240 



INSECT LIFE. 



FIG. 206. 



The most commonly observed species of these insects 

 are the following :- 



The Isabella tiger-moth, Pyrrharctia Isabella (Pyr- 

 r/iarc'ti-a is-a-bcl' la}. The larva of this species is the 

 evenly clipped, furry caterpillar, reddish brown in 



the middle and black 

 at each end, which is 

 seen so commonly in 

 the autumn and early 

 spring (Fig. 206). The 



^^^^^^ adult is of a dull gray- 



ish tawny yellow, with a few black dots on the wings. 

 The yellow-bear Spilosoma virginica (Spil-o-so'ma 

 vir-om'i-ca).--The larva of this species is one of the 

 most common hairv cat- 



/ 



erpillars found feeding 



on herbaceous plants. It 



is clothed with yellow 



hairs, which are very un- 

 even in length, and which 



vary greatly in color in 



different individuals. The moth (Fig. 207) is snowy 



white, with the wings marked by a few black dots ; 



these vary in number, but there are rarely more 



than three on each wing. 



The salt-marsh caterpillar, Estigmene acrcea (Es-tig- 



me'ne a-crce'a). This 

 species is not re- 

 stricted to salt- 

 marshes, as its name 

 might indicate, but 

 is widely distributed 



FIG. 207. Spilosoma virginica. 



FlG. 208. Estigmene acrcea. 



throughout the Uni- 



