206 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEA.LIST. 



wards, and two rather prominent ridges, 

 with similar hooks all on the back of the 

 other abdominal segments ; these hooks are 

 gradually larger as they approach the hinder 

 extremity, the tip of which is encircled 

 with a few blunt spikes. Beneath the 

 abdomen, occupying the precise situation of 

 the former prolegs of the larva, are pairs of 

 short ridges finely hooked, playing still the 

 parts of legs in the movements of the pupa, 

 which when feeling its final transformation 

 approaching bursts through its fragile 

 cocoon, and travels upwards till its wing 

 cases are thrust out clear from surrounding 

 objects, and the imago can emerge without 

 encumbrance." 



Velleda, feeding on the roots of the brack- 

 en, is only to be found where that fern grows 

 freely, but such places are neither few nor 

 far between. It abounds on barren heaths 

 or in woods where the soil is sandy, but 

 does not seem very partial to chalk, and 

 appears to be most plentiful in the north. 

 The insect is very abundant in the north of 

 England and in Scotland, but far from 

 generally distributed in more southern dis- 

 tricts. Wilson in his " Food-plants of the 

 Larvae" only mentions one such locality 

 (Quantock Hills, Maidenhead, Sussex). It 

 is also plentiful in Ireland. Abroad it has 

 somewhat the same range as the last species, 

 over Northern and Central Europe, and 

 showing an inclination for hilly countries, 

 being found on the Alps, Pyrenees, and 

 perhaps on the Ural Mountains. 



As already intimated, the spot and mark- 

 ings on the fore wings are very variable, 

 indeed it would be difficult to find two 

 specimens exactly alike; but besides this 

 variation in marking, a very distinct form 

 occurs called GalMcuSy Ld. This which 

 Staudinger intimates is only found in the 

 male, occurs in both sexes. The fore wings 

 are uniformly fuscous brown, the females 

 greyer, with no markings except a small 

 light spot at the disc. This form was for- 



merly called Oa/mus in this country, but 

 appears to have been so named in error. It 

 is quite a common form, and seems to occur 

 whenever the species does. The true Oc^na 

 of Esper (Carnus, Och.) is a very rare in- 

 sect, only found on the Alps. Some little 

 time ago British Carnus were offered for 

 sale at one pound each. Whether any one 

 was foolish enough to buy at the price I do 

 not know, but I suppose the specimens 

 would be this unicolourous form, which is 

 certainly not worth more than a few 

 pence. 



Sylvinus, the Beautiful Swift. — I am not 

 sufficiently acquainted with this species to 

 say anything about its mode of flight, having 

 only taken it singly, nor have I seen any 

 note respecting it in print. I have met with 

 it at rest on palings — a habit I have not 

 observed in either of the preceding species, 

 though they are much more abundant here. 

 It is also said to come to light. The fore 

 wings of SyJmnus are orange brown, with 

 the pale lines forming a rather wide v more 

 regularly defined than in the other species. 

 The female, as usual, is larger and duller 

 coloured, though similarly marked. The 

 male expands about an inch and a quarter ; 

 the female an inch and a half or more. The 

 larva is figured by Owen Wilson (pi. ix., fig. 

 lo) and is thus described : — " Ground colour 

 whitish ochreous, and tapering towards the 

 extremities, with a yellowish plate on the 

 second segment; head reddish." It feeds 

 on the roots of Dandelion, Dock, Sorrel, &c., 

 and lives nearly two years before emerging, 

 the eggs hatching in September and the 

 imago emerging in the July or August of 

 the second succeeding year. It is the latest 

 of the Swifts, being on the wing in August 

 after the others have all disappeared. It is 

 generally distributed throughout the British 

 Isles and has a similar range to the previous 

 species, but extends rather more in a south- 

 easterly direction, reaching Asia Minor. 



