60 



NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



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What the Polyphemus Moth and Caterpillar Suggest 



HHE moth j^iven in llu> illustration above is a 

 common species, known as Tclca poh/plicmus. 

 Toward the end of July and durinfj August, I 

 found the full {frown larvu> of this moth on the 

 leaves of the oak and lime trees. It is said to 

 feed also on the leaves of a great variety of trees, 

 including birch, maple, elm, chestnut, sycamore, and beech. 



The caterj)illar of this moth, shown in the illustration, 

 is a delicate shade of green, having the sides of the body orna- 

 mented with lines of pure white. The feet and head are brown, 

 while there is a V-shaped border of the same color at the end 

 of the body. It is here figured in a state of rest, the body 

 being contracted in length. The hairy warts are tinted with 

 orange and red in life. It resembles the luna caterpillar 

 quite closely, but its food habits are somewhat different as the 

 latter is found almost entirely on the walnut and hickory. 



The cocoon of this caterpillar is made like that of the luna 

 moth, being usually constructed of two or three leaves drawn 

 together with silken threads. Within this recess of leaves 

 it spins a very densely woven structure, and into the fibres 

 composing it the larva mixes a brownish substance that soon 

 dries and hardens. The cocoon is about an inch and three- 

 quarters in length. After its completion, the caterpillar pro- 

 ceeds with its transformation into the pupa stage. In the 



