Richard South

“ Buckler states that at first it burrows in the root, hibernates when small, resumes feeding in April, attains full growth before winter, and hibernates in the earth for a second time; in the spring of the second year it gnaws cavities in the young shoots of the bracken, and apparently drinks the flowing sap. ”

“ The males may be seen in the evening, sometimes in numbers in grassy places, swaying themselves to and fro without making progress, and appearing as though they dangled from the end of an invisible thread; the female flies straight, and, as a rule, in the direction of one or other of the pendulous males.
The species is generally distributed over the British Isles.
Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) .
The male of this species (Plate 157, Figs. 5. ♂, 6 ♀) usually some shade of orange brown, with greyish-edged white markings on the fore wings. ”

“ Both sexes of this species are shown on Plate 158, where Fig. 7 represents the golden-marked male, and Fig. 8 the more dingy, dull, purplish-grey striped female. There is variation in number and in size of the markings on the fore wings of the male, and occasionally the hind wings in this sex are adorned with golden spangles on the outer area.
The pale greyish brown caterpillar has glossy darker brown plates on rings 1-3, and the raised dots and the spiracles are black. It feeds on the roots of bracken, and is full grown about May. ”