154 
THE MOTH. 
the color of the bark, that he can hardly be dis¬ 
tinguished from it. But if disturbed, out he 
darts, looking like a great bat; for he is quite as 
large, and dances about up and down, and from 
side to side, with such rapidity, that you can 
scarcely see where he is. And then, he suddenly 
disappears, either alighting on the very spot from 
which he arose, or becoming lost to sight amongst 
the maze of stems. 
One family of moths do not fly at night, but 
come out in the dusk of morning or evening; and 
a few of them are to be seen sporting about with 
the butterflies at noon-day. They are, in fact, 
the twilight-flyers; and the name of sphinx has 
been given to them, because, in their caterpillar- 
state, they hold their heads erect, and sit in an 
attitude, a little like that of the ancient sphinx. 
They are likewise called hawk-moths, because 
they poise themselves in the air as hawks do 
hovering over the flower, as the bird does over 
his prey. Their wings are long and narrow, and 
they have a more bird-like way of flying, than 
the other moths. They fly in a direct line, and 
very swiftly, instead of merely fluttering about; 
and this superior power is owing to the strong 
muscles, contained in their thick and massive 
bodies. 
