262 



THE YOUNG NATURmST. 



are very dark blackish brown, with several 

 black wavy lines, and irregular paler mot- 

 tlings. There is always a small yellow spot 

 at the disc. Hind-wings tawny yellow, a 

 broadish black band close to the hind mar- 

 gin, and a narrower one nearer the base. 

 The thorax is very dark brown with a curi- 

 ous tawny mark, representing very accu- 

 rately a scull and cross bones. The abdo- 

 men is tawny yellow, dark brown next the 

 thorax, and a dark brown ring at each seg- 

 ment ; down the centre is a bluish black 

 band, narrowest near the thorax, and grad- 

 ually widening until it reaches the anus 

 which it encircles. 



Larva. — Yellow, greenish towards the 

 head, with seven oblique violet side streaks, 

 as in the last genus; horn yellow and warty, 

 not curving and tapering to a fine point as 

 those of Smerinthus do. Sometimes a variety 

 occurs of an olive brown colour, but it is 

 very rare. Kirby states that this variety 

 obtains when the larva feeds on buckthorn. 



Pupa. — Dark reddish brown, about two 

 inches and a half long, and terminating in a 

 very fine point. 



Food Plants.— Potato, Jasmine, Tea- 

 tree (Lycium barbarum), Buckthorn, Deadly 

 Nightshade, &c. 



Times of Appearance.— The insect 

 is exceedingly irregular in its appearance, 

 and authorities differ greatly ; but it would 

 seem either to emerge in October and hy- 

 bernate, or remain in pupa over the winter 

 and emerge in June. The larva is found 

 from July to the beginning of October, and 

 the pupa to the following June. 



Habitat. — Widely distributed through- 

 out Britain, but very uncertain in its appear- 

 ance. It is found all over Europe, Africa, 

 and Western Asia. 



Note. — The ominous mark on the tho- 

 rax, and the power possessed by this insect 

 of uttering a sound, have invested it with 

 an unusual amount of interest, and many 



superstitious notions have gathered round 

 it. The cry of the insect is a distinct shrill 

 squeak, as loud as that of a mouse. It is 

 always uttered when it is disturbed, and 

 many suggestions have been made as to 

 how it is produced. That it is caused 

 by rubbing the proboscis against the an- 

 tennae or part of the head has been sug- 

 gested, a more likely suggestion being that 

 it is rubbed against the palpi, or that it is 

 produced by the motion of the abdomen 

 against the thorax ; but the very fact that 

 there are several suggestions shows that the 

 cause is not known with any certainty. It 

 has occurred to me that it might be pro- 

 duced by the motion of the proboscis on 

 itself, but I have no evidence to offer in 

 support of the idea. Newman confirms 

 Fuessly that a snapping noise is made by 

 the caterpillar, but I have never heard it, 

 nor do I know any one who has heard it. 

 Newman also states that the noise is pro- 

 duced by the pupa when the insect is about 

 to emerge. This seems incredible, unless it 

 be merely the sound of the cracking of the 

 pupa case that is heard, as the insect forces 

 it open. 



Genus III. SPHINX. 

 " Sphinx, L., Sphinx ; so named from the 

 fancied resemblance of the larva, when in 

 repose, to the Egyptian Sphinx. 



This genus contains two undoubted, and 

 one rather doubtful British species. The 

 antennae are longer and not so stout as in 

 the last genus ; the wings are more lanceo- 

 late, the tongue is very long, and the abdo- 

 men stout and rounder than in Acherontia. 



The following table of the species is from 

 Stainton's Manual. 

 A. Hind-wings with dark bands. 

 B. Ground-colour of hind-wings pale 



grey. S. convolvuli. 

 B.B. Ground colour of hind-wings rosy. 



S. Ligiistri. 

 A. A. Hind-wings with no dark band. 



5. PinastrL 



