43 2 
The Moths and Butterflies 
many amateurs, and numerous different sphingid species will be found in 
any collection of Lepidoptera. The uniformity of structural character in 
larvae and adults of the various species, and the general similarity of habits 
and life-history, make the family a coherent one, and one readily distinguish¬ 
able from other moths. These moths, with few exceptions, have long, nar- 
Fig. 620.—Larva of the sphinx-moth, Phlegethontius Carolina. (After Jordan and 
Kellogg; one-half natural size.) 
row, pointed fore wings, very small hind wings, a smooth-coated, compact, 
cleanly tapering body, and a long proboscis, coiled when not in use, like 
a watch-spring, on the front of the head (Fig. 509). The colors and pat¬ 
terns are extremely varied, but uniformly quietly beautiful and harmonious. 
Fig. 621.—Larva of Phlegethontius celeus. (After Soule; somewhat reduced.) 
The larvae (Fig. 619) are naked, usually green, often with repeated oblique 
whitish lines on the sides, and bear a conspicuous sharp-pointed horn, 
or, in fewer instances, a flattish, button-like shining tubercle, on the back 
of the eighth abdominal segment. The caterpillars, or “worms,” feed on 
