Insects LIT. VqL VL No, 53» 



GERMAN NOCTURNAL BUTTERFLIES. 



Fig. i. The Wood - pecker. 



{Phalaena Bombyx Dominala,) 



O n account of the dark - green ground-co- 

 lour of the fore -wings, and the white and 

 orange tawny spots of different figure on them 

 elegantly contrasting, likewise on account 

 of the deep - vermilion hin ) wings, being 

 adorn'd with black fillets am! points of a 

 bluish cast, this nocturnal butterfly justly 

 wears the name of., wood p^okei Though ih« 

 bLick yellow -stf<-ak'd hairv caterpillar (S) 

 feeds upon the 'ieaves of different trees, yet 

 it preferably like* ihuse of the hound's ton- 

 gue (cynogos-um vulgare); wherefore the 

 nocturnal hutt<sifly is-call'd too the hound's 

 tongue spinner. Several redbrown bright 

 chrysalides (C) He commonly involv'd toge- 

 ther within a white thin web , which several 

 caterpillars, before they change into a chry- 

 salis, in community spin. . 



Fig. 2. The purple - bear. 



(P/ialaena Bombyx purpurea.) 



This nocturnal butterfly much esteem'd 

 by the lovers of butterflies, which is not to 

 be found in every country, (a) has got the 

 name of purple -bear from its burningred 

 hind wings, adorn'd with large, black spots 

 of a bluùh cast highly contrasting. The mild- 

 ly yellow fore- wings wear various little brow- 

 nish stams , among which one resembles the 

 figure of a latin S , wherefore the insect has 

 also got the name of yellow S bear. The ca- 

 terpillar {b) belongs on account of its hair- 

 tufts often fox-coloured to the bear- caterpil- 

 lars, and therefore the butterflies arising from 

 it are call'd bears. The darkbrown chrysalis 

 (c) is naturally surrounded by a delicate web. 



Fig, 5. The lime - tre e - Spinner. 



(Phalaena Bombyx Bucephala.) 



The checkered grown up caterpillar (B) 

 of this nocturnal butterfly common in Germa- 

 ny, feeds indeed upon the leaves of different 

 trees, but preferably likes those of the lime- 

 tree. It is but little hairy, in the earliest 

 youth quite black, and but by degrees , after 

 having cast off several times its skin, beco- 

 mes more and more yellow. The winged In- 

 sect {A) wears also the name of ox - head and 

 grafs-head from its big head half concealed 

 under the longhairy neck- band; and from 

 the large yellowish stains on the tips of the 

 fore - wings the name of the half -moon. The 

 caterpillar changes into a chrysalis under the 

 eartlr, where it only constructs a cave, with- 

 out lining it with a web. 



Fig. 4. The Geometer of the alder. 



{Phalaena Geometra alniaria.) 



The caterpillars (b) of the family , to 

 which this Geometer belongs, intirely have the 

 figure of dry Tittle branches, especially when 

 the caterpillar quietly sits erect on its hind- 

 part. Being furnish'd only in the forepart 

 and behind with a few pairs of feet, but with 

 none in the midst of the body, it does not 

 creep with all the parts of the body moving 

 forwards, but in a bending manner, forming- 

 bo vvs, from whence the name of Geometer 

 (Geometra). It preferably likes to eat the 

 leaves of the alder, without despising those 

 of other trees. The butterfly (a) pleases mors 

 on account of the wings elegantly cat out be- 

 hind, than of the simple colour. The chan- 

 ging of the caterpillar into a chrysalis pro- 

 ceeds on the trees, where it between leaves 

 spins a case from long threads, within which 

 it casts off its last skin of caterpillar, appea- 

 ring as a greenish • white chrysalis (c). 



