FAMILY SPHINGID.E. 217 



is about to take place. The pupa too will he found naked, and sometimes an appendage 

 exists in the form of a bent h<><>k, like the handle of a pitcher : this is a distinct case, 

 and contains the tongue. Where this organ is short, the appendage is absent. The 'wings 

 are generally covered with scales ; but in some cases they are transparent, as in the Sesia, 

 from the absence of scabs. 



Many of the larvae, when not engaged in feeding, fix themselves by the hindlegs, and, 

 elevating their bodies at a considerable angle, remain stiffly fixed in that position for 

 hours : in color and position, they then resemble a broken twig of the bush upon which 

 they have been feeding (See Plate xxxvi, fig. a). 



The hummingbird moths, or sphinges, fly in the early morning, or in the dusk of the 

 evening, when they visit the garden or the wild flowers of hedges, flitting rapidly from 

 one blossom to another, and poising themselves with the utmost ease by the rapid motion 

 of their wings, which are long and pointed, but of unequal expanse, the forewing being 

 the longest. Their bodies are thick and robust, and frequently pointed behind ; or else 

 they terminate in a fan-like tail, as in the Sesij:. 



There is a diversity in habit in this family, as in all others : while some fly swift, others 

 are slow and sluggish in their flight ; and while some prefer the twilight of the morning 

 or evening, others take the wing only during the day. The Smerint/tus has a slow heavy 

 flight, and flies only in the night ; and it is doubtful whether it takes food in the imago 

 state, as its tongue is too short to be useful for that purpose. When at rest, the wings are 

 horizontal or a little inclined ; and the posterior have an apparatus consisting of a setiform 

 process at its base, which passes through a hook to the anterior, for the purpose of re- 

 gulating the extent of their motion. 



This family contains but few genera, which may be indicated by observing the following 

 characters : 



1. Smerixthus : Wings more or less angulated ; flight heavy : tongue very short : antennas in the 



males biciliate beneath. 



2. Sphinx : Tongue long : wings entire, acute : labial palpi robust : antennae not elavate. 



3. Deilephila : Antennae elavate. 



4. Sesia : Wings partially clear and transparent : abdomen terminates in a short flat brush. 



5. Philampilus : Wings subfalcate ; inner margin sinuous. 



6. Cikerocampa : Antennae short, arcuated, terminating in a long slender hook : margins of the 



wings sinuate ; hind-angle angulated. 



7. Ceratocampa : Antennae in the males with distinct joints, doubly bipeetinated : wings entire. 



Larva with horns upon the shoulders. 



[Agricultural Report — Vol. v.] ' 28 



