146 



ARTICULATES: INSECTS. 



bright sunshine. The caterpillars are very large, and 

 are remarkable for their curious attitudes, which re- 

 minded Linnaeus of the Sphinx, a sculptured monster 

 of the Egyptians. 



The Five-spotted Sphinx expands about five inches, 

 and is of a mixed grayish and blackish color, and on 

 each side of the body there are five orange-colored 

 spots surrounded by black. Its tongue, when fully 

 unrolled, is five or six inches long, but when not in 

 use is coiled up nearly out of sight. The caterpillar 

 is known as the potato-worm, and is green, with ob- 

 lique whitish stripes on the sides, and a thorn-like pro- 

 jection on the tail. It attains its full length, three 

 inches or more, in August, and then buries itself in 



Fig. 272. Larva of Five-spotted Sphinx. 



the ground. Here, in a few days, it throws off its 

 skin and becomes a chrysalis, of a bright brown color, 



Fig. 273. Chrysalis of Five-spotted Sphinx. 



with a long tongue-case bent over from the head, its 

 end touching the breast, and somewhat resembling the 



