250 SWALLOW-TATL MOTH. 



two inches and a half. The colour is delicate sul- 

 phur-yellow, shaded at the base of the wings into 

 satiny-white, and deepening towards the hinder 

 extremity ; the surface marked with numerous dark 

 evanescent streaks, placed transversely ; two lines 

 of deep yellow run across the anterior wings, and a 

 single one across the under pair, the latter forming 

 a continuation, when the wings are expanded, of 

 the innermost of the two anterior lines. At the 

 base of the tail there are two small blackish spots, 

 the larger one with a reddish centre, and the fringe 

 is ochrey-yellow, inclining in some places to reddish- 

 brown. 



The colour of the caterpillar is reddish-brown, 

 with darker longitudinal lines ; the head flat and 

 oval. It feeds on the leaves of various shrubs and 

 trees, but prefers the elder, willow, and lime. It 

 changes to a long narrow pupa of a brown colour, 

 with darker spots and streaks, which is inclosed in 

 a thin spinning among leaves. The moth appears 

 on the wing in June and July, and is not scarce in 

 many parts of England, especially in the south ; but 

 it appears to be somewhat rare in Scotland. 



