GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 31 



The head- case comes off more or less in one piece, together 

 with the leg, tongue and antenna- cases, though frequently 

 the portion consisting of the eye -cases, vertex, frons and 

 clypeus separates off in the process. The moth emerges 

 in a few minutes, each part being withdrawn from its special 

 case ; the two halves of the tongue are separate at first, 

 but quickly join together along the edges, and the tongue 

 is then rolled into a spiral between the palpi. The body 

 is at first wet with some fluid and is soft and sausage -like, 

 and the wings limp and closely folded. The moth usually 

 crawls about until it finds a place where it can hang by 

 its fore legs with sufficient space below to allow its wings 

 to expand freely ; but some of the smaller Humming-bird 

 Hawk-Moths (Macroglossum) remain on the ground, and 

 the wings expand upwards, as in the case of many of the 

 Skippers among butterflies. The body contracts and dries 

 as the wings expand. If the moth has received any injury 

 to its wings while emerging or after, the fluid which is being 

 pumped from the body into the wings in order to expand 

 them escapes through the wound and dries there. 



The moth usually emerges in the evening, and sits quietly 

 till after dark on the following day, allowing its wings to 

 harden. Before making its first flight it usually squirts with 

 some force a jet of yellowish fluid from the end of the abdomen. 

 It then darts off to feed or to find a mate. The day -flying 

 species, such as those of the genera Macroglossum and 

 Cejmonodes, may be seen on the wing at any time of the day 

 and late in the evening ; the night-flying species are seldom 

 seen except when visiting flowers or when attracted to 

 artificial light. 



In some species the tongue is very short and functionless, 

 and these species do not feed at all in the imaginal stage, but 

 the short-tongued Death's-head Hawk-Moths (Acherontia) 

 are an exception to the general rule, as they are known to 

 steal the honey from bee-hives. 



Hawk-Moths in all stages have little power of defending 

 themselves against their numerous enemies, and they have 

 to rely chiefly on their cryptic colouring to avoid destruction. 

 Their eggs are destroyed by various species of parasitic- 

 ichneumons, which lay their eggs on those of the Hawk-Moths. 

 We have counted as many as twenty ichneumons emerging 

 from a single egg of Acherontia styx. The larvae are preyed 

 on by spiders and by ants and other insects, as well as by birds. 

 Some Slender Loris which we kept as pets devoured the large 

 larvae of Clanis pkalaris with gusto, and it is probable that 

 monkeys and other mammals eat them in natural conditions. 

 The greatest destruction, however, is caused by parasitic 

 Hymenoptera and Diptera. Some species appear to be 



