326 THE DEATH'S-HEAD MOTH. 



animal the death's head moth (acherontia atropos), 

 and in some years I have had as many as eight 

 brought me in the larva or chrysalis state. Their 

 changes are very uncertain. I have had the larva 

 change to a chrysalis in July, and produce the 

 moth in October ; but generally the aurelia re- 

 mains unchanged till the ensuing summer. The 

 larvae or caterpillars, " strange ungainly beasts," as 

 some of our peasantry call them, excite constant 

 attention when seen, by their extraordinary size and 

 uncommon mien, with horns and tail, being not 

 unusually five inches in length, and as thick as a 

 finger. This creature was formerly considered as 

 one of our rarest insects, and doubtful if truly in- 

 digenous ; but for the last twenty years, from the 

 profuse cultivation of the potato, is become not 

 very uncommon in divers places. Many insects are 

 now certainly found in England, which former col- 

 lectors, indefatigable as they were, did not know 

 that we possessed ; while others again have been 

 lost to us moderns. Some probably might be intro- 

 duced with the numerous exotic plants recently 

 imported, or this particular food may have tended 

 to favour the increase of rarely existent natives ; 

 but how such a creature as this could have been 

 brought with any plant is quite beyond compre- 

 hension. We may import continental varieties of 

 potatoes, but the death's-head moth we have never 

 observed to have any connexion with the tuber 



