203 



COMMON BPITISH MOTHS 



side. The horn is yellowish and rough, and is bent downward, but 

 recurved again at the tip. 



It feeds during the night, and remains hidden throughout the 

 daytime. In August it is fully grown, and then retires into the 

 ground to undergo its transformations. 



The Privet Haivk (Sphinx Ligustri) 



This is another fine moth, measuring nearly four and a half 

 inches from tip to tip. It is represented in the centre of Plate IX 

 in its natural colours, so that it need not be described. 



FIG. 98. THE LARVA OF ATROPOS. 



The perfect insect flies in June and July, and, although common, 

 is not frequently seen at large. The larvae, however, are to be met 

 with in abundance in privet hedges. Even in the centres of large 

 towns we may see them resting on the topmost twigs of a privet 

 hedge, their beautiful green tint closely resembling that of the 

 surrounding leaves. After a little experience they may be readily 

 discerned by a careful observer, but there are certain signs by which 

 their presence may be proved before they have been actually 

 seen. Sometimes a number of the twigs are completely stripped 

 of their leaves, even the midribs and the leaf stalks being almost 



