Studies on Life history of Bombycine Moths. 55 



and sometimes on its side, occasionally stopping to bite out with its 

 jaws additional pieces of the cork. 



They apparently do not take food until their case is completed. 

 In ten minutes this narrowest part on the back of the thorax was 

 three times as wide as at first, there being three rows of chips, the 

 case being nearly half completed in about half an hour. 



During this operation the head constantly moved to and fro, the 

 labial spinneret giving out the silk thread, and fastening the cork 

 pellets together, the insect stopping now and then to bite off new 

 pieces of cork. 



In 26 minutes from the time the band was bridged over by one 

 pellet, the case was so far completed that only the end of the body 

 projected out of it, and now instead of lying down on its side or 

 back, the tail or end of the short body was held more or less erect, 

 and was either withdrawn or pushed out, the basket-like case being 

 built out or added to on the anterior edge. I could finally see the 

 edge of the hole at the bottom of the basket drawn in by the 

 crotchets of the anal legs. To steady itself it would extend and 

 withdraw the terminal half of the body while completing the case. 



In walking the third pair of legs are both moved together simul- 

 taneously, like a fork, and are extended forwards as if all of one 

 piece, thus propping up the body, while the two anterior pairs are 

 moved. 



In one hour it had begun to walk around the end of the cork, 

 having been previously busied with making its case. I should 

 estimate that in general it requires between one and two hours for 

 a larva of this age to construct its basket. 



Family LIPARID^. 



The life-history of Orgyia antiqua (Linn.). 



The eggs, kindly sent from Salem, Mass., by Miss Mary Nichols, 

 hatched May 15th. The larva was described May 18th. The second 

 molt took place the morning of the 22d, the third molt on the 

 morning of May 26th ; the molts being nearly simultaneous in the 

 brood. I fed it on Wisteria, at Providence, R. I. 



£'r/(7.— Length .8-1 mm. Short, broadly cylindrical. The upper 

 end which the larva breaks off on hatching is depressed or crater- 

 like with a thick swollen edge around it. The surface under a 

 triplet is seen to be not very highly polished and closely pitted, 



