THE BORDERED WHITE 71 



PLATE XXXVII 



THE BORDERED WHITE (1 and 2) 



If you want to find this handsome moth, the 

 best way to do so is to shake the branches of 

 fir trees with a long stick during the month of 

 May. Then you are almost sure to see it flying 

 off in a great hurry to seek for refuge somewhere 

 else. But it never seems quite happy unless it 

 can hide away among the needle-like leaves of a 

 fir tree. The male is very different in appearance 

 from the female, for his wings are either white 

 or yellowish-white in colour, with a broad black 

 border, while hers are orange-brown all over, 

 with only two narrow dark bands. And, besides 

 that, his feelers are beautifully plumed, while 

 hers are just like threads. In fact, the male 

 and female are so unlike one another that, if 

 you did not know what they were, you would 

 be almost sure to take them for two perfectly 

 different insects. 



The caterpillar of this moth is a very pretty 

 little creature of a pale green colour, with a broad 

 white line along the back and a bluish-white line 

 below it ; then a yellow line below that ; and then 

 a row of orange spots. You may sometimes find 

 it in August, feeding on the leaves of fir trees. 



