THE SPHINGIDZ:. 105 
moreover, are short, thick, and terminated in a hooked. bristle. 
The head is large, and the abdomen very thick. The front 
wings are blackish brown, with indistinct tawny markings and 
a conspicuous yellowish dot near their centres; the hind wings 
are yellow and have a narrow black central and a broad black 
marginal band. 
The moth possesses the power of squeaking, and this propensity 
THE DEATH’S HEAD MOTH. 
has given an infinitude of trouble to philosophers, who have 
formed many theories concerning the manner in which the sound 
can be produced. This gift, combined with the sombre hues of 
the sphinx, and the presence of the death’s head upon its back, 
have surrounded the moths with much mysterious dread, and there 
are many people in the most civilised and learned countries in the 
world that are heartily afraid of them. They are said to be a sign 
of bad luck, and are supposed to precede a death in the house; 
and they once produced a downright panic in Brittany. The squeak- 
ing appears to be connected in some way or other with a small 
