NATURAL HISTORY. 199 



are a genus distinguished by the antennas or horns 

 tapering at each end, which are generally short in 

 proportion to the animal ; and are also remarkable 

 from the thickness of their bodies, which mostly ter- 

 minate in a point. 



The species are numerous and of very large size ; 

 one of the largest and most common is the death's- 

 head moth (^Sphinx atropus, belonging to the sub- 

 genus Acherontia), remarkable for the skuU-hke 

 patch on the back of the thorax, and for the squeak- 

 ing kind of noise it emits. The caterpillar is of a 

 very large size, and feeds on potatoes, jasmine, &c. 



The third (and last) family of the Lepidoptera, the 

 Nocturina, presents to us ordinarily the wings bridled 

 in repose by a bristle or bunch of hairs arising at the 

 base of the outer edge of the lower pair, and passing 

 through a ring on the under side of the upper. The 

 wings are horizontal or deflexed, and sometimes 

 rolled round the body. The antennse gradually 

 diminish to the tips, or are setaceous. This family is 

 composed, in the Linnaean system, of the single 

 genus Phahna, or moths. 



These insects in general fly only during the night 

 or after sunset ; many are destitute of a proboscis ; 

 some females are destitute of wings, or have only 

 very small ones. 



