158 Notes and Memoranda. 



In connection with, these elephantine remains from Malta, the 

 arrival of a living specimen of the African elephant at the gardens 

 of the Society in the Regent's Park may be noticed. The African 

 elephant is perfectly distinct from its Asiatic congener, the structure 

 of the molar teeth in particular being extremely different. The 

 animals when living are readily distinguished by the immense size of 

 the external ears in the African variety, these organs meeting on the 

 upper part of the skull, and covering the entire scapnlar region and 

 anterior part of the body. As both the Indian and African species 

 now exist in the gardens, a very favourable opportunity is afforded 

 of contrasting the striking differences between the two animals. 

 Amongst the most strongly-marked distinctions is the difference in 

 the formation of the prehensile organ at the end of the trunk in 

 the two species. In the Asiatic this organ is usually compared to a 

 flexible finger acting against the septum between the two orifices at 

 the end of the trunk. In the African animal the end of the trunk 

 appears divided horizontally, so that the upper and lower parts are 

 of nearly equal size and power, and act against each other, opening 

 and closing somewhat like a pair of pincers. 



NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



The Htjjoiing-Bied Hawk-Moth — Macroglossa Sfellatarum. — Mr. C. S. 

 Beckett, of Lynconibe Vale, Bath, writes : — Every year I have noticed an occa- 

 sional visit from this attractive insect, and its peculiar habits have always excited 

 fresh attention ; but this summer, probably from the unusual warmth, has been 

 marked by the arrival of numbers. My attention was first drawn to them one 

 evening early in July, as I wa3 contemplating a mass of jessamine in full bloom 

 covering a rustic archway in our garden. It was twilight, and I felt much sur- 

 prised at a whirring sound amidst the blossoms, and a busy scene, caused by no 

 less than eight dusky- looking moths darting in and out of the branches. Their 

 actions reminded me of my old favourite, but it was too dark to ascertain. "Very 

 near this starry mass a fly-catcher had takeu up his station on a wall, whence he 

 perpetually took airy excursions to capture invisible prey. I wondered he did 

 not make a hunting-ground of the jessamine-bush ; but probably he knew the 

 moths were too sharp for him. The next morning I went to gather a large bou- 

 quet of jessamine, and to my satisfaction found four moths, no longer looking 

 dusky, save the upper wings, but rendered rather attractive by the bright rust- 

 coloured hinder wings, and bodies curiously tufted with white and black scaly 

 hairs. They seemed little disturbed by me, and one even visited my bouquet, 

 and most unceremoniously rifled the sweets of one flower after another as I held 

 them in my hand, thus giving me an opportunity of closely observing its manceu- 

 vres, the vigilance of its hawk-like eyes, the accuracy with which it inserts its 

 long, flexible proboscis into each flower, and its mouse-like head and body. 

 Another day I watched it unerringly dip its needle tongue into the base of each 

 petal of a carnation. It appears that the great length of this tube suggested the 

 generic name : the specific name has nothing to do with this stage of its exist- 

 ence, but is derived from the stellate plants on which the caterpillar feeds, such 

 as the Galiums. The caterpillar is inconspicuous, and probably not often no- 

 ticed ; but the perfect insect is so unlike the race of unobtrusive moths, that it 

 well deserves attention, and many a quarter of an hour may be profitably em- 

 ployed and beguiled in watching tho eccentric darting flight and habits of this 

 lively little creature. 



