LEPIDOPTERA. 273 



there is one hanging from the side of every ring ; those on the 

 first ring being much longer than the others, which progressively 

 decrease in size to the last. On the forepart of the body one or 

 two velvet-like and highly colored bands may be seen when the 

 caterpillar is in motion ; and on the top of the eleventh ring there 

 is generally a long naked wart. When these singular caterpillars 

 are not eating, they remain at rest, stretched out on the limbs of 

 trees, and they often so nearly resemble the bark in color as to 

 escape observation. From the lappets, or leg-like appendages, 

 hanging to their sides, they are called lappet-caterpillars by Eng- 

 lish writers. 



Twice I have found, on the apple-tree, in the month of Sep- 

 tember, caterpillars of this kind, measuring, when fully grown, 

 two inches and a half in length, and above half an inch in breadth. 

 The upper side was gray, variegated with irregular white spots, 

 and sprinkled all over with fine black dots ; on the forepart of the 

 body there were two transverse velvet-like bands of a rich scarlet 

 color, one on the hind part of the second, and the other on the 

 third ring, and on each of these bands were three black dots ; the 

 under-side of the body was orange-colored, with a row of diamond- 

 shaped black spots ; the hairs on the sides were gray, and many 

 of them were tipped with a white knob. The caterpillar eats the 

 leaves of the apple-tree, feeding only in the night, and remaining 

 perfectly quiet during the day. The moth produced from it was 

 supposed by Sir J. E. Smith* to be the same as the European 

 llicifolia, or holly-leaved lappet-moth, from which, however, it 

 differs in so many respects that I shall venture to give it another 

 name. It belongs to the genus Gastropacha, so called from the 

 very thick bodies of the moths ; and the present species may be 

 named Americana, the American lappet-moth. Were it not for 

 its regular shape, it might, when at rest, very easily be mistaken 

 for a dry, brown, and crumpled leaf. The feelers are somewhat 

 prominent like a short beak ; the edges of the under-wings are 

 very much notched, as are the hinder and inner edges of the fore- 

 wings, and these notches are white ; its general color is a red- 

 brown ; behind the middle of each of the wings is a pale band, 



* See Abbot's " Insects of Georgia," p. 101, pi. 51. 

 35 



