BRITISH BUTTERFLIES 



ing, to watch these pretty insects engaged upon the 

 open flowers. Humble Bees, to which the moth is very 

 similar in many respects, always settle on the blossom 

 they investigate with felonious intent. The Hawk 

 Moth on the other hand remains in front of the flower, 

 as though suspended by a thread, and probes the nec- 

 tary with its long sucking tube without alighting. How 

 suddenly it darts to the right, or to the left, just as 

 the would-be captor is making ready to envelope it in 

 the net. When seen on the wing these moths always 

 have the wings, except the edges, quite transparent. 

 When freshly emerged from the chrysalis the wings 

 have a covering of dusky scales, but these are so loosely 

 attached that the first flight of the insect removes 

 them. 



A rather near relative of the Bee Hawks is the Hum- 

 ming Bird Hawk Moth, which although not observed in 

 Britain every year is sometimes quite common, and 

 may be seen in gardens even in large towns, and occa- 

 sionally in London itself. The wings of this moth are 

 fully scaled ; the fore pair are brownish in colour, 

 crossed by two black lines, and the hind pair are orange 

 marked with brown. Like the Bee Hawks, it also 

 takes nourishment in a hurry and remains on the 

 wing whilst obtaining it. As an adept in eluding the 

 toils of the entomologist's net it is even more accom- 

 plished than either of those moths. Although it may 



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