SPHINX CHERSIS 



GENUS, SPHINX. 



SPECIES, CHER' SIS ("pen-marked"). 



The full-fed, or nearly full-fed, caterpillars of this 

 species are found very often on or near ash saplings, 

 privet, or lilac, and crawling away from taller ash-trees 

 when ready to burrow for pupation. They are large 

 white-green crawlers, with a green or a bluish horn 

 tipped with pink or all bluish, and white obliques 

 edged above with dark green. Their heads have 

 yellowish face-lines. Most of them prove to have been 

 stung and are disappointments, so it was a great satis- 

 faction to us when, one dull morning, we saw a robin 

 fly from the fringe-tree on the lawn with a great green 

 wriggler in his Ijill. The writhing of a- large cater- 

 pillar makes it a heavy load for a robin, and this one 

 wriggled well. The robin came down on the grass, 

 dropped the caterpillar, and prepared to peck it into 

 quietness ; but we were too quick for him, and he flew 

 from us, leaving the crawler for our examination. It 

 was a fine chersis, not injured by its capture, and we 

 put it away with a feeling of thanks to tlie robin, and 

 then searched the fringe-tree. This was still better, 

 for we found seven cJicrsis larvae of various sizes, and 

 two eggs. It did seem to us a little hard that we 



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