68 



This gigantic insect also has the habit of frequenting the hives for the purpose 

 of robbing the bees of their honey. The proprietors of hives in Thuringia, as we 

 learn from Latreille, observed, in 1779, a remarkable movement amongst their bees, 

 which led them to suppose that one of their numerous enemies had gained access to 

 the hive ; but their astonishment was very greatly increased in discovering that this 

 sphinx was the cause of the confusion amongst the bees, which had so entirely 

 enveloped the sphinx that it was not at first perceivable. It is probably attracted to 

 the hive by the scent of the honey ; but the latter circumstance mentioned by 

 Latreille, together with the result of one of M. Huber' s experiments, (in which he 

 introduced one of the moths into a colony of humble bees, which immediately 

 attacked it and so severely stung it that it died shortly afterwards,) is sufficient to 

 shew the impropriety of M. Huber's conjecture, that the hostility of the bees is 

 disarmed by the noise made by the moth, which he considered might have an influence 

 in some respects analogous to that made by the queen bee. A remarkable fact 

 M. Huber assures us, as having himself been an eye witness of, that without any 

 foreign aid the bees, as if expecting this gigantic enemy, had barricaded themselves 

 by means of a thick wall of propolis and wax, completely obstructing the entrance 

 of the hive, but penetrated by passages for one or two workers at a time, thus 

 securing themselves by an admirable sagacity against the supposed inefficiency of 

 their weapons and their courage. " The art of warfare among bees," says Huber, 

 " is therefore not restricted to attacking their enemies, they know also how to con- 

 struct ramparts, as shelter from their enterprises : from the part of simple soldiers 

 they pass to engineers." 



CERURA VINULA. THE PUSS MOTH. 



Plate XXXVIII. fig. a—e. 



Synonyms. Phalsena (Bomb.) Vinula, Linn. Sijst. Nat. ii. 815. Donovan Brit. Ins. vol. iii. pi. 85. 

 Albin's Ins. pi. xi. Wilkes' Eng. Moths, #-c. pi. 29. fig. 1. 

 Cerura Vinula, Schrank, Leach, Stephens, Curtis. Duncan Brit . Moths, pi. 16. fig. 1. 2. 



Upper Side. The antennae are pectinated. The thorax is white, spotted with black, like 

 ermine. The superior wings are also white, watered something like silks which have been to the 

 press, or like the skins of some cats. The inferior wings are of a lead colour. The figure of 

 this moth is shewn at (d) as flying, and at (e) sitting in its natural position. 



The caterpillars, seen at (a) (a), feed on lupine and willow ; are full fed about the end of 

 August, when they spin themselves up in very hard cases, shewn at (b), where they change into 

 chrysalides ; one of which is shewn at (e) : and the moth appears at the end of May. This 

 caterpillar has two red arrows, which it puts forth out of the horns at the tail, when in the last 

 skin but one ; from this it ejects a liquor, when irritated ; but when in the last skin, these parts 

 dry up as it were and grow useless. 



Expansion of the wings %\— S\ inches. 



The Puss Moth is a common insect throughout the country. Messrs. Kirby 

 and Spence state that the caterpillar seldom protrudes the fleshy rose-coloured tenta- 

 culse from the two outer tails, unless it be in some way disturbed, and frequently it 



