150 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



Photos by] [II. Minn, F.E.S. 



Early Stages of the Lunar Hornet-Moth. 



In thc'Sf split stems of willow the full-grown caterpillar is 

 revealed above just after it has completed the spinning of its 

 cocoon and is awaiting the change into the chrysalis, lielow 

 the same individual is seen just after attaining to the chrysalis 

 stage. The discarded caterpillar-skin is pushed back to the 

 tail-end. 



^ Sesia vespiformis. ^ S. myopaDformis. ■ 

 ® S. muscacformis. 



considerable residue does survive to mate 

 and lay eggs is proved bv the comparative 

 abundance of the caterpillars in suitable 

 situations. The caterpillar when full grown 

 and about to become a chrvsalis prepares 

 an exit for itself as a moth, but closes it with 

 a door that exactly matches the surrounding 

 bark and allows easy egress. 



Of the remaining species, the cater- 

 pillars of the yellow-legged clearwing ^ feed 

 on the inner bark of the oak, the red-belted 

 clearwing - in apple and pear, the large red- 

 belted clearwing*^ in birch, the red-tipped 

 clearwing^ in osier, the six-belted clear- 

 wing^ in bird's-foot-trefoil, the thrift clear- 

 wing ^ in the roots of sea-pink, and the 

 fiery clearwing ' in the roots of dock and 

 sorrel. All these caterpillars have a nearer 

 resemblance to the grubs of wood-boring 

 beetles than to the larvcC of moths. 



Long-horned Grasshoppers. 



Grasshoppers are divided into two 

 groups — the long-horns and the short- 

 horns — and the differences between them 

 will be found set out in some detail in a 

 later article on the short-horns. 



The best known of the long-horns to 

 English readers in the south is the large 

 green grasshopper, and this is a very fair 

 representative of the long-horn family.*^ 

 Although there are species that exhibit 

 considerable eccentricity of ornamentation,, 

 the long-horns may be said to be more 

 graceful, as a rule, than the short-horns. 

 They are less stoutly built, the wings are 

 broader, and the antennae very long and 

 slender. The females are distinct from the 

 males at a glance, for in most cases tliev 

 are provided with a sword-shaped addition 

 to the end of tlu> body — the egg-placer. 

 Often this exceeds in length the rest of the 

 body. It is variously used, sometimes for 

 placing the eggs in the earth, occasionally 

 it is employed for piercing the twigs of 



liciformis. * S. formicacformis. ^ S. ichneumoniformis. 

 . chrysidiformis. ^ Locusticl<x\ 



