506 



THE DEATH S HEAD HAWKMOTH 



over flowers, and, without settling upon them, suck out the nectarious 

 juices by means of their long and spiral tongue. 



Their caterpillars are large, smooth, and without hairs, and fur- 

 nished with a single erect horn near their posterior extremity. The 

 greater number of the species change into chrysalids under the surface 

 of the ground. 



THE DEATH'S HEAD HAWKMOIB. 



THE DEATH'S HEAD HAWKMOTH. 



The name of this moth has been obtained from its having upon the 



thorax somewhat the appearance 

 of a human skull. It is the 

 largest of all the British species, 

 the wings of the females measur- 

 ing sometimes more than five 

 inches in extent. 



When taken into the haad, 

 this moth makes a singular kind 

 of noise by striking its palpi 

 against the tongue. This, by 

 some persons has been compared to the plaintive squeaking of a 

 mouse. 



Several persons have attempted to feed the caterpillars, for the 



purpose of obtaining speci- 

 mens of the insect in its 

 perfect state. But although 

 they have diligently attended 

 to them, and the insects have 

 completed their transforma- 

 tion into chrysalids, I have 

 not yet heard of any one, who 

 was able to rear them up to 

 the winged state. I have 

 myself made numerous at- 



MATH'S HEAD MOTH. 



tempts, but have invariably failed. 



OF THE MOTHS IN GENERAL 



THE Moths are only to be seen flying abroad in the evening and 

 during the night, which are their times of feeding. The larvae or 

 taterpillars are in general smooth, and more or less cylindrical : they 

 are active creatures, and prey with great voracity on the leaves of 

 plants. Their chrysalids are either concealed in the ground, or pro- 

 tected from the inclemency of the weather by a silky covering, spun 

 by the larvae around their bodies. In this state they are either simply 

 >r have a kind of hook at their extremity. 



