sphingida:. — acheuontia. 115 



on both sides: head black: thorax bluish-black, with a large central yellow 

 or whitish patch, rounded anteriorly and expanded posteriorly, having two 

 small deep black spots, and two larger, of the colour of the thorax, beliiMd : 

 abdomen luteous, with the margins of the segments black, and with an inter- 

 rupted dorsal line, and the greater portion of the tenninal segment bluish : an- 

 tennae black with a white tip. 



Caterpillar in its first state dirty red, finally yellow, with the back granulated and 

 speckled with black ; the transverse lateral lines united on the back, anteriorly 

 blue, posteriorly white, with a purple dash in the centre of each on the sides : 

 it feeds on the potato f Solarium tuberosum), jasmine ( Jasminum ojficinaltj, 

 thornapple (Datura Stramonium), spindle tree C Euonymus europceus), hemp 

 (Cannabis saliva), elder ( Sambucus nigra), woody nightshade ( Solanum 

 Dulcamara), &c. ; the former is, however, their favourite pabulum. The 

 pupa is bright red-brown. 



Notwithstanding the immense size of the hirva, which is some- 

 times four or five inches in length, and of the thickness of a man's 

 finger, they are not very frequently observed, from the circumstance 

 of their not venturing out during the day-time, unless when seeking 

 for a convenient spot to undergo their change, their usual time for 

 feeding being in the evening : they have, however, occasionally 

 been met with in considerable plenty, and the public journals, for 

 the year 1826 especially, abounded with almost miraculous ac- 

 counts of the immense bulk both of the larva and imago, and of 

 their appearance in all parts of the kingdom, especially on all the 

 coasts. The unsuccessful attempts formerly made by persons to 

 rear them to the perfect state has induced many to suppose that 

 there was great difficulty attendant thereon ; but of late years the 

 insect has been reared in tolerable plenty by several individuals, 

 and a fair proportion of the imago has been produced ; the larvfe 

 are usually full grown about the middle of August, when they retire 

 under ground and form an oval cell, in which they change to the 

 pupa. Towards the end of September or the beginning of Octoi)er 

 the imago is produced, and, like the rest of the group. Hies morning 

 and evening only. The conspicuous patch on the back of its thorax, 

 which has considerable resemblance to a cranium, or Death's head, 

 combined with the feeble cry of the insect, which closely resembles 

 the noise caused by the creaking of a cork, more than the ])htintive 

 squeaking of a mouse, has caused the insect to be lookeil upon 

 by superstitious persons as the " harbinger of (h^ith, disea^e, and 

 famine," and their sudden appearance in Hretagne, as we are in- 

 formed by Latreille, during a season while the iidiabiUmts were 



