BEE HAWK MOTH. 17 



as long as the spectator is quiet or moves gently 

 it will continue to feed ; but if even a hand be 

 moved sharply, it shoots off as rapidly as it came, 

 and its place is vacant as if by magic. 



The Humming-bird Moth is fond of flying 

 along the sunny side of walls, and, swift as is 

 its flight, may be taken in a common butterfly- 

 net by meeting it in its course along the wall, 

 and giving a sharp, quick stroke of the net as 

 the insect draws near. The larva feeds on many 

 plants of the stellate kind, and hence derives 

 its specific title of stellatarum. The pupa 

 or chrysalis of this insect is shown in the pre- 

 ceding illustration (fig. 1). 



There are only two other English insects be- 

 longing to this genus. The first is the Narrow- 

 bordered Bee Hawk Moth {Macroglossa homhyli- 

 formis)] see Plate I. fig. 5. According to several 

 systematic zoologists, this Moth belongs to the 

 genus which immediately follows; but in Mr 

 Doubleday's arrangement it takes the position 

 which is here assigned to it. 



The average span of the wings is a little more 

 than one inch and a half. They are almost en- 

 tirely transparent, showing the nervures as a dark 

 tracery. The margins only, which are of a 

 greyish brown, have any distinct colour. The 



