CATOCALA: UNDER=WINGS. 



help. It is for this, among other things, that you pay your 

 taxes. 



This genus (Plate LI) is variously split 

 Autographa into several> ' For example, the Celery 



Looper, Autographa simplex of Holland's book, will be 

 found under Plusia in some books. Except for this 

 hint (and it applies with equal force in the case of other 

 genera) to those who might be confused when more than 

 one book is used, it need not concern us further since 

 the only species we can mention in any detail was, no 

 later than yesterday, still in the Autographa pigeon-hole. 

 If you find a brown Noctuid-looking moth with a wing 

 expanse of i.o to 1.5 inches and with one, or more, not 

 strictly circular, silver spots near the middle of each front 

 wing, it is a fairly safe bet that it is either Autographa or 

 closely related to it. Some of the species fly by day. The 

 larvae are called loopers or semi-loopers because they 

 walk somewhat like measuring-worms (Geometridas) on 

 account of not having any prop-legs on the third and fourth 

 abdominal segments. Autographa brassic<z is a close 

 second to Pieris rapes when it comes to injuring cabbage, 

 cauliflower, and the like. The larva is colored much like 

 the ordinary cabbage worm but has longitudinal white 

 lines when young, and it loops. The cocoon is a thin 

 transparent affair attached to the leaf on which the larva 

 was feeding. There are two or more generations annually, 

 winter probably being passed in the pupal state. This is a 

 good place to say that many of the Noctuid moths have a 

 tuft of scales on the thorax which does not show well when 

 viewed from above. 



The genus Catocala shares the amateurs' 

 Catocala , , loye whh the SaturniidB and the Sphingi- 



dae. Many of its species are pretty; they are interesting 

 because they have bright colors on the hind wings, which 

 are covered, when at rest, by the "protectively colored" 

 front wings and are usually displayed only at night when 

 they cannot be seen at least, by our eyes. Plate LIII 

 shows an exhibit in the American Museum illustrating 

 the fact that, however conspicuous when flying in day- 



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