138 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



LARGE WHITE PLUME MOTH. 



accomplishments of caterpillars of the drinker 

 moth, and found that in from five to ten seconds 

 they could cut a piece out of a coarse strong blade 

 of sedge grass one-sixteenth of an inch in width 

 and a quarter of an inch in length. 



The beautiful caterpillar of the eyed hawk 

 moth figured on page 142 was found feeding on an 

 apple tree in my brother's garden. Although 

 not a rare insect, it hardly ever occurs in sufficient 

 numbers to cause real harm to the fruit tree 

 which forms its favourite food. 



Of the three common British humble bees, the 

 species with transverse black and yellow bands 

 seems to be by far the most numerous in the 

 south of England, where, according to my ob- 

 servations, the entirely yellow kind is comparatively 



