THE PINK-BARRED SALLOW 89 



PLATE XLVII 

 THE PINK-BARRED SALLOW (1) 



This is one of the most beautiful of all our 

 British moths, for its front wings are of the most 

 lovely orange-yellow, with a broad purple-pink 

 band running across them, and several blotches 

 and spots of the same colour on each side of it, 

 while the hind-wings are light yellow, with a 

 darker border. It comes out in September and 

 October, and the best way to find it is to search 

 on ivy blossoms on a warm, still evening, by the 

 help of a bull's-eye lantern. A great many moths 

 are very fond of these blossoms, and sometimes 

 you may see them feasting on the nectar in 

 hundreds, or even in thousands, with their little 

 eyes gleaming like balls of coloured fire in the 

 light of the lantern. And just here and there 

 among them you are almost sure to notice a 

 Pink-barred Sallow. 



The caterpillar of this moth feeds first of all 

 upon the catkins of sallow bushes. But when 

 they begin to die off it goes down to the ground, 

 and feeds upon the leaves of plantains and other 

 low plants instead. In colour it is reddish-brown, 

 with a number of brown, red, yellow, and white 

 dots all over its body. 



