THE NARROW- BORDERED BEE HAWK-MOTH. 55 



The Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth {Hem arts tifyus). 



This moth (Plate 21, Figs. 4, 5) has long been known as 

 '^ boinbyllforjnis" ?ind was so mentioned by Haworth in 1802, 

 but for some years past there has been a growing tendency to 

 discard the name altogether, and as most recent authors follow 

 Kirby's identification of this species as the tifyits of Linnaeus, 

 that name is here adopted. 



The chief characters separating this moth from the preceding 

 are the narrow blackish borders of the wings and the absence of 

 the black mark at the end of the cell of fore wings. It has been 

 suggested that the female deposits its green oval eggs on the 

 undersides of the leaves of devil's-bit scabious {Scadiosa succisd) 

 whilst on the wing, but as she will lay freely in a box it is most 

 probable that she settles on the plants when engaged in &^'g 

 laying. 



The caterpillar (Plate 20, Fig. i) is green, roughened with 

 white points, from which tiny hairs arise ; the green colour 

 varies in tint from whitish to bluish ; the lines along each side 

 of the back are yellowish, and often have purplish red spots, 

 or patches, upon them ; the spiracles are set in purplish red 

 patches, and the roughened reddish-brown horn is finely 

 pointed. The under side is traversed by a purplish-red stripe. 

 There is some modification in the reddish markings, both as 

 regards number and intensity'; these are well developed in the 

 specimen from the New Forest figured on Plate 20. The cater- 

 pillars maybe found in June and July on the under sides of the 

 lower leaves of the scabious, and as they eat holes in the leaves 

 these marks should afford a clue to their whereabouts. 



A few days before changing to a dark brown chrysalis, which 

 is enclosed in a coarse and very loosely constructed cocoon, the 

 caterpillar assumes a reddish colour. 



This moth, which much resembles a large humble bee, is on 



