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long, narrow and pointed, and are moved by powerful muscles. Their tongues, when 

 uncoiled, are for the most part excessively long, and with them they extract the honey 

 from the blossoms of the honeysuckle and other tubular flowers while on the wing. 

 Other Sphinges fly during the day-time only, and in the brightest sunshine. Then it is 

 that our large clear- winged Sesise make their appearance among the flowers and regale 

 themselves with their sweets. The fragrant Phlox is their especial favourite. From 

 their size and form and fan-like tails, from their brilliant colours and the manner in 

 which they take their food, poised upon rapidly-vibrating wings above the blossoms, they 

 might readily be mistaken for humming-birds." 



The perfect insect lays its eggs singly on the leaves of the food plants of the larvae, 

 or caterpillars. These, when full grown, are generally of a large size ; their colours are 

 often bright, and in the several species there is a great variety and difference of orna- 

 mentation. They have eight pairs of feet, and on the back of the last, segment but one 

 there is generally a rigid spine, called the caudal horn, and in those species, where this 

 horn is wanting, its place is taken by a tubercle. Their bodies are cylindrical, smooth 

 and naked, and in some species are remarkable for the faculty they possess of contracting 

 and elongating the flrst three segments of the body. Reference has already been made 

 to the peculiar sphinx-like position assumed by some species of these caterpillars when at 

 rest. Although these larvse lead a solitary life, and do not live and move about in large 

 numbers like the processionary caterpillars of the army worm and lackey moths, yet, from 

 their large size, they are often capable of doing considerable injury to shrubs and plants. 

 The number of species known is said to be between 300 and 400, most of which, how- 

 ever, inhabit tropical America ; and as some 32 of these are known to inhabit our Pro- 

 vince of Ontario, we have thought it desirable to give an account of each, which, we 

 trust, may be found useful and interesting. In doing this, we have gladly availed our- 

 selves of the various authorities on this family of moths, especially acknowledging the 

 comprehensive monograph of the late talented Entomologist, Dr. Brakenbridge Clemens, 

 of Easton, Pennsylvania, and the synonymical catalogues of North American Sphingidae 

 published by Messrs. A. R. Grote and the late Coleman T. Robinson, and finally revised 

 and completed by Mr. Grote. To this last-named gentleman our Society is indebted for 

 the proper determination of a good many of the Sphingidae in the collection of our Ento- 

 mological Society of Ontario. Reference, moreover, must not be omitted to the labours 

 of Mr. J. A. Lintner, the State Entomologist of New York, who has done much by the 

 publication of his observations to promote a knowledge of the habits and life history of 

 many of the larvae of our Sphingidae. 



Catalogue of Ontario Sphingid^. 



Genus Hemaris, Dalman. 



Genus Deilephila, Ochsenheimer. 

 9. Chamaenerii, Harris. 

 10. Lineata, Fahricim. 



1. Diffinis, Boisduval. 



2. Tenuis, Grote. 



3. Marginalis, Grote. 

 Genus H^emorrhagia, Grote and Robinson. 



Genus Chcerocampa, Duponchel. 



11. Tersa, Linnceiis. 



5. Thysbe, Fabricius. 

 Genus Lepisesia, Grote. 



4. Uniformis, Grote. 



Genus Darapsa, Walker. 

 12. Choerilus, Cramer 



13. A^ersicolor, Harris. 



14. Myron, Cramer. 



6. Flavofasciata, Barnston. 

 Genus Amphiox, Hubner. 



Genus Philampelus, Harris. 



15. Pandorus, Hubner. 



16. Achemon, Drury. 



7. Nessus, Cramer. 

 Genus Thyreus, Swainson. 



Genus Paonias, Hubner. 



17, My ops. Abbot and Smith. 



18. Excaecatus, Abbot and Smith. 



8. Abbotii, Swainson. 



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