Insects. 3241 



Note on tke Sphinx Convolvuli. — About noon on Saturday, the 19th of July last, 

 a Sphinx Convolvuli was given to me. It had just emerged from the chrysalis. For 

 a few minutes it was very uneasy, until it had found a situation where it could hang 

 vertically ; and having attained that position it remained still. The wings, when first 

 caught, were very short and rudimentary, measuring about three quarters of an inch ; 

 they exhibited no appearance of being folded, thick, or bulky. After it had been sus- 

 pended for about half an hour, the wings had increased to the surprizing size of 

 about an inch and a half in length, and in width proportionally. They appeared then 

 flimsy and uneven or puckered, their plane making with the plane of the body, that 

 is, with the upper surface of it, an angle of about 30°. From the markings near the 

 scapular joints and costal regions, it would appear that a considerable growing action 

 had taken place in those parts, for they had become considerably altered. About two 

 hours afterwards the wings became more firm and rigid, and had taken their proper 

 position. The body had become much less in size, that is the abdominal portion. It 

 remained very still throughout the day, until about half past eight o'clock, when it be- 

 gan to make use of its newly acquired organs ; this habit it practised daily, during the 

 short period I kept it alive. The mysterious rapidity with which the wings of this 

 insect became developed, forms a wonderful and interesting passage in its history. — 

 JEdivd. L. King ; Lynn, August 18, 1851. 



Descriptions of Larvce of Sphingidee, with Occasional Notes on some of the Rarer 

 European Species. — Deilephila Tithymali, D. Zygophylli, D. Epilobii and D. Vesper- 

 tilioides, are all very scarce ; I have only seen two of them as yet. D. Vespertilio I 

 have never reared from the larva. There now remains one more of the Deilephilae 

 for me to describe, and that is D. Hippophaes. — Caterpillar elongated. Head glo- 

 bular and small. Horn small. The ground colour is dull glaucous sea-green, or 

 grayish green, and covered with small round white spots, narrowly encircled with 

 olive-green ; a broad milk-white lateral line, along the upper edge of which are the 

 stigmata; two longitudinal pale whitish yellow lines down the back, marked near each 

 incision by a pale yellow spot, and terminating with the 10th segment at two long, 

 oval-shaped patches, which join the base of the horn, the colour of these patches is 

 light yellow-ochre, slightly bordered by brown. Horn slightly granulated, black above 

 and light yellow-ochre beneath ; a rather darker dorsal line. Stigmata yellow-ochre, 

 bordered by dark brown . Abdomen very pale greenish white, and not spotted as the 

 body. Thoracic legs very pale yellowish white, with the tip brown. Prolegs pale 

 greenish white, and spotted as the rest of the body. Head and escutcheon pale gray- 

 ish green ; the two last segments not so much spotted as the others. Found near La- 

 vey, in Switzerland, July 8, 1844, upon Hippophae rhamnoides. Having now gone 

 through the larvae of the genus Deilephila, the next genus is Sphinx. To this belong 

 the three species S. Pinastri, S. Ligustri, and S. Convolvuli ; all of which I shall now 

 describe. Sphinx Pinastri. — Caterpillar smooth and elongated. Anal horn slightly 

 curved. Head round. Ground colour fine sap-green, wrinkled transversely with dark 

 brown ; a very broad pinkish gray dorsal line, somewhat dilated towards the posterior 

 part of each segment, bordered by an interrupted whitish line, on either side of which 

 is another whitish and rather interrupted longitudinal line ; also an interrupted, pale 

 yellow, lateral line, just below the stigmata, between which and the longitudinal 

 whitish line above mentioned, is another irregular and macular ill-defined line. Ab- 

 domen green, wrinkled with black, and a patch of dull pinkish yellow in the middle 

 of each segment ; the stigmata orange-red, bordered by black. Head pale yellowish 

 IX. 2 L 



