24 THE HUMMING-BIRD SPHINX. 



very different in colour. One sort is green, the 

 other purplish red, varying much in different speci- 

 mens, being sometimes almost brown ; both are 

 covered with minute white specks, which are disposed 

 in regular order over every part, except the belly. 



Every caterpillar is furnished with a posterior horn, 

 which is blue from the base for more than half its 

 length, the tip being of a bright orange colour. 



The chrysalis, which is of a yellowish brown at 

 first, changes to a more dusky colour before the I 

 transformation of the Sphinx. 



The caterpillars feed on several kinds of plants, 

 but seem chiefly to prefer those of the galium genus, 

 particularly the white, (palustre,) or the yellow, 

 (verum,~) and cleavers, or goosegrass, (aperine). They 

 go into the ground about the latter end of August, 

 where they change into the chrysalis, and remain 

 immured till the latter end of April or May in the 

 following year. 



The Humming-Bird Sphinx is rather a scarce 

 insect ; it sometimes visits gardens in the winged 

 state, and may be seen flying rapidly from flower to 

 flower, extracting their nectar by darting its long 

 tubular proboscis into them. It is from this peculiarity, 

 and its hovering over the flowers at the same time, 

 like the humming-birds when they feed, that it has 

 acquired its English appellation. 



This Sphinx is found in most parts of Europe, 

 but it appears more frequently in the northern 

 countries. A variety is found in Botany Bay, and 

 also in North America. 



