THE GENERA OF BRITISH MOTHS. 
PLATE I. 
No. 1—The Eyed Hawk-Moth (Smerinthus Ocellatis). No, 4.—The Death’s-head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia Atropos), 
No. 2.—The Caterpillar of the Eyed Hawk-Moth. No, 5,—The Caterpillar of the Death's-head Hawk-Moth. 
No. 3,—The Poplar Hawk-Moth (Smerinthus Populi). 
Tue first subdivision of the great section /elerocera which I shall describe, is that comprised under the 
title of Sphingide, or Sphinxes, which consists of the Hawk-Moth family, and contains some of the largest and 
handsomest of our British Moths. The term Sphinx was somewhat capriciously conferred by Linneus in 
consequence of a supposed resemblance of many of the Caterpillars of this family to that fabulous creature. This 
resemblance occurs when the Caterpillar lies with the main part of the body straight along a leaf or branch, with 
the three segments next the head raised nearly upright, in which position the general outline has certainly some 
slight affinity to the form of the chimera from which it has received its name, 
The family of Sphingide contains several genera, the first genus being Smerinthus, distinguished more 
especially hy the short, stout body of the perfect insect, and the irregular outline of the external edge of the 
wings. ‘The Caterpillars of the genus are generally green, and invariably covered with small tubercles, closely 
arranged in regular rows, and the sides marked with a series of diagonal streaks, either of a paler green than the 
rest of the body, or tinged with red or violet. It may here be stated that only a few of the more obyious 
characteristics of each family or genus can be described in this work, and that in speaking of the general 
character of a family, genus, or species, only the British kinds are referred to, The genus Smerinthus contains 
three species, 
No. 1, Plate 1, is Smerinthus Ocellatus, they Eyed Hawk-Moth, which, it will be seen, exhibits the 
general characteristics attributed to the genus. The antenne haye, in this group, a tendency to thicken before 
the final attenuation of the point, which occurs only in this and in the next two families of Moths. They are, in 
this genus, more slender in the females than the males, which last, in our plate, are represented as rather too 
robust. The flight of this genus is more like that of ordinary Moths than of other members of the Hawk-Moth 
family. The Caterpillar (No, 2), as will be observed, is furnished with a dorsal horn, or tail, a peculiarity present 
in the whole of the group which haye the true Hawk-Moth character, though absent in the Gyeriide, which 
by some authors are added to this family. The Caterpillar of the Eyed Hawk-Moth feeds chiefly on the 
Willow, and is not uncommon. It appears in July and August, and the perfect insect issues from the chrysalis 
in the following May. 
No. 3, Plate 1, is the Poplar Hawk-Moth, Smerinthus Populi, the commonest of the genus. Its markings are 
not so beautiful as those of the preceding species, but yet present very agreeable tones of soft doye-colour, buff, 
and brown; the veins, or rather neryures of the wings, being of a warm ochreous tone. The Caterpillar is very 
similar to that of S. oced/atus, but smaller, and without any pink tone in the lateral stripes, which are of a very 
pale green. It appears in the autumn, changes to the chrysalis state about September, and the perfect insect 
emerges in the following June. 
