INTRODUCTION cliii 



Sphingidae.- — Only six species of this family are at present known, and of these 

 three are known elsewhere, being natural immigrants. The widely distributed Sphinx 

 convolvuii is more abundant than its congener, Sphinx ce/etis. The latter is usually 

 found in the larval state, feeding on the tobacco plant, or on some of the species of 

 Soiajium, while the former is not only extremely common on many species of Ipomoea, 

 as well as on other plants, as a caterpillar, but is also an abundant moth, readily at- 

 tracted by flowers or electric lights. In the morning large numbers may sometimes be 

 found attached to the flowers of the wild ginger, which they have visited during the 

 night, and from which they have been unable to withdraw their proboscis. Examples 

 so caught are often devoured by ants during the course of the day. The caterpillars of 

 5. convolvuii are very variable in colour, and all sorts of varieties of these may be found 

 at the same time and place. Sometimes they do considerable injury to the sweet 

 potato {Ipomoea batatas). The eggs are subject to the attacks of the small parasite 

 Peniarthron. The third immigrant, Deilephila lineata, is also a most abundant species, 

 and ranges to much greater elevations than the species of Sphinx, for we have found 

 the caterpillars entirely stripping certain plants at a height of 5000 ft. in the mountains, 

 and at still greater altitudes. In dry districts near the coast it appears in abundance 

 periodically, after or during the rains, and is polyphagous. The moth may be seen on the 

 wing sucking the blossoms of lantana or other tubular flowers, even during the hottest 

 sunshine, though usually more active towards night. 



Three closely allied endemic species of Deilephila are of more interest. They 

 are chiefly forest insects, though they range over the dry forehills down to the coast. 

 D. wilsoni [pyrias) is at present known only from Hawaii, where it is generally 

 distributed, the polyphagous caterpillars feeding on many forest trees of different 

 families. In wet districts the moth is freely on the wing at all hours of the day, visiting 

 the flowers of Metrosidertis, as well as those of cultivated plants, nasturtiums, canna, etc. 

 In drier localities it flies more freely at dusk. We have seen hundreds together rising 

 straight up from the rough lava flows, that intersect the dense forests of the Hilo 

 district of Hawaii, till they reached the height of the tall tree-tops on either side of 

 the flow. D. calida is generally distributed on Oahu and Molokai and its caterpillar 

 is polyphagous like that of wilsoni. It varies much in markings, sometimes having 

 a pair or a number of eye-spots present, and these eye-spots may differ in number 

 on either side of the body, and in different individuals may occupy entirely different 

 segments. In many examples they are altogether wanting. Sometimes they are 

 present only towards the head end of the caterpillar, sometimes only on the segments 

 near the caudal extremity. The moth itself exhibits a good deal of variability, as 

 does D. ivilsoni. On Hawaii in addition to the latter there exists a second species 

 or local race, much more nearly allied to D. calida. No representative of these has 

 yet been taken on Kauai, but caterpillars similar to those of the others have frequently 

 been found there, so that at least one additional species is to be expected, unless 



F. H. I. u 



