82 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



Photo by] [\V. West. 



An Amber Insect. 



An example of the same order of Insects as includes 

 the ants and bees ; but it is not easy to determine 

 its near relations. 



The Emperor Moth. 



Although by no means a rare Insect, the 



emperor moth ^ is not one of those that are gener- 



^^ ally known except to naturalists. The reason for 



^^^H^^^k this is that it does not come into our gardens or 



^ Vjr^^^^^ greet us in the fields and lanes ; otherwise its size 



ir ^I^Blli^. ^^^^ bold markings would make it a familiar form. 



■j^^^^^^ The moth requires little description, for with the 



^ - Jp^^^^^^ eye-like mark in the centre of each wing we have 



^^^^^^^ no other native moth that at all resembles it. In 



^^|[|^^ the vSouth of Europe there is one verv like it, 



\ known as the great peacock moth,- but it is more 



\ than twice the size of ours. The emperor differs 



considerably in the size of the sexes, for whilst the 



male rarely reaches two and a half inches across 



the expanded wings, the female is nearly three 



inches. The fore-wings of the male are of various 



shades of purplish-grey, but the hind-wings are of tawny hue. All the wings of the 



female are of purple-grey, paler and more purple than the fore-wings of the male. 



Another difference is seen in the antenna:;, which are feathered in both sexes, but in 



the female so slightly as scarcely to be noticed, whilst in the male the branches are 



so long and regular as to make these organs very noticeable. 



The moths make a public appearance in April and Mav, and if at that period 

 one rambles across the heath or moorland the male may be seen in rapid flight 

 in the daytime. The female usually rests during the day, but a quick eye may 



: detect her on some of the heath plants. In that 

 position with the upper wings folded over the lower, 

 so that only one pair of eye-spots shows, she looks 

 much like the face of a cat or owl peering through 

 the shrubs ; and it is thought that this terrifying 

 resemblance protects her in her exposed situation 

 from the attack of birds. The body of the moth 

 becomes the beak of the owl or the nose of the cat, 

 just as it may strike the beholder. 



As in the case of some other moths, the female 

 emperor that has recently emerged from the 

 chrysalis gives off some subtle perfume that is 

 far-reaching, and will draw^ all the males of the 

 countryside to her. There is little doubt that 

 the strongly feathered antenna; of the male are the 

 highly sensitive organs affected by this delicate 

 aroma. Entomologists who wish to acquire a 

 series of male examples of any of the moths that 

 exhibit this extraordinary perception of an odour 



- S. pavonia-majcir. 



Photo by] [W. llVs/. 



A Moth in A.MBf.R. 



The orderof Insectsconsistingof the butterflies and 

 moths did not make its appearance until a com- 

 paratively recent (tertiarj-) period. This example 

 in amber is shown on the scale of twenty times 

 larger than the actual size. 



^ Saturnia pavonia. 



