THE GANADL^N ENTOMOLOGIST. 131 



ATTACUS CINCTUS, Tepper. 



BV MARY E. MURTFELDT, KIRKWOOD, MO. 



A friend of mine — Mr. R. J. Mendenhall, of Minneapolis, Minn. — 

 while travelling in Mexico last winter, collected from a tree, supposed to 

 be the wild olive, a number of the cocoons of some large Bombycid. On 

 his return home he kindly gave these cocoons into my keeping, with the 

 information that he could easily have collected hundreds had he had con 

 veniences for carrying them, as the trees on which they were found had 

 been ruinously defoliated by the insect in its larval state. The cocoons 

 were about the size and somewhat resembled those of Telea poiyphemus, 

 but were rather more elongate and were not intermixed with the chalky 

 substance seen on the surface of the latter. They depended from the 

 twigs by bands or cords of silk from five to seven inches long. 



When I received them, about the last of March, several of the moths 

 had already attempted to make their escape, but owing to close packing 

 had died in the act, and all that I could determine was that the colors 

 were similar to those of cecropia. The cocoons that were yet intact were 

 placed in a large rearing cage and sprayed with water, and on the 4th of 

 April I had the pleasure of beholding for the first time a perfect specimen 

 of the striking and beautiful species named above. Every entomologist 

 will understand my delight as I examined its rich coloring, the large, tri- 

 angular mica like plates with which the wings were ornamented, and the 

 band of bright colors laterally encircling the abdomen. 



In the course of the following two weeks fourteen or fifteen perfect 

 specimens emerged, as well as some that were imperfect. They exhibited 

 considerable variety in shade. In the majority the general color tone was 

 a rich brown inclining to olive, others were suffused with red, while a few 

 were of a cold gray tint. 



There were more males than females, and quite singularly, the former 

 were in nearly all cases larger than the latter. Desirous of seeing the 

 larvae, I used every device of which I could think to obtain fertile eggs, 

 but without success. Many eggs were scattered about on the sides of the 

 cage and on twigs of cherry, plum and apple to which the moths were 

 confined, but none of them hatched. I also liberated all crippled or 

 injured specimens on various trees where I could in a measure keep guard 

 over them, but they refused to adapt themselves to their new environment 

 and perished without progeny. 



