THE ORANGE UNDERWING. 97 



on most of our swamps [Keswick] in plenty." He goes on to 

 state that the moths were so common that he boxed forty in less 

 than an hour, and could have secured as many dozens. At the 

 present day the species is to be found on boggy heaths and 

 moors in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, and from Somerset 

 through Gloucestershire into Berkshire, and thence northwards 

 through Warwick and Staffordshire to Cheshire, Lancashire, and 

 Cumberland. Barrett mentions Perthshire as a Scottish locality, 

 and Kane states that it is common at Killarney in Ireland. 

 When this species and its allies receive more of the collector's 

 attention they may probably be found in many localities from 

 which there are no records at present. 

 The range abroad extends to Amurland. 



BREPHID.^. 



By some systematists this small group of moths is treated as 

 a subfamily of the Geometridae. Brephos, however, which is 

 typical of the family, does not seem to have any close affinities 

 with the Noctuidae or with the Geometers, and is therefore 

 better considered as apart from both those families. Aleyrick 

 includes Brephos with Aplasia, Eraiinis, and Baptria, in his 

 family Monocteniadae. 



Only five species are known to inhabit the Palaearctic Region, 

 and two of these occur in Britain. 



The Orange Under wing {Brephos parthenias). 



The white markings of the fore wings vary a good deal in 

 size ; in some specimens, chiefly males, they are very small and 

 confined to the front margin ; in others, mainly females, they 

 are much enlarged, and the central one is continued as a band 

 across the wings. On the orange hind wings the blackish 



Series 11. jj 



