THE SPHINX. 201 



with dull ochre colour, and black. When in 

 the least disturbed or irritated, this insect 

 emits a stridulous sound, something like the 

 squeaking of a bat or mouse : and from this 

 circumstance, as well as from the mark 

 above-mentioned on the thorax, is held in 

 much dread by the vulgar in several parts of 

 Europe, its appearance being regarded as a 

 kind of ill omen, or harbinger of approaching 

 fate. We are informed by the celebrated 

 Reaumur, that the members of a female 

 convent in France were thrown into great 

 consternation at the appearance of one of 

 these insects, which happened to fly in dur- 

 ing the evening at one of the windows of 

 the dormitory. The caterpillar from which 

 this Sphinx proceeds is in the highest de- 

 gree beautiful, and far surpasses in size every 

 other European insect of the kind ; mea- 

 suring sometimes near five inches in length, 

 and being of a very considerable thickness ; 

 its colour is a bright yellow, the sides mark- 

 ed by a row of seven most elegant broad 

 stripes or bands of a mixed violet and sky- 

 blue colour. This caterpillar is principally 

 found on the potatoe and the jessamine, 



