228 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
THE DEATH’S-HEAD MOTH. 
BY W. MANDYSIDE. 
mma V ERAL of the larger moths are known by the familiar 
Ye name of “ Death’s-head,” for the marks between the 
Ni fe 4 upper wings more or less resemble those on the moth 
e NAS yi properly so called, in which, indeed, these marks are so 
————— strikingly characteristic, that there is no good excuse to 
be found for a mistake at all. To know the true Death’s-head, then, 
is an easy matter, but of course you must see it once, and once 
seeing should be enough to fix its identity on the mind, for it is 
a magnificent creature, and its peculiarity is individual after all, for 
although many moths are wrongly called Death’s-heads, not one 
resembles the real thing which is as unique in its colouring as in 
its awe-inspiring ‘‘ death’s-head,” that causes a creeping sensation in 
the whole nervous system of the superstitious. 
The subject of this notice belongs to the great and grand family 
of hawk moths. Its scientific name is Acherontia atropos. It is the 
only one of its race that speaks, and it is especially noticeable as 
one of the very few lepidopterous insects that prey on the potato. 
Those in search of the caterpillar should look first on the haulm 
of the potato, on the young herbage of the common and the deadly 
nightshade, the so-called tea-tree, Lyciwm barbatum, and the common 
jasmine, Jasminum officinale. On the last it rarely occurs, and on 
other plants it is by no means frequent, for, in fact, this, the most 
Splendid, is also the most rare of the British lepidoptera. 
The caterpillar is of great size, smooth, lemon-yellow, with seven 
violet stripes and many minute black dots. The horn above the tail 
is roughly bent down, but turned up at the tip. It is now “in 
season ’’—that is to say, it is in the month of August full grown, 
feeding freely, and if captured requires but little care to ensure a 
fine moth in due time. The season of the moth is October, but in a 
dry season it may be seen even at the very end of November. 
The figure shows the perfect insect sufficiently well for practical 
purposes. One that I have before me, bred by me last year, has a 
much more terrible death’s-head between its shoulders, for, in 
truth, the marks stana out in partial relief like a monkey’s head 
stamped in velvet. The fore wings are rich brown, mottled, and 
banded, and having a pale dot in the middle; the hind wings are 
yellow, with two black bands. The body is rich orange, with six 
black bands across it, and a row of six large blue spots. It is a 
gorgeous monster, and worth many a search to become acquainted 
with it. 
The chrysalis is of great size, reddish brown, smooth and glossy, 
and when found would by its massiveness suggest to the finder that 
it would be quite worth while to put it into a boxful of earth and 
wait for its final transformation. 
The moth is very partial to honey, and is clever in finding its 
way into hives to suck the honey out of the cells. It may sound 
