230 POPULAR ENTOMOLOGY. 



LEPIDOPTERA. 



SPHINX. 



Generic Distinctions. Antenna rather long, and increasing in 

 thickness nearly to the apex, which is slender and hooked ; proboscis 

 very long, slender, and convoluted (rolled up); body long and not 

 tufted ; palpi three-jointed. 



SPHINX LIGUSTBI. (Plate XII.) Privet Hawk-Moth. 

 This fine insect sometimes measures upwards of four inches ; 

 the upper wings are ash-grey, slightly tinged with rose-colour, 

 and marked with black veins ; the hinder portion brown ; 

 the margin having two white lines, which unite near the 

 apex, on a greyish ground ; the surface of the inferior wings 

 is rose-colour, traversed by three black bands, that next the 

 base being short, and at right angles with the others, which 

 are parallel with the hinder margin ; the thorax is dark- 

 brown and white at the sides ; the body, deep rose-colour, 

 with black bands, broken in the middle by a broad longi- 

 tudinal brown stripe, having a black line down the middle. 

 The caterpillar is very beautiful, being of a fine apple- 

 green, with seven oblique purple and white stripes on each 

 side ; the horn is yellow and black ; it generally feeds on 

 the privet. The moth is not unfrequent in the south, and 

 is seen occasionally in Scotland. There is another very 

 rare but beautiful species, SPHINX PINASTBI. 



