I4S 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



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Photo by\ [H. Main, F.E.S. 



Lunar Hornet-Clearwing. 



This fine example of the clearwing family has just emerged 

 from the chrysalis-skin, which is seen below, sticking out 

 from the exit of the burrow in which the caterpillar has 

 passed its life as a wood-feeder. 



One of the best known of ttiese moths is the 

 currant-clearwing,^ with wings of orange and 

 black, and a black body belted with yellow. 

 It may frequently be seen in early summer 

 running over the leaves of currant bushes in 

 gardens. Its early life was spent as a cater- 

 pillar in boring out the centre of the currant 

 stems. This is the method of life followed by 

 the caterpillars of all these clearwings — they 

 are all internal feeders, and most of them 

 appear to take two years in arriving at 

 maturity. Both the hornet-moths feed as 

 caterpillars in poplars and willows. The very 

 rare clear-underwing - affects the inner bark of 

 the poplar, the \\'elsh clearwing ^ the same part 

 of the birch, and the white-barred clearwing 

 the stems of alder, where it remains for nearly 

 three years. 



Remarkable testimony to the efficacy of 

 the protective resemblance of these moths to 

 stinging Insects is afforded by the case of 

 the orange-tailed clearwing.^ Until the year 

 1829 it entirely escaped notice as a British 

 Insect, and up till a few years ago it was 

 supposed 



to be one 

 of the 

 rarest ; 

 but this 

 now appears to have been due to its power of 

 imposing upon moth-hunters, who let it escape 

 in the belief that it was not a moth they saw\ 

 It was supposed to feed as a caterpillar in the 

 stems of dogwood, but within the last few- 

 years its food-plants have been discovered to 

 be chiefly guelder-rose and wayfaring-tree, and 

 with this knowledge large numbers of the 

 caterpillars and chrysalids have been taken. 

 It is known to be extensively parasitized by 

 ichneumon-wasps, against wliich the re- 

 semblance to their own order is not (effective, 

 because the attack is made not upon the moth 

 but upon the caterpillar ; and a very large 

 percentage of those reared in captivity are 

 found to be thus destroyed. But that a 



> Sesia tipuliformis. - S. tabaniforniis. ^ S. scoliacformis. 



,r^ 



Photo by, /.. X./.. J-.I..S. 



Lunar Hornet-Moth and Wasp. 



Seen apart, the Umar hornet-moth would be readily 

 accepted as a wasp by most persons ; but when, as in 

 this photograph, the two living Insects are seen in 

 proximity some differences as well as resemblances are 

 evident between them. 



■' S. andrcnaeformi.s. 



