TAB. XXVIII.
S P H I N X P A M P I N A T R I X .
W IL D -G R A P E H A W K -M O T H .
V IT IS L A B R U S C A . L IN N .
D O W N Y -L E A V E D V IN E .
S. alls fubangulatis: primoribus fufcis ftrigis fub tribus pundtoque olivaceis: pofticis teflaceis
immaculatis.
Sphinx-Myron. Cram. Pap. t. 247- ƒ 0 ?
F e e d s on th e different fpecies o f wild grapes. I t Ipun up in a th in web on the
leaves Ju ly .pth, and came o u t th e 2 6 th ; another wh ich Ipun th e 8th o f September
did no t appear on th e win g till April 12th. This is n o t a common fpecies.
This may poffibly be \he Myron o f Cramer, which he fays comes from Virginia, but the
proportions of his figure are confiderably different from ours, nor has he reprefented the dot
on the fore wings. Whether this and the preceding be the infedts of that author which we
have referred to or not, they certainly are very nearly allied to them, and we gladly profit of
his judicious hint to place them in the firft Linnsean divifion of their genus, after the ocel-
lated fpecies, to which, though their wings be not dentated, and only flightly angulated, they
are molt naturally allied. They have the fame kind of fhort thick body and fhort trunk; and
the refemblance of the caterpillars, which Cramer could not know, confirms his opinion. In
the ftudy of Nature the mind fhould always keep natural affinities in view, and make artificial
arrangement, as far as it conveniently can, give way to them; till at length a greater
affemblage ofobjedts, truly allied to each other, and confidered upon a large feale, may help
us to detedt more certain and comprehenfive artificial charadters. This is not very difficult
to be accomplifhed within fuch limits as the fpecies of one genus, though too many modem
pradtical naturalifts, and all compiling ones, place fpecies as if no idea of natural affinities
ever came acrofs their minds.