ORANGE SWIFT. 361 



is somewhat similar in appearance to a typical female. In 

 other male specimens of this insular race the wings are pretty 

 much of the typical colour, but the markings on the front pair 

 are reduced both in number and size. Mr. H. McArthur, who 

 has collected a good deal in the Shetland Isles, states that in 

 Unst, the most northern island of the group, more or less 

 typical humuli wQvt found on the cliffs facing south-east, whilst 

 the majority of the specimens obtained in boggy meadows, etc., 

 were of the thuleiisis form. 



The caterpillar feeds on the roots of plants, such as burdock, 

 dandelion, dead-nettle, etc. It is full grown in May, and the 

 moth is out in June and July. (Plate 159, Fig. 2 ; after Hofmann.) 

 The males may be seen in the evening, sometimes in numbers 

 in grassy places, swaying themselves to and fro without making 

 progress, and appearing as though they dangled from the end 

 of an invisible thread ; the female flies straight, and, as a ru'e, 

 in the direction of one or other of the pendulous males. 



The species is generally distributed over the British Isles. 



Orange Swift {Hepialus sylvina). 



The male of this species (Plate 157, Figs. 5. 5 > 6 ^)\s usually 

 some shade of orange brown, with greyish-edged white mark- 

 ings on the fore wings. Sometimes the female is orange brown, 

 but more often it is some shade of grey brown. 



The caterpillar (Plate 159, Fig. 3 ; after Hofmann) feeds on 

 the roots of dock, bracken, viper's bugloss, etc., and is full 

 grown about July. In late July and in August the moth may 

 be seen in the early evening flying among bracken, and not in- 

 frequently around trees fairly high up. Occasionally, specimens 

 are seen in the daytime on tree-trunks, fences, etc. At one 

 time this species was known in the vernacular as " The Tawny 

 and Brown Swift" ; it is also "The Orange or Evening Swift" 

 of Harris (1778) and the "Wood Swift" of Newman. It is 



