CREPUSCULARIA ; SPHINGES, OR HAWK-MOTHS. 179 



this division on account of their correspondence in structure, are 

 mostly twilight-fliers, this is not the case with all ; for there 

 are some which come abroad in open daylight, and suck the 

 juices of flowers with their long trunks, whilst the sun is 

 brightly illumining their wings. These species are observed 

 to be more brilliantly coloured than the rest; the body and 

 wings in most of the Sphinges having a dull, brownish-grey 

 aspect, like that of many Owls, whose habits are similar. The 

 wings are more downy in appearance than those of Butterflies, 

 as if the scales did not lie so closely upon one another. The 

 larva? of the Hawk-Moths have always sixteen feet ; and their 

 pupae are either inclosed in a cocoon, or bury themselves in 

 the earth. The perfect insects make a loud humming noise in 

 their flight. One of the most remarkable of this group is the 

 Acherontia atropos, Death's-Head-Moth (Fig. 312), which is 

 distinguished by the skull-like patch on the back of the thorax, 

 as well as by the squeaking sound which it emits. In conse- 

 quence of the peculiar aspect of the body, the sudden appearance 

 of this insect in large numbers has been commonly regarded as 

 ominous of evil. It is a great enemy to Bees, and enters their 

 hives, devouring their honey, and alarming the inhabitants so 

 much, that they keep aloof from it instead of attacking it, 

 although it has no means of defence. The Sphinx stellatarum, 

 or Humming-bird Hawk-Moth, commonly known under the 

 name of " Bee-bird," is one of the most beautiful of the diurnal 

 species ; and is remarkable for the loudness of the sound which 

 it produces, when feeding self-poised upon its wings, by means 

 of its long proboscis, which it inserts into the cups of even the 

 narrowest tubular flowers. It might thus be almost regarded 

 as the representative, in our own climes, of those feathered 

 beauties after which it is named, that delight the eyes of the 

 observer of Nature in tropical regions. 



708. Section III. The group of NOCTURNA, or Moths^ is 

 by far the most extensive of the order, and includes the largest 

 species. In their general aspect, Sphinges and Moths are some- 

 what alike ; but they may be at once distinguished by the form 

 of the antennae, which taper in the latter from base to point. 



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