THE AXLALAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 421 



as to habit or appearance to make their recognition at all easy or certain, even 

 by the professional entomologist, without reference to cabinet specimens, 

 schemes of classification and tables, based often on minute and obscure char- 

 acteristics. Some of the species, however, warrant notice on account of their 

 size or abundance, though the very largest island species of the order — a beau- 

 tiful green sphynx moth *" — does not exceed three and a half inches in expanse. 

 It has four dull-colored cousins occurring on tJie diiferent islands that are 

 almost as rare. Like the foregoing species, the humming-bird moths are also 

 members of the hawk-moth =*'' family. Two species occur here. The one with 

 the ros.v, spotted abdomen,**- known as the sweet potato horn-worm, is fairly 

 abundant from September to December, while the species with the yellow- 

 spotted abdomen is rarer, though both species are widely distributed in 

 America. The conuuoner species has been mentioned among tlie economic 

 insects. 



Coming to the typical butterflies with knobljed antenna',*^ we have tlie 

 so-called four-footed butterflies,"^ represented by at least five species. Only 

 one of them, however, the Kamehameha butterfly,**" is native. Fortunately it 

 is the most common species, especially in the lower forest zone. It can be 

 recognized as difl:"ering from the three introduced species of the angel-wings, 

 or vanesseds, by its larger size and having the body reddish-brown, while the 

 body of a similar species ^'^ is black. 



The.se bright butterflies with their wings of varied rusty brown, red, rose, 

 black and white add a welcome touch of color to the forest green that is sure 

 to delight ever}- mountain rambler. The larvte are conspicuous caterpillars 

 found principally on the mamaki. They fold the margin of a leaf together to 

 form a shelter, crawling out of it to feed. As they grow in size, they are 

 known to form new retreats from time to time. 



The monarch or milkweed butterfly •'*^ is represented by an introduced 

 species, identified by its having the upper sui'face of the wings light tawny- 

 brown, with the border and veins black, and two rows of white spots on the 

 outer borders of all four wings. It is much the largest butterfly found in 

 Hawaii. It is fairly common on the lower levels, where it feeds in the laiwal 

 stage on the introduced milkweed. 



The family of gossamer-winged butterflies *** are represented by four 

 species of the "blues," one of which, Blackburn's butterfly,*'' is peculiar to the 

 groiq) and is quite plentiful at proper seasons in the mountains i>n all the 

 islands up to 4000 feet. All of the species are about an inch across the ex- 

 panded wings. The native species can be identified at once by the light bluish- 

 green, unspotted under-surface of the wings, and by the upper-surface being 

 dark colored, edged with blue. One of the introduced species "" is very abun- 

 dant, its larv;v feeding on Crotalaria and other bean-like plants growing on the 

 lower levels. The two ri'inaining species of Lijccena have recently been pur- 



'*'* Deilephila smaragditis. ^^ Sphingidce. ^~ Sphnix conrolfuli. '^^ Papilwuia. ^* Nymp]iaUda 

 ^^ Vanessa tammeajnea. ^^ Vanessa atlanta. 

 *** Lyeoena blaclcburni. "" Lyctena baetica. 



