172 HALF-HOURS IN THE GEEEN LANES. 



and has the wings of a yellow colour adorned with 

 orange markings. Many a time, when a hoy, have 

 we turned out, cap in hand, to chase this moth 

 among the Icng grass and clover, careless of wet 

 feet, or of th3 anger of the farmer whose meadow 

 grass we were not improving ! The moth flies with 

 a buzzing, humble-bee kind of flight, hovering over 

 certain spots for some time, so as to form ready 

 captures. The Brimstone moth (Eumia cratsegata) 

 comes out in the early part of the evening, and even 

 flies in the day-time. You cannot mistake it, for it 

 is one of our commonest and yet handsomest species, 

 and a blow with a stick at a hawthorn bush will 

 almost be sure to start more than one individual. 

 In the day-time, you will find it resting among the 

 long grass or the hedge bank. Its name conveys 

 to you some idea of its appearance. The wings are 

 of a bright canary yellow, the margins of the fore- 

 wings being of a brick-red colour. The white- and 

 black-thorns are the shrubs on which the caterpillars 

 feed ; hence the scientific name. Equally common 

 is the white Ermine moth (Arctia menthasfri) which, 

 as a boy, we remember finding on the grass of the 

 hedge backings, and used to place in the hollow 

 of our hands whilst we roused it by blowing with 

 our breath, to wake it from its sleep ! Here, again, 

 we find the popular name conveying a good idea of 

 the insect, for nothing could be more like conven- 

 tional ermine than the pure white of the fore- wings, 

 speckled with black spots. In June and the early 



