156 



NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



It^^**^ 





caterpillar gradually turned around within its narrow quarters, 

 doubling up its body to do so. All this time its head was kept 

 busily in motion attaching silken strands, and giving its atten- 

 tion to the unfinished ojjen portion. In the course of four 

 hours the nearly completed cocoon had attained sufficient 

 parchment-like density to obscure the larva within. 



I have seen the cocoon of one of these lar\a' fastened to a 

 branch, the surface having bits of bark and wood 

 attached to it. 



The puss-moth, as shown in our 



drawing with the second 



photographic illus- 



>^ta^" ^ ^ j^i^ t ration, appears in 



JN^ =fli|f ^^ — ^*^-^- — -^^^ June. Like the 



t y ^•^/ *• "-^ caterpillar it is subject to consider- 



^ip jAc' J ^\ able variation in markings. 



The Achemon Sphinx and Its 

 Tailed Larva 



NE of the handsomest moths found 

 during August is the Achemon sphinx, 

 shown in the initial illustration. Lin- 

 naeus is said to have long ago applied 

 the name Sphinx to this type of moths 

 from a fanciful rescml)lance of the caterpillar to the Egyp- 

 tian .sphinx. The caterpillar of the Sphingida' behaves in a 

 peculiar manner. On the approach of danger they assume 

 the so-called .sj)hinx attitude, and if .seized or touched, they 

 forcibly throw themselves from one side to the other, seem- 

 ingly attempting to terrify their enemy. The Achemon 

 caterpillar in the accompanying plate illustration shows this 

 singular attitude. The first three segments are retracted 

 within the fourth segment, and in this position they remain 

 immovable for houis at a time. It was found on the leaf 

 stem of the Virginia creeper, clo.se to the ground. 



This species also feeds on the wild grape. Its color is a 

 pinkish brown above, .shading into a rich rus.set below, and is 

 speckled with minute light spots. A row of six large oblique 



