day. 



THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S 



flying over flowers in or near woods, in spring, during the 

 These three species have a spreading tuft of hairs at the 



Narrow- Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth (Hemaris Bomtyliforjnis). 

 end of the body, which we do not meet with in the remaining 

 Sphingidcz. These all fly in the evening, or at night. 



The Death's Head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia Atropos], which 

 sometimes measures nearly six inches across the wings, is not only 

 the largest British moth, but one of our largest British insects. 

 It has brown fore wings, and pale yellow black-banded hind 

 ivings, and there is a yellow pattern on the back of the thorax 

 tvhich has some distant resemblance to the shape of a skull. It 

 has the power of uttering a very audible squeak, and is fond of 

 honey, sometimes entering bee-hives and committing consider- 

 able damage. Its enormous yellowish larva is frequently found 

 feeding on potato-leaves in autumn, and, like most of the Sphin- 

 gidce, it has a long fleshy horn on the back of the last segment 

 but one. Although not rare, it is never sufficiently common to 

 do any real injury to our potato crops, though they frequently 

 suffer from the attacks of smaller but more abundant insects. 



Caterpillar of Privet Hawk-Moth (Sphinx Ligustrt). 



The Privet Hawk-Moth (Sphinx Ligustri) is a commoner 



