SPHINGIM. 
465 
red or orange, is probably deceptive, the whole scheme being similar to 
that of the Acridiidse and other insects which exhibit this peculiar 
colour scheme. (See under Acridiidse.) 
The head is large with large compound eyes; the proboscis is usually 
very long, tightly curled up in repose and stiffly extended to its full 
length when the moth hovers before a flower. The antennae are straight, 
a little smaller towards the apex, slightly hooked, and in the male with 
curious tufts of cilia on the lower side. 
The thorax is robust, the outline of the whole body from head to 
apex of abdomen smooth and tapering to each end; the abdomen is long, 
in some species with lateral and terminal tufts of erectile hairs. The 
forewing is long and narrow, the hindwing smaller. Males and females 
are similar in colouring, the males smaller and distinguished by the 
antennae. 
The life-history is uniform in all but detail so far as known. Eggs 
are laid singly on the leaves of the foodplant, each egg circular with the 
micropyle at the apex. The larvae grow to a considerable size, some 
exceeding three inches in length ; there are five pairs of suckerfeet, and 
usually a horn on the 8th abdominal segment. The integument is smooth, 
or more rarely, roughened with numerous tiny blunt spines ; none are 
hairy or tufted ; the head is either large and distinct, or small and retrac¬ 
tile into the prothorax, which is drawn back with the meso and meta¬ 
thorax. The colouring is usually green or brown, cryptic, and often 
with lateral yellow stripes which increase the cryptic resemblance. In 
many, there are in addition devices which are evidently meant to be 
terrifying ; such are the eye spots, large coloured spots on the sides of 
the thorax which look like large real eyes when the head is drawn in ; 
the appearance of the insect with these eyes is very striking and in 
some there is, to us, a suggestion of the snake. In some these spots 
are concealed and can be suddenly shown, when the effect is still more 
striking. As a whole the larvae exhibit cryptic colouring combined 
with terrifying devices. An interesting adaptation is found in the 
change of colour which often takes place at the close ot the larval 
life ; hitherto the green caterpillar, for instance, has been concealed 
by its colour among the leaves of its foodplant; prior to pupation 
it must leave its foodplant and crawl over the soil, perhaps after a journey 
down the bark of a tree , to find a suitable place to hide itself for pupation. 
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