HUMMING-BIRD HAWK-MOTH. 16o 



wings are rust-yellow, slightly suffused with dusky 

 before and behind. The body is nearly concoloroujs 

 with the upper wings, and the abdomen is variegated 

 with tufts of black and white at the sides of the 

 segments, the anal tuft being black. 



The ground colour of the caterpillar is green, 

 sprinkled with numerous white points, and having 

 two white rays along the sides. The anal horn is 

 rather long and acute, perfectly straight, yellowish 

 | at the tip and blue at the base ; the membranous 

 ? legs each marked with a shining black lunuje, the 

 coronet of spines of a rosy tint. (PL xn. fig. 2.) 

 It feeds on verticillate or stellate plants (whence 

 !. the specific name), and is most commonly found on 

 lady's-bedstraw and goosegrass ( Galiwm verum and 

 G. aparine). It sometimes enters the earth when 

 about to be transformed, and at other times con- 

 structs a cocoon on the surface, composed of par- 

 ticles of earth, pieces of leaves, or portions of the 

 stems of plants. 



This curious insect is of frequent occurrence in 

 most parts of England, and is found occasionally in 

 the southern and even the more northern counties 

 'of Scotland. It frequents gardens and cultivated 

 grounds, appearing on the wing in the morning and 

 afternoon, and concealing itself among the foliage 

 during the heat of the day. It darts about from 

 flower to flower with amazing rapidity, and poises 

 itself, like a Humming-bird, over the blossoms, tijj 

 it extracts their nectareous juices by means of its 

 ) long spiral proboscis. "While thus suspended, the 



