THE URANIID^E MOTHS. 



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nibbled fragments of the wood. Just before undergoing the transformation, the larva 

 turns round so as to get its head towards the entrance of the burrow, and after it has 

 changed into the pupal form, is able, by means of certain projections on the segments, 

 to push itself along until the upper half of the body protrudes through tb? orifice, and 

 permits the perfect moth to make its escape into the open air. 



The wings of this insect are transparent, with orange-red nervures and dusky fringes. 

 The head and thorax are shining brown-black, with a yellow collar, and the abdomen is 

 ringed with orange and dark brown. 



THE Uraniidae form a curious and somewhat doubtful family, some authors having 

 considered them to belong to the butterflies rather than the moths. Many of these 



Urania Sloan us. 



Cast a la Ileus. 



insects are of most gorgeous coloring ; their form, including the tailed wings, is very 

 like that of a butterfly, and they are diurnal in their habits. Still, the preliminary 

 stages of the caterpillar and pupa are such that they prove the insects really to belong 

 to the moth tribe. All these insects are inhabitants of the hotter parts of the earth, 

 and are most plentiful within the tropics. 



The Urania Sloanus is a native of Jamaica. The color of this beautiful insect is 

 rather complicated, but may be briefly described as follows. The ground color is intense 

 black, and the upper wings are striped with glittering golden green, the middle band 

 being the broadest. There is a broad transverse band near the middle of the hinder 

 wings, copper-colored in its centre, fading into gray towards the ends of the wings, and 

 broken up by a number of black patches. The under side rs pale shining gold, shot 

 with bluish green, and profusely marked with black. The wings are fringed with white. 

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