THE BEE HAWK-MOTHS. 425 



tell them that locusts and moths are not exactly the same 

 insects. 



The enormously long proboscis or tongue, with which it ex- 

 tracts the liquid sweets from the flowers, has obtained for the 

 genus to which this and a few other insects belong, the name 

 of Macrojlossa, or Long-tongue. 



The next insect on our list is the Nareow-Bokdered Bee 

 Hawk-Moth [Macroglossa bomhyliformis). 



According to Mr* Newman, this Moth belongs to the same 

 genus as the last, but some authors place it in a different 

 family. Personally, I agree with Mr. Newman, and so accept 

 his name. This is one of a number of Moths in which the 

 wings are almost wholly denuded of scales, so that they are 

 as transparent as those of the Hymenoptera, to some of which 

 they bear a curious, not to say startling, resemblance. 



The present species is called the Bee Hawk-Moth, because, 

 with i^.s translucent wings and hairy body, it bears a strangely 

 close resemblance to a humble-bee. Indeed, so precisely do 

 some of those insects resemble certain bees and wasps that, 

 even to a practised eye, there is some difficulty in distinguish- 

 ing them when on the wing. The colouring of this species is 

 very simple. The edge of the wings is brown, narrow on the 

 upper wings, and much narrower on the lower pair. The 

 thorax is brown with a very sliglit tinge of green. The abdomen 

 is dun-colour, crossed by three black bands ; one a very broad 

 one at the base of the abdomen, and the two others quite 

 narrow. There are some tufts of stiff black hair on the sides, 

 which it spreads when flying, after the manner of the 

 Humming-bird Moth. 



There is another allied British Moth belonging to this 

 genus, namely the Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth [Macro- 

 glossa fuciforTYiis), which is drawn on Plate XIV. Fig. 4. In 

 this insect the transparent wings are edged with a broad, 

 chestnut border, the upper wings having a brown, diagonal 

 spot in the centre, and a large patch of the very deepest 

 black-green at the base. The thorax and base of the abdomen 

 are brown with a slight green tinge, as is the tip, the remainder 

 being warm chestnut brown. Like the preceding insect, it has 



