CHAPTER II. 



HETEBOCERA, OR MOTHS. 



THE NOCTURNI, INCLUDING THE SPHINGES AND BOMBYCEg OF LINN^US. 



It has already been mentioned that there is no difficulty in 

 distinguishing English butterflies from English Moths. Simi- 

 larly, there is none in distinguishing English Moths from Eng- 

 lish butterflies. 



In the first place, the antennae of these insects are not 

 knobbed at the end, but pointed. Some of them have the 

 ends of the antennae much enlarged, as may be seen by 

 reference to the Moths on Plate XIV. and Woodcut XLIV. In 

 all these, however, the club of the antenna is elongated, and 

 the end is pointed. Moreover, whereas in the butterfly the 

 shaft of the antenna is straight and simple, in many of the 

 Moths it is curved, and in others is adorned with a feathering, 

 sometimes on one side and often on both. For this reason the 

 scientific name of Heterocera., or ' Varied horns,' has been 

 o-iven to these insects, just as Ehopalocera, or ' Clubbed horns' 

 is given to the butterflies. 



Then, the wings of a Moth at rest are not pressed to- 

 gether over the back, like those of the butterflies, but either 

 lie flat on the body or along its sides. The body, moreover, 

 has no waist like that of the butterfly. Keeping these few and 

 obvious distinctions in his mind, the young entomologist need 

 never hesitate to decide to which great group any lepidopterous 

 insect belongs. 



The first family is that of the Sphingidse or Sphinx-Moths. 

 They derive their name, not from any peculiarity in the Moths 

 themselves, but in their larvae, some of which are thought to 

 bear in their attitude a fanciful resemblance to the well- 



