THE 



VOL. 2 ST. LOUIS, MO., JULY AND AUGUST, 1870. NO. 9. 



^iit0m0l00Tfal gepartmcnt. 



CII AULES V. Ji.l.f.K\', ""Km r,) ]; , 



221 N. Main St., St. I..Miis, Mo. 



THE wiirrE-i,L\E[) morxiso sriii.w. 



iDtihji/iiU Hnruta. Fnl.i-.)" 



Tlio very fircjil (livcr.-il\ of Innii'aiiil liiibits (o 

 111' round ain(>iig,«t llic liii\:i' of our l)utlcrlIiL's 

 anil motlis, lias nuicli to ilo witli tliu intcR'st 

 ■which attaches to the study of these masked 

 forms. We arc moved to admiration and won- 

 der as thoroughly to-day as In early l)oyhood, 

 every time we eontemplatc tlial within eacli of 

 tlicsc varied and fan- 

 tastic caterpillars — t heso 

 creeping and grovclin";' 

 "worms" — is locked n\> 

 the future butterfly, or 

 moth, which is destined, 

 fairy-like, to tlit tlu-ouyli 

 tlic air on its "-.auzy win.us, 

 so totally unlike its former 

 self. Verily tlie meta- 

 morphoses of the lower 

 animals must prove a 

 never -failing source of 



joy and felicity to those who have learned to 

 open the pages of the great Book of Nature ! 



ISul, beyond the geiiei-al satistaclion e.vperi- 

 enccd ill studying these transient forms, there 

 will be found ample Ibod for the philosophic 

 iiiiiid ill tlie larxal \ ariations to be met within 

 the >aiiic >pciics. hi other parts of this present 

 luiniberwe have instanced several curious varia- 

 tions ill larvic, caused by the character of their 

 food-i)Iaiit. and liavi? also sliown how some 

 species («. g. tlic <c>mm()ii Yellow Bear) vary 

 very iiiuili without regard to food- 

 jilant. Our .Sphiiix larv;e. more (lar- 

 tieularly. are subjei-l to these variations, 

 and it is for tliis reason that larval 

 characters alone, unaccompanied by 

 those of the pci'fetrt insect, are of >o 

 little value in classHicalioii. 



The While-lined Morning Sphinx 

 (Fig. IHl') pri'si'iits one of llie most 

 striking cases of larval \ariatioii, as 

 may be seen by comparing the dark 

 form of Figure Hit with the light form 

 of Figure K!:!. In the summer of isfi.'i 

 we took both these forms on the same 

 plant, and liavi^ repeatedly met with 

 them since; but the mollis lired from 

 ow no dillerences whatever, 

 'this beautiful moth is called by Harris the 

 White-lined Morning Sphin.x. though its generi(- 

 name means ■• Evening Friend." It is distin- 

 guished priuciii.ally by its roseate under-wings, 

 and by a broad, jiale band running from the 

 apex to the base of the dark-olive froni wings. 



[Vis i'»-] 



It is a tolerably common insect, and may i|uile 

 fre<juently be seen at twilight, and even during 



