54 
A. COTTAM-NOTES ON THE HABITS 
which there is no instance amongst the butterfly larvae: instead 
of feeding on the leaves or flowers of plants, they feed under the 
hark or on the pith or wood of trees and shrubs, or in the stems 
and roots of herbaceous plants. These larvae are known as internal 
feeders, and there are examples of this habit in each of the groups 
before mentioned except the Geometrae. 
Now to take the groups in order. The hawk-moths proper are 
the largest and most powerful of our moths. The death’s head and 
the convolvulus hawk-moths measure five inches, and sometimes 
more, from tip to tip of their wings when spread. All our species 
have long, thick bodies, tapering to a point, and the wings are 
narrow for their length, and pointed ; fitted, therefore, for rapid and 
powerful flight. Most of the species have the proboscis abnormally 
developed, and they feed, not like the butterflies resting upon the 
flowers, but hovering over them. One genus is called Macroglossa 
(large-tongued), and one species of this genus, the humming-bird 
hawk-moth, is known to most people. It frequents gardens, and 
on hot sunny days, especially in the afternoon, may be seen 
hovering over the flowers and thrusting its long proboscis into 
them, darting from flower to flower with marvellous rapidity. Tut 
the convolvulus hawk-moth has the longest proboscis of all our 
species, sufficiently long to enable it to suck the honey from the 
long tubular flowers of the white tobacco plant (Nicotiana affinis ), 
which has a great attraction for it. The movement of the wings 
as the insect hovers is so rapid that they are invisible, and make 
a distinct humming sound. If you watch one in the dusk it looks 
like a grey cloud. If frightened or disturbed it vanishes instantly; 
its flight is so rapid that the eye cannot follow it. The proboscis 
of this species is almost double the length of the creature’s body, 
and the pupa has a large projecting loop in front to contain it. 
The larvae of the hawk-moths are large and very handsome; most 
of them have a horn on the 12th segment, pointing backwards. 
That of the privet hawk-moth is probably known to most people. 
It is not infrequently found in gardens, feeding on privet or lilac. 
When full grown it is three inches long, bright apple-green with 
oblique stripes on its sides, white-edged with lilac above, and with 
a large curved horn. The moth often measures 4\ inches across the 
spread wings, and the pupa of this species has also a case for the 
proboscis, but not so large as that of the convolvulus hawk-moth. 
The larvae of some of these moths have the power of retracting 
the anterior segments. That of the elephant hawk-moth is a very 
striking creature, and when stretched out its long tapering anterior 
segments look like the snout of a hog, and it has two large round 
eye-like spots situated on the 5th and 6th segments. When the 
anterior segments are drawn in, those receiving them are puffed 
out, swollen, and wrinkled, and the two eye-like spots upon them 
look glaring and conspicuous. It looks a formidable object, while 
in reality it is perfectly harmless. 
A few of the hawk-moths are double-brooded; all hybernate as 
pupae underground in a cocoon. 
