A WALK THROUGH AN ENGLISH LANE. 11 J 



by the swift moths as they shoot along the hedge-side, 

 keeping low under cover of the shade, and flpng so 

 swiftly that they easily elude the stroke of the net unless 

 held by a skilful hand. Strangest of all these moths 

 is the Grhost Swift, appearing and vanishing as myste- 

 riously as the most redoubtable ghost ever embalmed in 

 tradition. One moment a white gleaming form is seen 

 hovering in the air — another moment and it has gone. 

 There it is again in precisely the same spot ; so sweep 

 the net with a smart side-stroke, and then examine the 

 contents. See ! there is a head of some flower, possibly 

 a thistle, more probably one of the umbelliferous plants, 

 and crouching in a comer of the net is our ghost-swift 

 himself. I say himself, because the curious property of 

 the ghost mentioned only belongs to the male insect. 

 Look at the upper surface of the wings — they are 

 shining white, while the under surface is golden brown. 

 So, when the insect is hovering in the air, we only see 

 the white wings shining through the duskiness, and 

 when it settles on a flower or leaf, the brown under- 

 surface is turned towards the spectator, and is quite 

 invisible. 



Can that be a snow-flake blown upon the hedge ? 

 Surely no snow can exist in this warm summer evening I 

 Let us go closer, and examine it as it lies on the dark 

 foliage. What a beautiful creatiu-e it is — a very flake 

 of living snow — as white, as light, and more lovely. 

 It is a most exquisite little moth, with its wings divided 

 into five finger-like plumes, and covered with a deep 



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