SPHINGES 207 



or entirely devoured ; and beneath the bushes are the large black 

 masses of excrement that tell of the marauders above. When 

 found, these larvae should always be removed on a piece of the 

 twig to which they are attached, for they hold on so firmly by 

 their claspers that it is sometimes almost impossible to remove 

 them from their hold without injury. 



These caterpillars may easily be distinguished from those of 

 the other ' hawks ' by the seven oblique stripes which adorn the 

 sides. These are each composed of two colours, white and lilac, 

 and form a pretty contrast with the bright green of the rest of the 

 body. The horn is smooth and curved, and is black with the 

 exception of part of the under side, which is j^ellow. 



They are fully grown in August, and from the end of this month 

 till the following June the chrysalides may be dug out from under 

 privet and lilac bushes, both of which are attacked by the larva. 



The Spurge Haivk (Deilephila Euphorbia) 



This is a very rare British species ; in fact, it has never been 

 seen in this country in its perfect state, but the larva has been found 

 plentifully at Appledore and 

 Braunton Burrows, in North 

 Devon, feeding on the sea 

 spurge (Euphorbia Para- 

 lias). 



The perfect insect is shown 

 on Plate IX (fig. 2). FIG. 99. THE CATERPILLAR OF 



The caterpillar is black, EUPHORBIA. 



with a large number of small 



yellowish white dots, and two rows of spots of the same colour on 

 each side. There is also a red line on each side, and another dow r n 

 the middle of the back. The horn is rough and red with a black 

 tip. It feeds during August and September. 



The Small Elephant Hawk (Chcerocampa Porcellus) 



This pretty insect is one of the smallest of our hawk moths. 

 It is widely distributed, being met with in many parts of England 

 and in the south of Scotland. It flies in June. 



The fore wings are of a dull yellow colour, with rosy-red 

 hind margins, and a broad border of the same tint on the costal 

 margin. The hind wings have also a rosy-red hind margin, 



