140 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Tlie larva of 1. alhosigma is closely allied in shape and iii the two dorsal abdoininal dark 

 tubercles to the European 7. rcclusa, except that the tubercles iu the American species are nuich 

 larger and more prominent. 



Fitch states that the "white strii)es along each side form divers-shaped rings and letter-like 

 marks. The stripes upon the back are interrupted upon the two humped segments." 



Cocoon. — "Formed of yellowish gray silk, loosely woven and attached to the underside of a 

 leaf." (Fitch, p. 27.~..) 



Food plant. — Spepies of Poi)uhis, the aspen, etc.; poitlar and willow (l>eutenmiiller). 



Geographical distribution. — This flue species extends throughout the Appalachian into the 

 Campestrian subprovince as far as the Rocky Mountains, in this region, however, varying from 

 the type in being ''much paler." Orouo, Me.; Amherst, Mass. (Mrs. Fernald, Riley, IT. S. Nat. 

 Mus.); Maine (Mas. Comp. Zoo].); Massachusetts, July 15 (Sanborn); Providence, R. I. (J. 

 Bridgham); New York (Fitch); Plattsburg, N. Y. (Hudson); Ohio, July (Riley); Seattle, Wash, 

 (coll. of Professor Johnson, tide Dyar); Portland, Orcg. (Dyar); Canada, Maine, Newton, Mass.; 

 New York, Wisconsin, Tiitin, Ohio (French); var. .^pecijlca, ^Manitou, Colo. (Dyar, French). 



Habits. — Fitch, who has carefully observed the habits of this species, states that the 

 caterpillar attains its full size about the middle of July. 



Several of the cateriiillars commonly live together upon .i jiartii-ular limb, which tliey strip of its leaves, 

 eating all the leaf except its median and portions of the other coarse veins. They constrnct a kind of nest by 

 drawing two or more leaves together with the silken threads which they spin from their mouths, forming a hollow, 

 ball-like cavity within, iu which they repose when not eug.aged in feeding. Three of these caterpillars which I 

 transferred with their uests to a feeding cage on the 11th of .Inly all spun their cocoon within the nest a day or two 

 afterward. Tlio moths all came out on the 25th of July, tjius remaining in their puji.a state but a little over a week. 

 The moth crawls from its cocoon, and, with its fore feet" clinging to a twig, hangs perpendicularly downward, 

 swinging with the breezes until its wings become dry and stiti'. It then discharges one or more drops of an opaque 

 birch-red Uuid and takes to flight. (Fitch.) 



Subfamily V. NOTODONTIN^E. 



Moth. — Head moderately large, but not ])rominent; i antenuie often feebly pectinated to the 

 tips, often with short stout branches ciliated at the tips; in the 9 either ciliated or simple 

 (Symmerista). Palpi moderately long, reaching to the front of the head, or unusually long 

 (Symmerista). Thorax either smooth or with a high tuft. Fore wings usually broad, with the 

 costa often convex and the apex well rounded; internal edge with a tuft in the more typical 

 genera; costal region usually rather wide or sometimes narrower (I'heosia). Subcostal cell either 

 absent or present. Abdomen full, not forked at the end in the 5 . 



Egfj. — Low hemispherical; shell finely pitted with polygonal areas. 



Larva. — The boily either smooth, subnoctuiform, with no markings except a lateral line 

 (Nadata and Lo'phodouta), or huin[)ed either on the eighth abdominal (Pheosia, Dasyloj^hia, 

 Symmerista)' or on second and third or on several (4—")) of the abdominal segments (Notodonta), 

 or on al)doniinal segments 1-S (Nerice); the dorsal hiimits in Pheosia bearing a liorn in the 

 American s|)ecies. All except Nadata and Lophodonta gaily banded, spotted, or otherwise 

 (conspicuously colored and mai^ked, with bright longitudinal stripes. 



Cocoon. — Either thin and slight or the larva enters the ground to pupate; in Pheosia a 

 subterranean earthen cell lined with silk. 



Pupa. — Body somewhat elongateil; head not prominent; creuuxster either obsolete, without 

 spines (Lophodonta), or ending iu a broad spinulatcd stout plate or ending in two stout .spines 

 (Symmerista), or armed with four spines (Nadata); or the si)ine is very long, slender, cylindrical, 

 and ending iu two hooks (Nericej, no subfamily pupal characters being present. 



.SYNOPSIS OI'- THE GEXF.KA OF NOTODOXTIX.i;. 



A very hlgli thoracic tuft; palpi large; species yellow ocherous. with two twin silvery white discal s])ots; outer- 

 edge of wings scalloped Xcifluta 



Fore wings with a tuft on the inner edge; palpi large; antenu;e with slightly larger branches than in Xotodonta. 



Lojilwduiila- 



