272 THE entosiologist's record. 



their very distinct cliaracter, and then the blotches are united more or 

 less into a large crimson patch in the centre of the wing. Every 

 possible intermediate condition is to be found between those sjjccimens 

 which have the three blotches completely united and those which have 

 them completely separated, the various intermediate forms occurring 

 as aberrations in almost every district. There is a considerable range 

 of variation, too, as regards size, some of the females being very large. 

 This variation in size is sometimes local ; at Bourg St. Maurice, the 

 specimens were uniformly rather small, whilst the smallest and largest 

 specimens I have yet seen have come from County Galway ; at 

 Courmayeur, too, they varied from the largest size to the smallest. 



Esper, in 1781, makes the following remarks about this species 

 {Die Schnett. in Ahhiltl, Th. ii., p. 186, pi. 24, fig. 2 a(? b 5 ). :— " It 

 is now sufficiently proved that this is a distinct species. It is abundant 

 in our neighbourhood, and has often been found in copula. It apj^ears 

 in company with Spliinx filipendidae and other species in similar locali- 

 ties. In some places, however, it is very rare, in others, does not 

 occur at all. The sexes are of a different ground-colour, although the 

 green of the female shows no such great differences from the ground 

 colour of the male as occurs in Sphinx lonicerae. In both it inclines to be 

 darker. The whole surface of the wing is so thinly scaled that it is almost 

 transparent. In a few days there is scarcely any of the red colour re- 

 maining. This moth has the broadest wings of any of the group, with 

 a narrow, somewhat shiny dai"k blue border round the margin of all the 

 wings, and three bright red spots on the fore- wings. The basal jDair 

 are long, and almost of uniform breadth ; they are se^jarated by the 

 blackish nervures. The third spot is largest near the apex, and fades 

 into the surrounding area ; it passes between the other two somewhat 

 wedge-fashion, and often almost coalesces with them. The thorax, 

 abdomen and antennae are dark black, with a hardly perceptible bluish 

 tinge." Esper then tells us that he has " often obtained large numbers 

 of eggs which were laid one upon the other in heaps. In shape and 

 colour, they are not different from those of S. jilipendulae. After 14 

 days the larvas hatched, and after feeding for a few weeks, hybernated." 

 He then states that he named the species after a common plant 

 Hieracium pilosella, on whose flowers, and those of other Compositae, it 

 frequently rests. Euessly, he states, considered this as the female of 

 S. pyth'u, Fab., a totally different species. 



It is well to quote thus fully what Esper says, because Staudinger 

 takes Esper's name pnlosellae, as the correct trivial name for this species. 

 \Ye will now examine the claims of two older names by which the 

 species has been known, and try to understand why Staudinger rejected 

 them. 



We will first consider Fuessly's name pythia. In his Ent. Mag., 

 Stuck i. (1778), he figures the species (PI. i., figs. 5-6) very accurately 

 under the name of Sphinx pytJiia, and under this name the figures are re- 

 ferred to at pp. 139-140, where we find the descrij)tion of the Plate. 

 At p. 113, Fuessly gives a description of the insect under the same 

 name. He writes : — " Atra _; alls anticis viridibus maculis tribus ob- 

 longis approximatis sanguineis, posticis rubris." He then adds that 

 '* the species comes near fillpjendulae, the fore-wings are green, with 

 three long blood-red spots. Tlie under-wings blood-red, with bluish 

 border. This species is rare in Switzerland, and is much like Sphinx 



