The caterpillar of this beautiful Sphinx is remarkable for having only a slight protuberance at the extremity of the body in place of the erect spine or tail, which is possessed by the majority of the caterpillars of the Sphingidæ. It is of a pale yellowish colour, with numerous slender transverse black lines, and white oblique lateral marks _directed towards the head_. Its food is very various. One, observed by Abbot, went into the ground on the 14th of August, and came out on the 7th of September; whilst another which went in on the 29th of September, did not come out until the 18th of July following. The moth is rare; but may occasionally be seen sucking the gourd blossoms in the evening. The chrysalis has a pointed tail, but is destitute of a porrected tongue-case. THYREUS LUGUBRIS. Plate XXVIII. fig. 2. ORDER: Lepidoptera. SECTION: Crepuscularia. FAMILY: Sphingidæ, _Leach_. GENUS. THYREUS, _Swains. Zool. Illustr. vol._ 1. THYREUS LUGUBRIS. Alis brunneis, anticis strigis undatis parallelis punctoque subocellari atris. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 9 lin.) SYN. Sphinx Lugubris, _Linn. Mant._ 2. 537._Fabr. Ent. Syst._ III. 1. 356. _No._ 5. _Gmel. Linn. S. N._ 2372. 50. _Abbot and Smith Ins. Georg._ 1. _t._ 30. _Swainson Zool. Illustr. 1st Series, vol._ 1. HABITAT: Antigua (_Drury_). Georgia (_Abbot_). _Upper Side._ Antennæ, head, thorax, and abdomen dark brown. The tail very broad and hairy. All the wings dark brown chesnut; having very few distinct marks or lines, except the anterior pair, which have a small black discoidal spot, and a very narrow line next the shoulders of a lighter brown, crossing them from the anterior to the posterior edges. The posterior wings are slightly, the anterior deeply, dentated. _Under Side._ Thorax, legs, abdomen, upper and lower wings rather paler than on the upper side. On the anterior wings are two very faint brown lines, crossing them from the anterior to the posterior edges, situated between the middle and the external margin. On the posterior wings also are two small faint waved lines of a darker colour, beginning at the anterior edges and ending a little above the abdominal corners. {56}The caterpillar of this hawk-moth was found by Abbot on the Virginian Creeper. It went into the ground on the 18th of August, and the fly came out on the 11th of September. The tail of the male spreads like a fan. This is a very rare species; one was caught in the evening on a gourd blossom. It flew exceedingly swift, making a noise like a humble bee. The caterpillar is of a very pale greenish colour, with two dark dorsal lines, terminating at the base of the straight tail; the sides of the body are also ornamented with pale yellow oblique stripes, margined with brown. The chrysalis is chesnut, with a short point at the extremity of the body, and without any tongue-case. DEILEPHILA TERSA. Plate XXVIII. fig. 3.