42 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGISI. 



segment bordered by an angular band resembling the letter V, of a pur- 



p'ish-brown color. 



When mature the caterpillar proceeds to spin its cocoon within an 



enclosure usually made by drawing together some of the leaves of the 



tree it has fed upon, some of which are firmly fastened to the exterior of 



the structure. The cocoon, fig. 

 5, is a tough pod-like structure, 

 nearly oval in form and of a 

 brownish-white color, and within 

 it the larva changes to an oval 

 chrysalis of a chestnut brown 

 color, represented in fig. 6. 



Usually the cocoons drop to the ground with the fall of the leaves, and 

 in this state the insect passes the winter. 



Late in May or early in June the prisoner bursts its prison house, when 

 there is revealed a large and most beautiful moth, the male of which is 

 well shown in fig. 8, p. 44, the female in fig. 9, p. 45- The antenna are 

 feathered in both sexes, but more widely so in the male than in the female. 

 The wings, which measure when expanded from five to six inches across, 

 are of a rich buff or ochre yellow color, sometimes inclining to pale grey 

 or cream color, and sometimes assuming a deeper, almost brown color. 

 Towards the base of the wings they are crossed by an irregular pale white 

 band, margined with red ; towards the outer margin is a stripe of pale 

 purplish white, bordered within by one of deep, rich brown. Near the 

 middle of each wing is a transparent eye-like spot, with a slender Ime 

 across the centre ; those on the front wings are largest, nearly round, 

 margined with yellow, and edged outside 

 with black. On the hinder wings the spots 

 are more eye-like in shape, are margined 

 with yellow, with a line of black edged with 

 blue above, and the whole set in a large oval 

 patch of rich brownish-black, the widest 



Fig. 6. 



portion of the patch being above the eye- 

 spot, where also it is sprinkled with bluish atoms. The front edge of the 

 fore wings is grey. 



This lovely creature flies only at night, and when on the wing is of 

 such a size that it is often mistaken in the dusk for a bat. Within a few 



