5'l|e Canatltaii |Intamola0bt. 



Vol. Lt. LONDON, SEPTEMBER, 1918 No. 9 



POPULAR AND PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 



Notes on a Cecropia Caterpillar. 



by mrs. annie g. hewitt white, toronto. 



On a lilac bush in my garden I was fortunate enough, in late 

 September, to find a fine specimen of the large green caterpillar 

 of the Cecropia Moth. Cutting the branchlet holding the hand- 

 some sojourner',' I mounted it on a large potato, to keep the leaves 

 fresh, and placed a battery jar over it. 



^j About 10 o'clock on the night of the 23rd of September, the 

 caterpillar began spinning its cocoon. 



S,ept. 25th. — Outer wall of cocoon finished and looks like a 

 transparent, silk basket. The caterpillar still moving in that 

 peculiar figure-of-eight, that I have observed seems to be the 

 motion which all spinning caterpillars adopt. 



Sept. 26th. — Cocoon almost opaque, shaped like an airship, 

 3^ inches long, 1 7/8 mches wide. Caterpillar dimly seen within, 

 still moving. ^ 



Sept. 28th. — Cocoon complete; all quiet within. 



Oct. 8th.— Heard a scratching sound. Thought it was a 

 mouse and instituted a search. Traced the sound, which seemed 

 now more like silk being torn, to the corner where the cocoon 

 was placed. It continued the. whole evening. 



Oct. 9th. — Scratching still continues, 8 o'clock, p.m. Can no 

 longer resist the temptation to see what is going on, will wait a 

 day. 

 v^ Oct. 10th, 8 p.m. — Openedrthe cocoon, and saw one of the 

 most wonderful of Nature's workings that has ever been vouchsafed 

 to me. 



Carefully cutting open the si(^e of the cocoon, and turning 

 down the flap made, I had a window-like opening by which to 

 watch the proceedings. The caterpillar, still undhanged, stood 

 on end within the smoothly-lined cocoon, his gaily coloured 

 tubercles as bright^.as ever against the 'pale, green body. 



