HAWK-MOTHS. 165 



except upon a wall ; under a bank ; or in some similar situation 

 where its colour is a protection. It flies both by day and at dusk, 

 but the Bee Hawk-moths fly only by day, with less rapidity, and 

 are almost always met with in or near woods, while the Humming- 

 bird Moth, when abundant, will frequent any locality where it can 

 find flowers. 



Several genera of this sub-family have strongly dentated wings. 

 As an instance we may mention the North American Sphecodina 

 Abbotii, which is dark brown, with the costal half of the hind 

 wings yellow. 



The prettiest genus of this family is Cattiomma, Walk., which 

 includes several South American species with slightly dentated 

 wings, expanding about two and a half inches. Several of these 

 are fawn colour, with two or three silvery spots in the middle of 

 the fore wings. 



SUB-FAMILY II. Chcerocampince. 



Wings long and narrow, pointed at the tip, and generally 

 brightly coloured; larva with the front segments tapering, and 

 often retractile. 



The Elephant Hawk-moths derive both their English and Greek 

 appellations from the peculiar tapering retractile form of the 

 caterpillar. The name of the typical genus Chcerocampa, Dup., 

 means Hog-Caterpillar. Chwrocampa, even after many species have 

 been separated from it under other names, still remains one of the 

 most extensive genera of Sphingidce. We have two species in 

 Britain, the commonest of which is C. Elpenor, Linn., a green and 

 pink insect, with the base of the hind wings black ; its larva feeds 

 on willow-herb. Our other species, C. Celerio, Linn., the Vine 

 Hawk-moth, has brown fore wings with an oblique silver stripe, 

 and black and rose-coloured hind wings. Although always rare 

 with us, and possibly only a casual visitor in England, it is found 

 with the vine everywhere throughout the warmer parts of Europe, 

 Asia, and Africa. 



Several of the tropical American species of Choerocampa are 

 green, with a row of yellow spots on the hind wings. One or two 

 Indian species are similarly marked. 



The species of Deilephila, Ochs., are shorter and broader, and 

 the fore wings are rather broader and less pointed than in 

 Chcerocampa, and the front segments of the larvae, though con- 

 siderably narrowed, are hardly contractile. They are all rare in 



