696 



INSECTS ABEOAD. 



late. Then comes a black circle, then a white one, and lastly a 

 very narrow white line separating it from the chocolate of the 

 wing. The under wings are eitlier crimson or yellow, crossed by 

 continuations of the stripes of the upper wings, and the end of 

 the abdomen is either yellow or crimson, according to the hue 

 of the wings. 



There is scarcely a more curious Moth in existence than that 

 which is here figured. It belongs to a group called Sphingo- 

 morphas, or Spliinx-shapcd Motlis, and affords another example 



Fic!. 431.— SpliiTi^'omorpln fulgunfe 

 (Rfddisli brown and grey.) 



of the imitative forms so often seen among insects. Tlie re- 

 semblance which is borne by these insects to the Hawk Moths is 

 so remarkably close that anyone who saw a Sphingomorpha for 

 the first time would be nearly certain to rank it among the 

 Hawk Moths rather than to place it in its proper position. 



The upper wings of the insect are divided into two totally 

 distinct portions by two shades of brown. The upper half of 

 the wing is light chestnut, and the lower dark brown, the line 



