“small” or “garden” swift moth. 
9 
good deal of mischief, of which the precise authorship has not been 
traced, may be owing to these caterpillars working on various kinds of 
plants just below T the surface in the spring time—I append the full 
description;* as given by John Curtis in his paper on this subject in 
the 4 Gardeners’ Chronicle’ for 1845, p. 873. 
The figures of the caterpillar and chrysalis are partially taken from 
those given by Curtis in the paper quoted, and it will be observed that 
the chrysalis shows the shape of the forming moth within it, and that 
the position of the wings and legs are clearly discernible. 
The figure of the moth gives an idea of its size and shape, but the 
colour is excessively variable. It may be generally described as having 
the fore wings clay-colour or brown, with various white stripes and 
dots, but sometimes the ground colour is very pale, sometimes there 
are no markings ; and, as the names differ as much as the varieties, 
I have taken Professor Westwood’s name of the “ Small Swift,” which 
distinguishes it well from the much larger kind (the “ Ghost Moth ” 
or “ Hop Swift ”), the caterpillar of which specially attacks Hop-roots. 
The name of “ Swift ” is given on account of the rapidity of the flight. 
The moths may be seen in the evening by hedgerows or grassy banks, 
over grass, where they drop their eggs in large numbers. 
The caterpillars which hatch from these are recorded as living on 
the roots of a large variety of plants, amongst garden crops, on 
Parsnip, Lettuce, Potato, Celery, and Strawberry plants, also on 
grass-roots; and, with regard to their powers, it is mentioned, “ their 
destructive habits are scarcely to be equalled by the 4 Surface-grubs.’” 
The caterpillars are to be found in autumn and winter, as well as 
spring, and are stated to turn to chrysalids in May, from which the 
moths come out in about a month. 
The following notes refer to an attack on Beans at Elsenham, 
Bishop’s Stortford, with which I was favoured by Mr. Martin Burt; 
part of this information first appeared in the 4 Agricultural Gazette,’ 
of March 9tli, p. 305, as follows :—The observer 44 sends us two speci¬ 
mens of eartli-grub which are destroying his winter Beans, gnawing 
the stalks in two a little below the ground. They were a strong healthy 
plant, sown early in October, ploughed in and pressed with ribbed 
roller in strong clay-land after wheat.”. 44 He is afraid some 
two acres of the twenty are past redemption.” 
* 44 The caterpillars are cylindrical, yellowish white, the head is brown and 
horny, with two minute antennae ; the 1st thoracic segment is horny and pale 
brown; the following segments have [four dark dots ori the back of each, producing 
bristles, with a greyish intestinal line between them often blackish at the tail; there 
is a similar line of dots and hairs down each side, and beneath them the black 
spiracles, which are bristly. They have six pectoral, eight abdominal, and two anal 
feet. They changed to a very sensitive, cylindrical pupa, ochreous and shining.” 
■— 4 Gardeners’ Chronicle ’ for 1845, p. 878. 
