270 INSECTS. 



This group contains (in the Death's-head Moth), the 

 largest species of British Moths. 



The comparatively common Humming-Bird Moth, 

 somewhat resembling the Sphinges in general appear- 

 ance, belongs also to this group, as do some remarkable 

 clear-winged Moths, in which the scales, thickly planted 

 along the margins of some of the nerves, are wanting on 

 the membrane, which accordingly gives to these insects 

 a curious bee -like or wasp-like appearance. 



The same group contains the beautifully-coloured 

 Burnet Moths, in which deep glossy bluish green, or 

 greenish blue and deep bright crimson are the prevailing 

 colours. 



Most of these insects, excepting the true Sphinges, fly 

 by day. The group contains about thirty-eight species. 



The second group is Bombycina, and, with all the re- 

 maining groups, has the antennae tapering, fine and 

 thread-like, sometimes with a deep double feather-like 

 fringing, sometimes only slightly fringed, sometimes 

 simple. 



Bombycina contains several stout-bodied Moths, and 

 it is among these that the larvae, whose silk has become an 

 article of commerce, are found. The common Silk-worm 

 Moths, with their beautiful feathered antennae the large 

 spotted Leopard-Moth, the pencilled grey Goat- Moth, 

 (named from the smell of the larvae,) the Buff-tip 

 (PL X. f. 5.) sometimes so undistinguishable from a 

 broken twig, as it lies among the fallen leaves on the 

 ground the downy, large-winged Drinker, the Tussocks, 

 the handsome little Vapourers, and their clumsy and wing- 

 less females, the Brown Tiger, with its orange and 

 black-spotted hind-wings, the Cream-spotted Tiger, 

 with its black and cream-spotted fore-wings, yellow 



