Entomological Notes. 



279' 



fiercely than before, and if left undisturbed, will rapidly strip limb 

 after limb and leave the tree bare of foliage. There are three of 

 these moulting periods, at which times they huddle close together 

 on the body of the tree, usually the sheltered side, where they can 

 easily be crushed. 



When first hatched out, the worms are a dusky yellow, with 

 heads and feet black, and with four narrow yellow stripes on each 

 side of the body. At each successive moult the color becomes 

 darker. When it is full grown, the body is almost black; the head 

 also is black, but. the first segment of the body is a clear yellow. 

 The four narrow yellow stripes on the side are quite distinct, and 

 a few light-colored hairs are scattered over the body. A peculiar 

 feature of the species is the position they assume while at rest or 

 when disturbed. This is represented by a in figure 7; the head is- 

 thrown back over the body, and the hind extremity is elevated. 



Fig. 7. Yellow Necked Apple Tree Caterpillar. 

 a, full grown larva; 6, moth; c cl, egge. 



The caterpillar state continues five or six weeks, when the worms 

 are about two inches in length. They then crawl down the tree 

 and enter the ground, where they remain in the chrysalis state 

 until the following June or July, and then appear as moths. As 

 these moths are nocturnal in their habits, they are not often seen, 

 unless drawn by the light into the house at night. The color of 

 the moth is a light brown, with the head and the rectangular sec- 

 tion at the base of the fore wings of a much darker shade. The 

 wings, when expanded, extend about two inches. The fore wings 

 are nearly the same color with the body, and are crossed by two 

 transverse lines of a much darker shade; the line nearest the body 

 is strongly curved, the others less so. The hind wings are of a 

 much lighter and uniform color. . 



