100 METOPSILUS TERSA. 



this group are termed in Britain, and like the ma- 

 jority of the larger Sphingida?, they are extensively 

 distributed, occurring in almost every quarter of the 

 globe. M. tersa is a native both of North and South 

 America, as well as of the West Indian Islands. It 

 measures about three inches across the wings ; the 

 general colour greyish olive-brown; the anterior 

 wings entirely of that hue, with a few delicate 

 parallel lines of a lighter colour, running from the 

 base somewhat obliquely to the tip ; posterior wings 

 black at the base, brown along the external margin, 

 with a row of cream-coloured triangular spots be- 

 tween these two colours ; fringe of the wings white. 

 The head is flesh-coloured, and there is a stripe of 

 the same running along each side of the thorax; 

 the back of the latter clay colour, the sides yel- 

 lowish-brown. 



The caterpillar (Plate VI. fig. 1) is of a delicate 

 green with numerous small longitudinal spots of 

 reddish brown ; prolegs yellow ; on each segment, 

 except the second and third, there is a yellow oval 

 spot, marked with black above and below, placed 

 on a lighter ground ; and higher up a longitudinal 

 white stripe, commencing at the fifth segment and 

 running to the tail, and having a series of ocellated 

 spots placed on it ; there is likewise a large ocel- 

 lated spot, of a more complex description, on the 

 fourth segment, in line with the others ; tail red. 

 The pupa is yellowish-brown. The caterpillar feeds 

 on what Abbot calls wild thyme, but w T hich is a 

 species of spermacoce (S. hyssopifolia). The author 



