Excerpt from The Book of Butterflies, Sphinxes, and Moths, Vol. 2 of 2: Illustrated by Ninety-Six Engravings, Coloured After Nature The insects of the genus Sphinx are sometimes, in Britain, called Hawk Moths. They have, in general, a large thorax, and thick body, most usually tapering towards the tail, or posterior extremity. The name of this genus is derived from the posi tion assumed by several of the caterpillars of the larger species bearing a strong resemblance to that of the Egyptian Sphinx, the fore parts being elevated, and the rest of the body adhering flatly to the surface on which it rests. The flight of the larger species is generally in the twilight of evening, or early in the dawn of morning. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.