. Annual report. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects. 26 POPULAR PAPERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. SMERINTHTJS EXJECATUS AND MYOPS. BY W. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONT. Among the most beautiful of all the night-flying moths may be placed those belonging; to the genus Smerinthus, one of the genera included in the SjjJdngidce, or Sphinx moths, a name derived from a fancied resemblance some of the caterpillars bear in certain atti- tudes to the famous Egyptian Sphinx. This family comprises some of the most robust and powerful among moths. Dr. Harris thus speaks of them : " In the winged stat
. Annual report. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects. 26 POPULAR PAPERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. SMERINTHTJS EXJECATUS AND MYOPS. BY W. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONT. Among the most beautiful of all the night-flying moths may be placed those belonging; to the genus Smerinthus, one of the genera included in the SjjJdngidce, or Sphinx moths, a name derived from a fancied resemblance some of the caterpillars bear in certain atti- tudes to the famous Egyptian Sphinx. This family comprises some of the most robust and powerful among moths. Dr. Harris thus speaks of them : " In the winged state the true Sphinges are known by the name of Humming-bird Moths, from the sound which they make in flying, and Hawk Moths from their habit of hovering in the air while taking their food. These Humming-bird or Hawk Moths may be seen during the morning and evening twilight flying with great swiftness from flower to flower. Their wings are long, narrow and pointed, and are moved by powerful muscles. Their tongues when uncoiled are for the most part excessively long, and with them they extract the honey from the blossoms of the honeysuckle and other tubular flowers while on the ; The Blind-eyed Sphinx, Smerinthus excecatus, which is well shown in Fig. 1, is a lovely creature which measures when its wings are spread nearly three inches across. Its body is fawn coloured, with a chest- nut coloured stripe on the thorax and a dark brown line on the abdo- men. The front wings are fawn coloured, clouded and striped with a rich velvety brown. The hind wings are rose coloured in the middle, crossed by two or three short whitish lines, having a brown- ish patch at the tip and a black spot with a pale blue centre near the inner angle. The moth is on the wing in June and July j the eggs are laid on apple, plum and wild cherry trees, and the larva, Fig. 2, becomes full grown in Sep- tember. It then measures about two and a half inches long, has a green triangular head bor- dered with
Size: 1981px × 1262px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1872
