ATTACUS. 87 



The moths are varied with reddish-brown, fawn-colour, w^hite, 

 and black, and there are two festooned whitC; black-bordered 

 transverse stripes on each wing (angulated on the fore-wdngs), 

 one towards the base, the other beyond the middle of the 

 wing. The point of a large vitreous triangle rests on the inner 

 side of the outer white band, and above that, on the fore-winss. 

 is often a second long vitreous spot. The tip of the fore- 

 wings is paler and more varied in colour than the rest of the 

 wing, and is marked with one or two sub-ocellated spots, and 

 there is a sub-marginal row of black spots bordered with 

 yellowish. The body is streaked and belted with white. 



The larvae feed on various trees ; when young, they are 

 black with white spines, but they afterwards become green, 

 with bluish-green or blackish spines ; when half-grown they 

 become covered wuth a white powder, and they always eat 

 their skins after casting them ; a curious habit found in many 

 larvae. It has been suggested that the object of this is to 

 prevent the empty egg-shells and cast skins furnishing an 

 indication of the whereabouts of the larvae to birds or other 

 enemies. 



Atfacus edivardsii, White, is another very handsome and 

 much rarer North Indian species. It is of a more uniform 

 size, expanding about nine or ten inches, and is of a much 

 darker and richer colouring than A. atlas, and is altogether 

 a handsomer insect. 



Many species of Attacus are found in Mexico and South 

 America. They have a strong general resemblance to A. 

 atlas, but are smaller, averaging from four to six or seven 

 inches in expanse. They difter from each other chiefly in 

 colouring, and in the shape of the vitreous spots, which, in 

 some species, are regularly oval instead of being triangular. 



Coscifiocera (Butler) is a genus including one or two species 

 found in North Australia and New Guinea. They measure 



