THE LIME HAWK-MOTH. 1 9 



seem darker than the eggs of the Eyed and the Poplar Hawk- 

 moths. The eggs are laid singly or in pairs on the underside of 

 elm or lime leaves. 



The figure of a nearly full-grown caterpillar (Plate 2) is from 

 a drawing in colour by Mr. A. Sich. Shortly, the caterpillar 

 may be described as green, roughened with yellow points, and 

 with seven yellow oblique stripes on the sides, each edged above 

 with purplish and reddish ; the spiracles are ringed with reddish, 

 and the curved horn is blue, inclining to yellowish l^eneath and 

 at the tip ; the roughened shield on the last ring of the body is 

 reddish, marked with yellow. Head triangular, smoother than 

 the body. Quite in its infancy, the caterpillar is a long, thin 

 creature ; the horn, which is divided at the tip, is covered with 

 short, stiff hairs, and appears blackish ; later on the horn 

 becomes reddish, and the side stripes appear on the body. 

 Although alder, birch, and several other shrubs and trees have 

 been mentioned, there is no doubt that the foliage of elm and 

 lime is the chief food of the caterpillar in a state of nature. 

 Found in July and August. 



The chrysalis is dark reddish, and somewhat rough. As a 

 rule, it is enclosed in a very fragile cell which the caterpillar 

 makes for itself after burrowing a few inches underground and 

 near the trunk of an elm or a lime tree. There are, however, 

 records of the chrysalis having been found in crevices of bark 

 high up on elm trees. 



In May and June the moth emerges, usually in the afternoon, 

 and may sometimes be found on the trunks of trees, or on 

 palings near limes and elms. When at rest the fore wings are 

 so arranged o\er the hind ones that they, in conjunction with 

 the upturned body, give the insect more the aj^pearance of a 

 bunch of immature leaves than of a moth. 



The species is widely distributed throughout the southern 

 counties of England, and in some of them, more especially 

 around London, it is common. In the Midlands it seems to be 



