SPHINGES 



213 



The Hornet Clear wing of the Poplar (TrocJiilium Apiformis) 



We can find space for a mention of only two of the clearwings, 

 the first of which is an insect that closely resembles the dreaded 

 hornet, and whose larva feeds in the stems of poplars features 

 which will account for the above name. 



The head of this species is 

 yellow, its thorax brown with a 

 large yellow patch on each side, 

 its abdomen yellow with two 

 brown belts, and its legs reddish 

 orange. The front wings are 

 transparent, with brown costse, 

 and all the wings are margined 

 with brown. 



The caterpillar, when full 

 fed, makes a cocoon with silk FIG. 103. THE HOENET CLEARWING 

 and the chips of wood that ifi OF THE POPLAR. 



has bitten off; and in this under- 

 goes its metamorphoses. It is fully grown in April, and the moth 

 flies from the end of May to the end of July. 



There is another ' Hornet Clearwing,' the larva of which feeds 

 on the stems of osiers. It may be distinguished from the species 

 just described by a yellow * collar ' between the head and thorax, 

 both of which are blackish. 



The Currant Clearwing (Sesia Tipuliformis) 



This is by far the commonest of all the Clearwings, and only too 

 well known to those who grow currants. Examine the shoots of 

 Ribes rubrum (red currant) and R. nigrum (black 

 currant), especially those that present a withered 

 or half- withered appearance, and you will almost 

 certainly meet with signs of the presence of this 

 intruder. Little wriggling larvae occupy the pith- 

 less stems throughout the winter and spring. 

 These are full grown in April, and in June the 

 pretty little moth emerges through a hole in 

 the side of a shoot, leaving the empty pupa case 

 within its former home. 



The fore wings of this moth have black margins, and a black 

 transverse bar beyond the middle. The body is black, with three 

 pale yellow belts, and black tufts of hair at the tip. 



FIG. 104. THE 



CURRANT 

 CLEARWING. 



