/ 



66 



specimens from the Himalayan mountains, which perfectly agree with our English 

 individuals. 



The developement of the wings of the perfect insect has been observed by 

 Messrs. Kirby and Spence, one of whom thus describes it : "I had the pleasure of 

 seeing it leave its puparium [chrysalis] the 16th of May : with great care I placed 

 it upon my arm, when it kept pacing about for the space of more than an hour ; 

 when all its parts appearing consolidated and developed, and the animal perfect in 

 beauty, I secured it. To observe how gradual, and yet how rapid, was the develope- 

 ment of the parts and organs, and particularly of the wings, and the perfect coming 

 forth of the colour and spots as the sun gave vigour to it, was a most interesting 

 spectacle. At first it was unable to elevate or even move its wings ; but in propor- 

 tion as the aerial or other fluid was forced by the motion of its trunk into their 

 nervures, their numerous corrugations and folds gradually yielded to the action, till 

 they had gained their greatest extent, and the film between all the nervures became 

 tense. The ocelli and spots and bars which appeared at first as but germs or rudi- 

 ments of what they were to be, grew with the growing wing, and shone forth upon 

 its complete expansion in full magnitude and beauty."* 





II 



EH 



ACHERONTIA ATROPOS. THE BEE TIGER, DEATH'S HEAD, OR JASMINE 



HAWK-MOTH. 



Plate XXXVII. 



Synonyms. Sphinx Atropos, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. p. 799. Donov. Brit. Ins. 9. pi. 289. Wood Linn. 

 Genera, 2. pi. 44. Albin's Ins. pi. 6. Wilkes Eng. Moths, fyc. pi. 19. 

 Acherontia Atropos, Ochsetiheimer, Stephens. Curtis Brit. Ent. pi. 147. Duncan Brit. 

 Moths, pi. 5. 



Upper Side. The antennae are very thick and short, of a dark brown colour ; the pointed 

 ends are tipped with yellow. The eyes are large and brown. The nose brown. The thorax is 

 of a dark brown, black and grey, greatly blended and mixed together. On the upper part of the 

 latter is the exact figure of a human skull, with the collar bones. The superior wings are of a 

 dark brown, having some glares and undulated lines of a warm yellow, and a small yellow spot 

 on the bar tendon. The inferior wings are of a pale orange or ochre colour, have a broad scol- 

 loped border of black, and a soft line of a dark colour crossing the middle of the wing. The 

 abdomen is also light orange, encircled with five rings of black, and a broad blue band down the 

 upper part. 



The under side of the superior wings is of a light orange toward the thorax, but the other 

 half is of a dusky brown. The inferior wings are similar to the upper side. The body is yellow, 

 legs dark brown, but the joints yellow. The upper side of this moth is shewn in the plate ; where 

 the insect is seen flying. It shews the under side as it lies on its back on the stone. 



The caterpillars feed on potatoe greens, elder, and jasmine. They change into chrysalis the 

 beginning of September, and the moths appear the end of June following. 



Expansion of the wings 4^— 5& inches. 



This noble insect, the largest of all the British Lepidoptera, has, since the 

 potatoe has been so abundantly cultivated, become tolerably common, (see Mag. 



* Introduction to Entomology, vol. iii. 293. 





