ATTEMPTED DIVISION OF BRITISH INSECTS. 381 



bearing two erect conspicuous feelers : all the wings fully and 

 nearly equally developed, and, together with the body, clothed 

 with scales : feeds on the honey of flowers, and on fruit. 



Stirps. — Sphingina. 

 Natural Order. — Sphingites, Hawk-moths. 



Larva naked, of uniform substances, with ten prehensile legs, and a 

 stout corneous recurved horn on the paratelum. Pupa smooth, 

 rounded, generally quite naked; changes in or on the ground. 

 Imago with the antennae incrassated in the middle ; the tips fur- 

 nished with a recurved hook composed of fine bristles ; wings 

 narrow ; hind wings small ; body stout : flight rapid and well 

 sustained ; diurnal or nocturnal. Sesia, Macroglossa, Smerinthus, 

 Sphinx, Acherontia, Deilephila, (Castnia,) &c. 



Stirps. — Papilionina. 



Natural Order. — Hesperites, Skippers. 



Larva generally naked, stout in the middle, and attenuated at the 

 extremities with ten prehensile legs. Pupa stout, smooth, 

 unangulated ; changes in a loose web among the leaves on which 

 the larva feeds, attached by the tail and a thread round the 

 middle. Imago with the antennae partially clavated; sometimes 

 nearly filiform, hooked at the extremity ; the hind wings of the 

 insect, when at rest, reposing in a nearly horizontal position ; the 

 fore wings nearly erect ; flight diurnal, brisk, and bustling. Hes- 

 peria, Thymele. 



Natural Order. — Papilionites, Butterflies. 



Larva sometimes naked, but generally covered with down, hair, or 

 spines ; with ten prehensile legs. Pupa naked ; mostly angu- 

 lated, always attached by the tail ; changes in the air. Imago 

 with clavated antenna? not hooked ; all the wings erect, and 

 meeting above the back when at rest. Polyommatus, Lyccena, 

 Thecla, Amaryssus, Colias, Pontia, Apatura, Limenitis, Hippar- 

 chia, Vanessa, Argynnis, h &c. 



b This order appears to require further division, before we arrive at families ; 

 perhaps when we attain a more perfect knowledge of the anterior states of 

 butterflies, they will be found to be divisible thus : — 

 Natural Orders. 

 I. Nymphalites. IV. Erycinites. 



II. MORPHITES. V. COLIITES. 



III. Hesperites. VI. Heliconites. 



VII. Papilionites. 



