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Home Nature-Study Course. 



The cocoon. — During the winter, leaves may often be seen hanging 

 straight down from the branches of wild cherry, lilac and ash. If these 

 leaves are examined each one will be found to be wrapped around a 

 silken case containing a pupa of the promethea. It is certainly a canny 

 insect which hides itself during the winter in so good a disguise, that 



only the very wisest 

 of birds ever suspect 

 its presence. When 

 the promethea cater- 

 pillar begins to spin, 

 it selects a leaf and 

 covers the upper side 

 with silk, then it cov- 

 ers the petiole with 

 silk fastening it with 

 a strong band to the 

 twig, so that not even 

 most violent winter 

 winds will be able to 

 tear it oft. Then it 

 Promethea moth, male. draws the two edges 



of the leaf about itself like a cloak as far as it will reach, and inside this 

 folded leaf it makes its cocoon, which always has an opening in the shape 

 of a conical valve at the upper end, through which the moth may emerge 

 in the spring. This caterpillar knows more botany than some people do. 

 for it makes no mistake in distinguishing a compound leaf from a simple 

 one. When it uses a leaflet of hickory for its cocoon, it fastens the leaflet 

 to the mid stem of the leaf and then fastens the stem to the twig. 



The pupa. — The male pupa is much more slender than that of the 

 female. The moths do not issue until Alay or June. 



TIic niofh. — -The moth works its way out through the valve at the 

 top of the cocoon. The female is a large, reddish-brown moth with 

 markings resembling somewdiat those of the cecropia. The male is very 

 dift'erent in appearance, as its front wings have very graceful, ])rolonged 

 tips, and both wings are almost black bordered with ash color. The 

 promethea moths differ somewhat in habit from the other silk-worm 

 moths in that they fly during the late afternoon as well as at night. 



AXGULiFERA MOTii ( Collosa iiiiu oiK/iilifcra) 



This is very much like the promethea in appearance except that the 

 whi'Lt markings of the wings arc much, more angular in shape, and the 

 males and females are nearly alike in form and color. The caterpillars 

 of this species do not invariably fasten the j)etiole of the leaf to the twig, 



