A.\n THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE II. 



Insects.— Fig. 1. Aohcrontia Atropos (the ilcith's-Iicad Ilawk-motli). 2. The Catcq)iUar. 3. The Chrys.ilis. 



PiANT8. — Fig. 4. Jasmimnn officinale (the common jasmine or jessamine). 

 *' Fig. 5. Solanum dulcaroara (the bittersweet or woody nightshade). 



The insect figured in this plate is from a very large specimen in the British Museum. I h.avc represented the larva feeding upon the Solanum 

 dulcaaiam, as an indigenous British plant nearly allied to the potato, whicli is its favourite food, but which, being an imported plant, I did not 

 consider so appropriate in tlie present work. I have, however, varied the plate with another plant, which, though also imported, is much more 

 omamental than the potato ; this is the Jasminum ofTicin-ile, upon which the larva! are not unfrcquently found. The larva is from the 

 excellent 6guro of Godart. 11. N. H. 



ACHERONTIA, Ociisentieimer. (BRACHYGLOSSA, Boisduval.) 



This genus is not only distinguished by the skull-like markings upon the back of the thorax, but also by 

 several other peculiarities, amongst which are the gigantic size, very robust and obtuse body, tlio broad entire 

 wings, with the anal angle of the hind pair produced into a lobe, the short thick antennm hooked at the tip, and 

 terminated by a hairy seta, and especially the shortness of the spiral tongue, which docs not exceed the head in 

 length ; the double band upon the hind wings is a character it possesses in common with Sphinx. The gigantic 

 caterpillar also diScrs in having the horn at the extremity of the body deflexcd and tubercular, with the tip curved 

 upwards. The chrysalis is buried deep in the earth ; its tongue-case is not exserted, and the surface is not covered 

 with minute asjjeritics. There are several species of this genus which are distributed over the greater part of the 

 globe, one only of which, the largest, is found in this country, to which Linnajus, keeping up his fanciful system 

 of specific nomenclature, applied the name of one of the Fates, in allusion to its skull-like markings. 



SPECIES 1.— ACHERONTIA ATROPOS. THE DEATH'S-HEAD, OR BEE TIGER HAWK-MOTH. 



Plate ii. 



Schm.) Curtis, B. E. pi. 14/. Wood, Ind. Ent. t. -1, f. 10. Duncan, 

 Brit. Moths, pi. 5. 



SvNONYMES. — Sphiju: Atropos, Linnaeus, ITaworth, Donovan, vol. 

 9, pi. 289 and 290. Albin,pl. 6. Wilkes, pi. 19. Harris, Aurelian, 

 pi. 37. Swainson. | Brachyglossa Atropos, Boisduval. 



Acherontia Atropos, Ochscnheimcr, Stephens, Ilubuer (Viiv.. bek. | 



This magnificent insect varies in the expanse of its wings from foiu- to considerably more than five inches. 

 The upper pair are of a very dark brown colour, varied with black, especially towards the base, near which is an 

 undulated bar of pale ochre ; the disc is vaincd with deep black undulated lines, and ferruginous patches, minutely 

 irrorated with white, of which colour there is a central spot and several wavy connected bars beyond the middle, 

 towards the costa. The hind Avings are fulvous orange, with a narrow central and a broader dentated bar 

 running parallel with the hinder margin. The head and thorax are brownish black, the latter with a large, pale, 

 skuU-like mark on the back ; the abdomen is fulvous, with the incisures of the segments black, and a lead-coloured 

 stripe dowTi the back. 



The caterpillar is at first dirty red, but afterwards becomes yellowish green, granulated with minute black 

 tubercles on the back, with seven oblique stripes on the side, meeting on the back, the last of which extends to 

 the base of the tail ; these stripes are blue anteriorly, and white posteriorly, with a purple tint in the centre. It 



c 



