1906J Nature Study No. 37. 151 



other Insects of the State of New York, gives the following 

 explanation : " The idea which was present in the mind of 

 Linnaeus, when he named this splendid moth, we think is suffi- 

 ciently evident. The Athenians were the most polished and 

 refined people of antiquity. The moths are the most delicate and 

 elegant of insects ; they are the Athenians of their race. Cecrops 

 was the founder, the head of the Athenian people. When names 

 of men were bestowed upon cities, ships, or other objects 

 regarded as being of a feminine gender, classical usage changed 

 these names to the feminine form. The moths (Phalsena) being 

 feminine, and the name of Cecrops being more euphonious in this 

 form, probably induced Linnaeus to change it in the manner he 

 did. The name thus implies this to be the leader, the head of 

 the most elegant tribe of insects, or in other words, the first of all 

 the insect kind. What name more appropriate can be invented 

 for this most sumptuous moth ? " 



The cocoon of this insect, shown beneath the moth in the 

 above figure, is the largest and best known of the cocoons found 

 in this country. It is about three inches in length, an inch or 

 more in width at its widest part, and tapers to both ends. Some 

 specimens, of course, are larger than this ; we have examples 

 that measure four inches long and two inches wide at the 

 centre. In colour the cocoon is a rusty gray, or brownish. If one 

 is cut into with a sharp knife, or a pair of scissors, an inner, oval 

 cocoon will be found. Within this is a large, black pupa, to one 

 end of which is attached the head of the caterpillar and the cast 

 skin of its body. This inner cocoon will he noticed to be 

 much more closely woven It is interesting to watch the 

 caterpillar making its cocoon. From the time it begins to spin 

 it never ceases until its work is completed, and the whole cocoon 

 is spun in one continuous thread. In the case of the American 

 Silkworm, Telea poiyphemus, L., it has been stated by Trouvelot 

 that this caterpillar in making its cocoon, will have moved its head 

 to and fro, in order to distribute the silk, 254,000 times, the length 

 of time taken to complete this operation being from three to five 

 days. 



During the past season the caterpillars of the Cecropia Em- 

 peror Moth have been more than usually abundant in eastern 

 Canada. It is altogether likely, therefore, that many cocoons 

 will be found on apple, maple, plum, and other trees during 

 the coming winter. The moths emerge in the latter end of 

 May and early in June, and if any of our members would 

 like to experience the pleasure oi watching one of these large 

 Emperor Moths escaping from its cocoon, it is only necessary 

 to collect one or two of the cocoons, and keep them in an 



