LEPIDOPTERA. 279 



the eye-spot of the hind-wings is a large blue spot shading into 

 black ; near the hinder margin of the wings is a dusky band, edged 

 with reddish white behind ; on the front margin of the fore-wings 

 is a gray stripe, which also crosses the forepart of the thorax ; and 

 near the base of the same wings are two short red lines, edged 

 with white. It expands from five and a quarter to six inches. 

 This moth, on account of its great size, is called Polyphemus, the 

 name of one of the giants in mythology. 



Attacus Cecropia * is a still larger insect expanding from five 

 inches and three quarters to six inches and a half. The hind- 

 wings are rounded ; and not tailed. The ground-color of the 

 wings is a grizzled dusky brown, with the hinder margins clay- 

 colored ; near the middle of each of the wings there is an opake 

 kidney-shaped dull red spot, having a white centre and a narrow 

 black edging ; and beyond the spot a wavy dull red band, bor- 

 dered internally with white ; the fore-wings, next to the shoulders, 

 are dull red, with a curved white band ; and near the tips of the 

 same is an eye-like black spot, within a bluish white crescent ; 

 the upper side of the body and the legs are dull red ; the forepart 

 of the thorax and the hinder edges of the rings of the abdomen are 

 white ; and the belly is checkered with red and white. This moth 

 makes its appearance during the month of June. The caterpillar 

 is found on apple, cherry, and plum trees, and on currant and 

 barberry bushes in July and August. It comes to its full size by 

 the first of September, and then measures three inches, or more, 

 in length, and is thicker than a man's thumb. It is entirely of a 

 fine, clear, light green color ; on the top of the second ring are 

 two large globular coral red warts, beset with about fourteen very 

 short black bristles ; the two warts on the top of the third ring are 

 like those on the second, but rather larger ; on the top of the 

 seven following rings there are two very long egg-shaped yellow 

 warts, bristled at the end, and a single wart of larger size on the 

 eleventh ring ; on each side of the body there are two longitu- 

 dinal rows of long light blue warts, bristled at the end, and an ad- 

 ditional short row, below them, along the first five rings. This 

 caterpillar does not bear confinement well ; but it may be seen 



* Cecropia was the ancient name of the city of Athens; its application, by Lin- 

 narns, to this moth is inexplicable. 



