218 
SPHINX. 
caterpillar from which this curious Sphinx pro- 
ceeds is in the highest degree beautiful, and far 
surpasses in size every other European insect of 
the kind, measuring sometimes near five inches 
in length, and being of a very considerable thick- 
ness: its colour is a bright yellow, the sides mark- 
ed by a row of seven most elegant broad stripes 
or hands, of a mixed violet and sky-blue colour : 
the tops of these bands meet on the back in so 
many angles, and are varied on that part with 
jet-black specks: on the last joint of the body is 
a horn or process, not in an erect position, as in 
the preceding kinds, but hanging or curving over 
the joint in the manner of a tail, having a rough 
or muricated surface and a yellow colour. This 
caterpillar is principally found on the potatoe and 
the jessamine, those plants being its favorite food. 
It usually changes into a chrysalis in the month 
of September, retiring for that purpose pretty 
deep under the surface of the earth; the complete 
insect emerging in the following June or July; 
but some individuals are observed to change into 
chrysalis in July or August; and these produce 
the complete insect in November; so that there 
appear to be two broods or annual races. The 
Sphinx Atropos is generally considered as a very 
rare insect, and as the caterpillar feeds chiefly 
by night, concealing itself during the day under 
leaves, &c. it is not often detected: yet, from 
some singular circumstances favourable to its* 
breed, there are some seasons in which it is even 
plentiful, as in the autumn of the present year 
