ACHEBONTIA ATROPOS. 41 



Moth," or, as it is sometimes called on this side of the 

 world, the " Bee Tiger Moth." 



The S. African species is the same as that well known 

 in Britain, and therefore, as the attack was reported (in 

 this instance) without specimens being sent, I give below 

 a figure of the British kind, which was drawn for my 

 ' Manual of British Injurious Insects.' 



FIG. 19. AcJierontia atropos. Death's Head Moth, and caterpillar (less 

 than natural size, from British specimens). 



Mr. Bairstow mentions that in S. Africa (as well as in 

 other parts of the world) the moth is fond of extracting 

 the bees' honey from their hives and nests, and he once 

 found an apparently newly-emerged female clinging with 

 its fore legs to a honey bees' nest in a bush on the 

 Zuurberg Pass. He also notes a popular superstition, 

 amounting to an undoubting belief, that in some way 

 or other the action of the proboscis has deadly effect. 

 Various superstitions attach to this moth, partly from 



