THE HUMMING-BIRD HAWK-MOTH. 5 1 



is to rear them from eggs or caterpillars. The latter are said to 

 come up to sun themselves about four o'clock in the afternoon, 

 but they may be found at any time in their season, and in likely 

 spots, by turning back the herbage and looking for them in 

 their hiding-places. When in repose the head and front rings 

 are drawn inwards, and this distends the eyed rings, thus bringing 

 these into prominence and giving the creature a rather wicked 

 look, from which the uninitiated would be likely to retreat. The 

 caterpillar, however, is quite harmless, and may be handled with 

 impunity. 



Although somewhat scarce in the more northern counties, 

 this is a pretty common species throughout most of England 

 and Wales. Its range extends into Scotland as far as Dum- 

 barton, and, according to Barrett, along the east coast to 

 Aberdeen. Kane states that in Ireland it is met with every- 

 where and is abundant in some localities. Distributed over 

 Europe, except the more northern parts', and extending through 

 Asia to Japan. 



The Humming-bird Hawk-moth {Macroglossa 

 stellataruin). 



The brown fore wings with black cross lines, and the brownish 

 bordered orange hind wings, at once separate this from any other 

 hawk-moth occurring in our islands. Its greenish eggs are laid 

 on bedstraw, and in July and August the caterpillars may be found 

 on the same kind of plant. They are greenish or brownish 

 covered with white dots ; a whitish line runs along each side of 

 the back and a yellowish one lower down on the sides ; the 

 spiracles are blackish, and the horn bluish shading into yellow 

 at the tip. The yellow-flowering bedstraw {^Galium veriim) seems 

 to be the kind upon which the caterpillar is most often found, 

 but it also occurs on the hedge bedstraw (C^^. nioiiui^o). It has 

 been known to eat wild madder {Rubia peregrina)^ and is 



