47 



The Sphingidae have their metropolis in the tropics, not 

 suited in their habits to the cold of high latitudes ; the 

 Eastern portion of our continent is subject to the advent of 

 occasional visitors coming on the summer winds from the 

 West Indies and Florida. Among there occasional visitors 

 may be cited Aellopos titan and tantalus, Argcn* lahrnscae, 

 Dilophonota ello. It is not known how for South our Northern 

 species of SmerintJnttac, Sphin.e, etc., range, but I found none 

 of them in Cuban collections and it is probable that they 

 do not even reach the Gulf. With regard to classification, 

 the present is considered now generally by Authors a distinct 

 family. It seems to have been regarded formerly as a sub- 

 family of "Sphinges", equivalent in value to the fie* it da? or 

 "Clear wings." 



Our Hawk Moths are in part (1) descended from a 

 Tertiary Arctic fauna, in part (2) of South American origin, 

 while (3) several forms must be considered as strictly North 

 American and as the direct survivors of the tertiary fauna of 

 the Continent. On these points various papers in "Papilio", 

 "Silliman's Journal", etc., may be consulted. Genera belonging 

 to the first category are marked, in the following list, with (E), 

 to the second (S), to the third (N}. These categories are 

 provisional and demand further studies in this direction, and 

 are here not fully carried out, for want of data. The food 

 plants of the larvae are deciduous plants, shrubs and trees, 

 except Ellema which feeds on pines (Coni ferae). I have 

 found Sphinx Icalmiae on plants of Mountain Laurel (Kahnia) 

 not a foot in height, the larva being much exposed. The 

 larvae suffer greatly from the attacks of Ichneumonidae ; 

 this alone prevents certain kinds of Philamndus and Phlege- 

 thontiux from becoming very injurious. In the South the 

 Catalpa trees are defoliated by Daminnn fatal pae, but, 

 strange to say, the pupae seldom give the moth. The pupation 

 of this group is more dangerous to the individual than in 

 the cocoon-making groups ; interference with the larva seeking 

 pupation seems readily fatal; often the ground is not suit- 

 able and the roving larva falls a prey ; these heavy, naked 

 larvae fall also victims to storms, by which they are shaken 



