LEPIDOPTERA. 259 



in keeping these caterpillars alive until they had finished their 

 transformations. 



In my collection are specimens of a moth closely resembling 

 the hickory tussock in every thing except size and color. It may 

 be named Lophocampa maculata, the spotted tussock-moth. It 

 is of a light ochre-yellow color, with large irregular light brown 

 spots on the fore-wings, arranged almost in transverse bands. It 

 expands nearly one inch and three quarters. The caterpillar, as 

 far as I can judge from a shrivelled specimen, was covered with 

 whitish tufts forming a crest on the back, in which were situated 

 eight black tufts ; there was a black pencil on each side of the 

 fourth and of the tenth ring, and a quantity of long white hairs 

 overhanging the head and the hinder extremity ; the head was 

 black ; but the color of the body cannot be ascertained. 



A fourth kind of Lophocampa, or crested caterpillar, remains to 

 be described. It is very common, throughout the United States, 

 on the button-wood or sycamore, upon which it may be seen in 

 great numbers in July and August. The tufts on these cater- 

 pillars are light yellow or straw-colored, the crest being very little 

 darker ; on the second and third rings are two orange-colored 

 pencils, which are stretched over the head when the insect is at 

 rest, and before these are several long tufts of white hairs ; on 

 each side of the third ring is a white pencil, and there are two 

 pencils, of the same color, directed backwards, on the eleventh 

 ring. The body is yellowish white, with dusky warts, and the 

 head is brownish yellow. These caterpillars leave the trees 

 towards the end of August, and conceal themselves in crevices of 

 fences, and under stones, and make their cocoons, which resemble 

 those of the hickory tussock ; and from the middle of June to the 

 end of July the moths come forth. These moths are faintly 

 tinged with ochre-yellow; their long, narrow, delicate, and semi- 

 transparent wings lie almost flatly on the top of the back ; the up- 

 per pair are checkered with dusky spots, arranged so as to form 

 five irregular transverse bands ; the hind edge of the collar, and 

 the inner edges of the shoulder-covers are greenish blue, and be- 

 tween the latter are two short and narrow deep yellow stripes ; 

 the upper side of the abdomen and of the legs are deep ochre-yel- 

 low. The wings expand about two inches. The name of this 



