IQII.] 
Swift Moths. 
119 
grown ; in colour it is whitish or pinkish-white, with the 
spiracles black. The head is red-brown, as is also the dorsal 
plate on the joint behind the head ; there are black or dark- 
brown dots on the upper surface of the segments of the body, 
with black hairs. 
Pupa: The colour of the pupa is dark chestnut; the upper 
surface of the abdominal joints shows a number of dark 
brown points, and there are black teeth on the under surface; 
the last segment has marked black points. The pupa is 
enclosed in a slight cocoon, and lies in the soil quite near 
the surface. 
Life History. — The moths fly in June and July. The 
courtship of this species has been described by Chapman. 
The moths fly in the gloaming. The male, ghost-like and 
conspicuous by the silvery white colour in spite of the dusk, 
chooses a place and hovers for a short time backwards and 
forwards, "swaying like a pendulum over a surface of about 
a yard " (Barrett) in order to attract the female. Sometimes 
the male is alone, sometimes there are several males in 
company. The female, non-fertilised, flies towards a male 
and intentionally touches or knocks up against the male, 
which at once ceases its swaying and drops to the ground, 
where pairing takes place. The fertilised female flies about 
over the grass, discharging her eggs as she flies. From the 
egg hatches the caterpillar, which feeds from July till the 
next April or May at least, when pupation takes place. As 
with the last species, the pupa leaves the cocoon just before 
the emergence of the moth, and by means of its spines 
wriggles to the surface. 
Treatment. — Vaporite has been used with some success 
against swift caterpillars. 
Pieces of potato tuber placed here and there some inches 
below the surface of the soil, in marked places, will serve 
as traps. 
The working of the soil where the crop allows, and the 
turning up of the caterpillars to the birds is a useful measure, 
or the caterpillars can be collected. 
In some cases, e.g., with daffodils, should the pest be 
abundant, the bulbs should be lifted and replanted. There 
are disadvantages to this course, but in some cases the 
