66 The Butterflies and Moths of Teneriffe. 



brown colour, the body having a longitudinal grey 

 stripe, increasing in width at the base, and five stripes 

 of pink and black across it alternately. The antennae 

 are somewhat longer and more slender than those of 

 the Death's Head moth. They are feathered, and grey 

 in colour, terminating in a sharp point. The insect is 

 provided with a very long proboscis, which one sees it 

 inserting into the centre of the flowers at dusk. During 

 the winter months it is met with commonly in some 

 years. The' caterpillar, which measures four inches in 

 length, feeds on the sweet potato in the fields, and on 

 the petunia and phlox in gardens. It is of a brown- 

 grey colour, shading to green on the back, having 

 black longitudinal stripes along the back, and trans- 

 verse black and white stripes surmounted by white 

 spots at the sides. It is a night-feeder, hiding itself 

 under the leaves or in the ground at day-time, and 

 constructing the pupa-case underground. It is delicate 

 and difficult to rear in captivity, like the Atropos. 



