THE DEATH'S-HEAD MOTH. 



641 



The splendid insect appropriately named the Death's-head Moth 

 is tolerably common in our island, though, from its natural habits and 

 the instinct of concealment with which the caterpillar is endowed, it is 

 not so frequently seen as are many rarer insects. Owing to the remark- 

 ably faithful delineation of a skull and bones upon the back of the 

 thorax the insect is often an object of great terror to the illiterate, and 

 has more than once thrown a whole province into consternation, the 

 popular idea being thai it wrs some infra-natural hcim that was ^ent 



The Death's-head Moth {Achemntia Airnpos). 



upon the earth as a messenger of pestilence and woe, if not, indeed, the 

 shape assumed by some witch residing in the neighborhood. 



The caterpillar of this moth is enormously large, sometimes measur- 

 ing five inches in length and being very stoutly made. It feeds on va- 

 rious plants, the jessamine and potato being its favorites, and may best 

 be found by traversing potato-grounds in the night and directing the 

 light of a bull's-eye lantern among the leaves. It can readily be kept 

 and bred, but requires some careful tending, and it must be remem- 

 bered that it will eat only the particular food to which it has been ac- 

 customed, and if bred among the potato will refuse the jessamine leaf, 

 and vice versa. When the caterpillar is about to change into its chrys- 



54 * 2 Q 



