38 



SATURNIA PAVONIA MINOR. THE EMPEROR MOTH. 



Plate XXV. fig. a—i—t. 



Synonyms. 



Phalaena (Attacus) Pavonia Minor, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. 810. Barbut Gen. Ins. pi. 10. fig. 



7. S. Albin's Ins. pi. 25. f. 37. a—h. Wilkes' Eng. Moths, fyc. pi. 32. 33. 

 Phaleena (Bomb.) Pavonia, Linn. Faun. Suec. 1099. Donov. vi. pi. 1. #. 8. p. 254, $. 

 Bombyx Pavomis, Haworth. 

 Bombyx Carpini, Hubner. 

 Saturnia Pavonia Minor, Leach, Kirby, Stephens, Curtis. Duncan Brit. Moths, pL 17. 



fig. 1. $. 2. Larva. 



Upper Side. The antennse are pectinated. The head small, lying beneath the thorax. 

 The thorax is of a greyish brown. The wings, which are round at the fan edges, are light grey, 

 having several broad engrailed brown bars ; near the middle of each wing is an eye-like spot, 

 composed of concentric circles. 



The under side is similar to the upper ; the tongue is wanting. The inferior wings of the 

 male are of an orange colour. 



The caterpillars are green, encircled with irregular belts of black, each of which is ornamented 

 with bosses of orange colour, armed with strong black points. See the fig. at (b) which produces 

 the male ; and that on the food, which produces the female, hath always less black on the body. 

 They feed on black-thorn and willow ; are full fed about the middle of July, when they spin 

 themselves up in brown cases, seen at (i), and change into chrysalides, in form and colour seen 

 at (c). The moths appear the beginning of April. The figure at (f) is an empty shell of the 

 female moth, which is to show in what manner the abdominal part of most chrysalides of the 

 Lepidoptera are distended when the fly leaves it. 



The web or case wherein they change to the chrysalis is greatly to be admired, being so 

 wonderfully formed for the security of the inclosed insect : the entrance, or part designed by 

 nature for the coming forth of the moth, is almost impossible for any insect to enter ; and should 

 any gain admission into the mouth, (which they cannot do without being very much embarrassed 

 with the web) they would meet with a second and more impassable defence, which is set round 

 with a sort of spikes, that meet in a point or centre, something like the contrivance seen in some 

 kind of traps for various animals, which easily admit the animals one way, but wholly forbids and 

 opposes their return. The figure at (f), which is half of a case, supposed to be dissected length- 

 ways, thoroughly shews it. 



Expansion of the wings 2J — 3| inches. 



This fine moth is the only British representative of the Linnsean Phalaena 

 Attacus, a group of great extent, which comprises almost all the large exotic species 

 of BombycidEe, many of which have the fore wings ornamented with the most 

 beautiful eye-like spots, whilst others have them replaced by a large talc-like trans- 

 parent spot. In addition to the plants mentioned above, the caterpillars feed on 

 heath, alder, oak, bramble, rose, elder,birch, strawberry, fruit-trees, whortle-berry, &c. 

 The female deposits between two and three hundred eggs, which she attaches with 

 gluten to the stems of plants, in several packets placed at some distance from each 

 other. The moth is of common occurrence throughout the kingdom. In the Ento- 

 mological Magazine, No. 12, is contained a statement by Mr. Edmonds of Wor- 

 cester, that a perfect pair of this insect, male and female, had been produced from a 



