then turns towards the 

 costa at a right angle. Others have parallel 

 rows of spots. The hind wings are without 

 markings. The head and thorax are covered 

 with shaggy hair. The larvse live in the roots 

 of various plants. They are smooth and semi- 

 transparent, with only a few hairs. The pupse 

 are elongated, with short wing cases and small 

 hooks on the abdominal segments. 



H. humuli, Linn. The Ghost Moth. 

 PI. XVIII. fig. I. The wings in the male are 

 silvery white, with reddish brown hind margins, 

 and are greyish brown beneath. The fore wings 

 of the female are yellow, with dull red mark- 

 ings, and the hind wings are greyish brown. 

 It appears in June and July, and is common 

 throughout Northern and Central Europe, 

 including the British Isles. It is most abundant 

 in damp meadows. The moth fiies at dusk, 

 often in large numbers. The male has the 

 habit of swaying backwards and forwards over 

 the space of a yard or so of ground, like a 

 pendulum. The larva is smooth brownish 

 yellow, with small black tubercles on each 

 segment, bearing short black hairs. It feeds 

 on the roots of hop, sorrel, and other plants. 

 The pupa is rusty brown, with short wing 

 cases. It is enclosed in a slight cocoon in the 

 ground. 



H. sylvinus, Linn. The Wood Swift. 

 The fore wings are reddish brown in the male, 

 with a white line, edged internally with dark 

 brown, running from the apex to the middle 

 of the inner margin, and joined at an angle 

 by another line running from the base of the 

 costa, which is edged externally with dark 

 brown. These two lines form a triangle with 

 the costa, in the middle of which is a dark 

 brown spot, edged below with white. On the 

 hind margins is a row of indistinct dark spots. 

 The fore wings of the female are brownish 

 grey, with the outer white stripe broadly 

 bordered with greyish white internally, and 



