THE ELEPHANT SPHINX. 

 Sphiii.v Elpenor. 



Sjihiiix Elpenor, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. p. 801 Turlon's 



Linne, iii. p. 175 Donovaii's Brit. Ins. iv. pi. 122 



Harris's Aurcl. pi. 7, fig. o. ii. 



The wings of this beautiful Sphinx arc two 

 inches one-sixth, to two-thirds of an inch, anguhir ; 

 the upper ones striped with ricli fawn colour and 

 pink ; the lower wings are rose coloured, with a large 

 black patch at their insertion ; the thorax is fawn 

 coloured, and the abdomen rose coloured, with two 

 black spots on the upper segment. 



The caterpillars of this very elegant Sphinx are 

 generally found in marshy places in June and July. 

 They feed on the convolvulus, vine, and some other 

 plants, but prefer white ladies' bedstraw ; they cast 

 their skin several times ; and, when full fed, some 

 are gi'een, and others of a brown coloiu-. The 

 caterpillars of the female are a fine green, elegantly 

 marked with black ; tliose of the male are varied 

 with the same dark markings, but the colour is a 

 dull brown, inclining to black in those parts where 

 the female is green. 



