AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 



13 



The head is ash-coloured, with the spiral tongue extremely long, the eyes very largo, the thorax dark ash-coloured, 

 with obscure black streaks, the scutellum is bordered on each side with a black crescent, the abdomen is also 

 dusky-ash ; the sides of each of the four basal segments are ornamented with a rosy bar, preceded by a white bar 

 at the base, and succeeded by the black edge of each segment ; these colours being interrupted in the middle of 

 the back, the sixth segment is destitute of the rosy colour. The feet are ash-coloured, with whitish rino-s. The 

 antenna; and underside of the body are of a dirty-white colour, the latter with two black patches in the middle 

 of the abdomen. The colours of the wings vary in being much darker, ashy, clouded with black, and in the rosy 

 patches at the sides of the abdominal segments being brighter coloured. This is considered by Jlr. Haworth as 

 indicating a diversity in the sex of such specimens ; and Mr. Stephens states that the female differs in having the 

 fore wings less clouded, and the posterior of a darker colour. 



The caterpillar varies greatly in its colours, being, however, generally green, spotted with black, and with 

 yellow oblique stripes in the side ; it is, however, sometimes entirely brown, with the back darker (probably when 

 about to undergo its transformations), and sometimes the stripes at the sides are black. The spiracles are either 

 pink or black, and the caudal horn is dark coloured. It usually feeds on the species of bindweed, especially 

 Convolvulus Sepium ; and is to be found towards the end of the summer. It, however, conceals itself during the 

 day, and enters the earth, where it also becomes a rich brown pupa, with the tongue-case long and curved, about 

 the end of July, the moth appearing in September and October. Occasionally, however, the moth does not 

 come fortli till May or June, the caterpillars not having been fully grown till a later period than usual. 



The species is certainly not of common occurrence, although it occurs in all parts of England, extending to 

 the northern parts of Scotland. A number of localities, from Penzance to Caithness, are given by Mr, Stephens. 



SPECIES 2.— SPHINX LIGUSTRI. THE PRIVET HAWK-MOTH. 



Plate iii. fig. 4— G. 



Synonvmes. Sphin.r Ligustri, Linnxus; Haworth; Donovan, 8, I Wood, Ind. Ent. tal). 4, f. 12: Duncan, Brit. Motlis, pi. i, fig. 2. 



pi. 284 ; Albin, pi. 7 ; Wilkes, pi. 22 ; Harris Aureliaii, pi. 2, f. a — h ; I I.ethia Ligustri, Iliilmer ( Vcrz. Ijck. Schmett.). 



This is one of the handsomest and, at the same time, least rare species in the family, varying in the expansion 

 of its winf^s from three and a half to nearly five inches. Tiie fore wings are of an ashy colour, with tlie base pale 

 and slightly tinted with rose colour, and having a large dark patch along the inner margin, extending nearly from 

 the base to the tip, and further marked with slender black lines running longitudinally between the veins of the 

 wings ; along the extremity of this dark patch runs a waved, ashy, and black stripe, and there is a slender wavy 

 line of a whitish colour running parallel with the outer margin. The hind wings are of a pale rosy colour, 

 darker towards the base, with three black bands ; the first, narrow and short, near the base, and the two others, 

 broader, and running parallel with the extremity of the wing ; the fringe is uniformly greyish-brown. The hind 

 part of the head and the sides of the thorax are of an ashy- white, but' the back of the latter is black, posteriorly 

 irrorated with grey ; the sides of the abdomen are of a rich pinkish-red colour, interrupted by black bars, and 

 with a broad dorsal ashy bar, along the middle of which runs a darker line. The under side of the body is 

 pale ashy, with a black line along the centre of the belly. 



