166 THE BUTTERFLY VIVARIUM. 



Linnceus made, as it has been stated, three 

 grand divisions of the order Lepidoptera, the first 

 of which he named Papilio, containing all the 

 Butterflies, or day -flyers ; the second Sphinx, con- 

 taining all those which were generally supposed to 

 fly by twilight ; the third Phalcena, or the night- 

 flyers ; our true Moths. 



In the formation of the last two of these terms, 

 as in many others of his " Systema Naturae," he is 

 extremely imaginative and fanciful. The first he 

 simply adopted as the ancient Latin term by which 

 Lcpidopterous insects in general, but more espe- 

 cially Butterflies, Avere denominated; the second, 

 however, he founded upon a fancy of his own, that 

 the Caterpillars of the Hawk-moths, which com- 

 pose that division, had — in a position which is pe- 

 culiar to them, when the body is stretched along 

 a branch, and the head and three first segments 

 raised — somewhat the appearance of the fabulous 

 sphinx, as we find its form interpreted in Greek 

 sculpture. The third name, Phalcena, in which he 

 included all the rest of the Moth family, he appears 

 to have derived from the Greek word $>a\aiva, 

 which means either a Glow-worm or any insect 

 giving out light, and thus rendered conspicuous by 

 night ; or, an insect which flies towards a candle at 



