%\t Canadian Entomologist. 



VOL. III. LONDON, ONT., DECEMBER, 187 1. No. 11 



NOTES ON SAMIA COLUMBIA, S. I. Smith. 



See Frontispiece, Fig. 37. 

 By G. J. BOWLES, QUEBEC. 



This beautiful moth was discovered by Professor S. I. Smith, at Nor- 

 way, Maine, and described by him in the Proceedings of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History, Vol. IX., March 1865. It is nearly allied to 

 the well known Samia Cccropia, but differs therefrom in being slightly 

 smaller, and in the colouration and markings, as well as in the form of the 

 cocoon and appearance of the larva. It may, therefore, be regarded as a 

 well established species. I have been so fortunate as to obtain a specimen 

 at Quebec, and can therefore add this moth to our list of Canadian Bom- 

 bvcidae. 



The species is evidently rare in this vicinity. I have met with it only 

 three times, and have not heard of its having been taken by any other 

 Quebec collector. In August, 1864, I captured a full grown larva of this 

 moth, crawling along a fence, in search of some place in which to make its 

 cocoon. It closely resembled a Cecropia caterpillar in size and general 

 appearance. Thinking it, therefore, to be a larva of that species, I did 

 not take notes at the time ; though on a close examination I could not 

 quite reconcile the colour and arrangement of the tubercles with the 

 description of S. Cccropia given by Morris. The principal difference (as 

 far as I can remember), was in the number of red warts with which the 

 larva was ornamented, S. Columbia possessing more than the other species. 

 As Professor Smith has never seen a specimen, our knowledge of the 

 early history of the moth must remain defective, until some happy bug- 

 hunter discovers the caterpillar, and gives us a detailed account of its 

 beauties. I may add that S. Cccropia has not yet been taken at Quebec, 

 though it is found at Lofbiniere, about forty miles west of the city. The 

 larva above mentioned duly spun its cocoon, which was at first of a whitish 

 colour, but in a few days gradually turned to dark brown, and then was 

 exactly similar to the cocoons I afterwards found. The moth diedjnthe 

 chrysalis state, owing, perhaps, to the presence of parasite^^fTT]) JJii*^ 



