AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS. 
© 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE II. 
Insects.—Fig. 1. Acherontia Atropos (the death’s-head Hawk-moth). 2. The Caterpillar. 3. The Chrysalis. 
Prants.—Fig. 4. Jasminum officinale (the common jasmine or jessamine), 
ee Fig. 5. Solanum dulcamara (the bittersweet or woody nightshade). 
The insect figured in this plate is from a very large specimen inthe British Museum. I have represented the larva feeding upon the Solanum 
duleamara, as an indigenous British plant nearly allied to the potato, which is its favourite food, but which, being an imported plant, I did not 
consider so appropriate in the present work. I have, however, varied the plate with another plant, which, though also imported, is much more 
ornamental than the potato; this is the Jasminum: officinale, upon which the larve are not unfrequently found. The larva is from the 
excellent figure of Godart. H.N. H. 
ACHERONTIA, Ocusrenuzmer. (BRACHYGLOSSA, Botspuvat.) 

This genus is not only distinguished by the skull-like markings upon the back of the thorax, but also by 
several other peculiarities, amongst which are the gigantic size, very robust and obtuse body, the broad entire 
wings, with the anal angle of the hind pair produced into a lobe, the short thick antennz hooked at the tip, and 
terminated by a hairy seta, and especially the shortness of the spiral tongue, which does not exceed the head in 
“length; the double band upon the hind wings is a character it possesses in common with Sphinx. The gigantic 
caterpillar also differs in having the horn at the extremity of the body deflexed and tubercular, with the tip curved 
upwards. The chrysalis is buried deep in the earth ; its tongue-case is not exserted, and the surface is not covered 
with minute asperities. There are several species of this genus which are distributed over the greater part of the 
globe, one only of which, the largest, is found in this country, to which Linnzus, keeping up his fanciful system 
of specific nomenclature, applied the name of one of the Fates, in allusion to its skull-like markings. 

SPECIES 1.—ACHERONTIA ATROPOS. THE DEATH’S-HEAD, OR BEE TIGER HAWK-MOTH. 
Plate ii. 
Synonymes.— Sphinx Atropos, Linneus, Haworth, Donovan, vol. Schm.) Curtis, B. E. pl. 147. Wood, Ind. Ent. t.4,f.10. Duncan, 
9, pl. 289 and 290. Albin, pl. 6. Wilkes, pl. 19. Harris, Aurelian, | Brit. Moths, pl. 5. 
pl. 37. Swainson. Brachyglossa Atropos, Boisduval. 
Acherontia Atropos, Ochsenheimer, Stephens, Hubner (Verz. bek. 
This magnificent insect varies in the expanse of its wings from four to considerably more than five inches. 
The upper pair are of a very dark brown colour, varied with black, especially towards the base, near which is an 
undulated bar of pale ochre ; the disc is varied with deep black undulated lines, and ferruginous patches, minutely 
irrorated with white, of which colour there is a central spot and several wavy connected bars beyond the middle, 
towards the costa. The hind wings are fulvous orange, with a narrow central and a broader dentated bar 
running parallel with the hinder margin. The head and thorax are brownish black, the latter with a large, pale, 
skull-like mark on the back ; the abdomen is fulvous, with the incisures of the segments black, and a lead-coloured 
stripe down the back. 
The caterpillar is at first dirty red, but afterwards becomes yellowish green, oranulated with minute black 
tubercles on the back, with seven oblique stripes on the side, meeting on the back, the last of which extends to 
the base of the tail; these stripes are blue anteriorly, and white posteriorly, with a purple tint in the centre. It 
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