SESiiD/T^ — ^rArnoc-.i.ossA. 133 



The two British genera contained in this family may l»c' tlms 

 briefly characterized : 



Alw (squamis tectse: . . . 27. Macroglossa. 



(denudata?: .... yn. Sejsia. 



Genus XXVII. — Macroglossa, Ochscnheimer. 



Antennce uncinated, gradually thickening nearly to the apex, which is scarcely 

 attenuated ; simple in the females : palpi contiguous above tlie maxilla-, tliiekl y 

 clothed with scales: maxiUw as long as the hoji/ ; the latter elongate, clothed 

 with scales, tufted on the sides towards the apex and at the tip : trinfrs elon- 

 gate-lanceolate, opaque. Larva elongate, slightly attenuated in front, caudal 

 horn straight : pupa elongate, head-case produced. 



Macroglossa may be detected from Sesia by its opaque wings, 

 and by the elongation of its body, which is very strongly tufted at 

 its apex, and densely clothed with elongate, hair-like scales. Fre- 

 quent gardens. 



Sp. 1. Stellatarum. Alts auticis fusco cinereis, stri^is Jiiahus tii^ris, ]>nsficis 

 fcrrugineis, abdominis laferihus alho nigroque variis. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 

 9 lin. — 2 unc.) 



Sp. Stellatarum. Linnc. — Don, vii. ;>/. 155. — Ma. Stellatarum. Steph. Catal. 



The anterior wings dusky or dusky-brown, with several obsolete and two waved 

 transverse and black striga;, and a central black spot, generally with a pale 

 cincture: posterior rusty-tawny, with the base and hinder margin dusky ; the 

 latter tinted with rusty : the fringe tawny, dusky at the base : head, antenna-, 

 thorax, and abdomen, above, dusky brown ; the latter varied with black ami 

 white at the sides, with a black anal tuft. 



Caterpillar green, speckled with white, with a whitish or yellowish lateral line 

 from the head to the caudal horn, and below this a pale yellow one : the 

 anterior legs deep yellow : the horn blue at the base, reddish-yellow at the 

 tip: previously to changing, it assumes a dark hue, and the lateral line 

 becomes purplish. It feeds on the various kinds of bedstraw (Galitnn, j)arti- 

 cularly the Ga. verum et aparine), and also on the dyer's weed ( Rubia iinc- 

 torium). The chrysalis is of a pale brown, with the wing-cases darker : its 

 form is peculiar, the head-case being rounded, and the middle swollen. 



Of tills insect my friend Mr, Haworth says, '' Tliis interesting 

 species, in the winged state, frequents gardens; flying, i" sunny 

 weather, between the hours of ten and twelve in the morning, and 

 those of two and four in the afternoon. Its food is the neetiireous 

 juice of tube-bearing flowers ; this it extracts with amazing address, 

 by the assistance of its exserted spiral tongue, inimitiibly poising 

 itself all the while on rapidly vibrating wings; whence its name oi 



