Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hawk moth \Hawk" moth`\ (?; 115). (Zo["o]l.)
   Any moth of the family {Sphingid[ae]}, of which there are
   numerous genera and species. They are large, handsome moths,
   which fly mostly at twilight and hover about flowers like a
   humming bird, sucking the honey by means of a long, slender
   proboscis. The larv[ae] are large, hairless caterpillars
   ornamented with green and other bright colors, and often with
   a caudal spine. See {Sphinx}, also {Tobacco worm}, and
   {Tomato worm}. Tobacco Hawk Moth ({Macrosila Carolina}), and
   its Larva, the Tobacco Worm.

   Note: The larv[ae] of several species of hawk moths feed on
         grapevines. The elm-tree hawk moth is {Ceratomia
         Amyntor}.