152 



The Ottawa Naturalist. 



[October 



out-building throughout the winter, bringing ihem into the 

 house next May. The cocoons, of course, should be put into a 

 box with rough sides, so that when the moths emerge they can 

 hold on while their wings are expanding. It will be noticed that 

 one end of the cocoon is spun very loosely, and it is from this end 

 that the moth emerges. The head first appears, then the front 

 pair of legs, and soon the other pairs of legs, the heavy body, and 

 the undeveloped wings. As soon as it has attached itself to a 

 nearby object, these latter soon expand and in less than an hour 

 the two pairs of wings attain their full size. 



The caterpillars of the Cecropia Emperor Moth hatch from 

 whitish eggs laid in June. The}' moult, or cast their skins, four 

 times before reaching full growth. At first they are black, chang- 

 ing in the next stage to a deep orange, and in the third stage to 

 yellowish green. In the next and also in the last stage the colour 

 is more of a bluish green. In all the stages the bodv bears 

 tubercles the colours of which are different after each moult. 

 When full grown the Cecropia caterpillar is from three to four 

 inches long, and is about as thick as a man's thumb. On segments 

 2 and 3, the tubercles are large and of a bright coral red colour ; 

 the other tubercles on the back are smaller and yellow, except- 

 ing those on the first and last segments which are blue, as are 

 also the smaller tubercles along the sides. These caterpillars 

 although so beautiful and striking in appearance, from their great 

 size and conspicuously coloured tubercles, are considered very dis- 

 gusting creatures by many, and this oi' course is but natural. It 

 would not be human nature if everyone had the same likes and 

 dislikes it takes all kinds of people to make a world. 



The caterpillar of this moth is a very general feeder and over 

 fifty differed* plants have been recorded upon which it has 

 ibeen found feeding. In Canada the favourite food plants are 

 apple, maple, birch, cherry, plum and willow. Although this 

 caterpillar has a very voracious ;ippetite, it is seldom that it rea ly 

 does very much harm, as it is unusual to find more than two or 

 three larva? on the same tree, and when their presence is noticed 

 they can easily be removed by hand. 



This grand insect occurs in Canada in Ontario, Quebec and 

 the Maritime Provinces, and specimens may every year be collected 

 or seen flying around electric lights. In certain seasons, however, 

 their numbers are greatly reduced by natural parasites, the most 

 important of which are the Long-tailed Ophion, Ophion macrurum, 

 L , which form> a single close cocoon inside that of its host, and 

 Cryptus extrematis, Cresson, of which several occur inside a 

 single caterpillar, and when this latter has spun its winter resting 

 place they emerge and entirely fill the space with their own cocoons. 



