C'lIAPTEK ]]!. 



MOTHS. 



The Lepidoptera fall naturally into two great divisions, namel}', 

 the Butterflies and the Moths. As a general rule, these may 

 easily be distinguished from each other by two points. First is 

 the shape of the antennre, which in the Butterflies are straight, 

 inflexible, and terminated by a knob; and in the INIoths are 

 often curved, flexible, and end in a point. Many of the 

 Moths have the end of the antennas swollen into a sort of club, 

 but even in this case the club ends in a point, and is much 

 longer than the rounded club of the butterfly's antenna. There 

 are, however, exceptions to nearly every rule, and this is the 

 case in the present instance. A Georgian Moth, called Casinia 

 Yucca, has the antennae quite straight, and terminated by a 

 knob as bold as tliat of any butterfly. It has, however, the 

 ilexible abdomen, and in this ^vay we are able to decide 

 which it is. 



As a rule, the ^Mollis are nocturnal in their haluts, but there 

 are many that prefer the dusk or twilight for coming abroad, 

 while there are some, such as the Uranias, which fly in the 

 brightest noon-day, and have the habits as well as the appear- 

 anr^e of butterflies. 



AVe begin with the swift-winged Hawk Moth, of which a sin- 

 gularly beautiful example is here given. This rare and splendid 

 insect is a native of India, the specimen in the British INIuseum 

 having been brought from Silhet. It imitates the humming 

 birds in the brilliancy of its plumage, and, as Mr. Westwood 

 remarks, possesses even the tufted legs which distinguish many 

 species of these birds. The wings are gold-green, and in the 

 middle of the upper pair is a long patcli of gold and crimson, 



