Saturniidse 
hanging from the twigs of the spice-bush, the sassafras, and 
other trees. As they dangle in the wind they are easily de¬ 
tected, though they are often 
wrapped in the dead leaf in 
which the caterpillar originally 
spun them. The larva of which, 
in addition to the figure given in 
Plate 1 , we furnish a cut herewith, 
is a rather striking object, the 
coral-red tubercles on the second 
and third anterior segments 
showing, conspicuously against 
the bluish-green epidermis. The 
insect subsists in the larval stage 
upon a great variety of deciduous 
shrubs and trees, showing a 
Fig. 38 .—Callosamia promethea. 
a, Young larva; b, front view of 
head; c, magnified view of a seg¬ 
ment of young larva; d, mature 
larva. (After Riley.) 
special predilection for the Lauracece, 
Liriodendron , Liquidambar, and the 
wild-cherry. It ranges over the Atlantic 
States from Florida to New England 
into southern Canada, and thence 
westward through the valley of the 
Mississippi to the eastern boundaries 
of the great plains. Whether the silk 
produced by this common and easily 
reared species could be utilized in 
such a way as to make its production commercially profitable 
is a problem to be solved in the future. No one up to 
8s 
Fig. 39.—Cocoon of C. 
promethea. (After Rile) 7 .) 
