78 CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE. 



them, resemble in some respects the Psychidse. The young larva of 

 Cicinnus melsheimeri, immediately after hatching, draws together two 

 small leaves with strands of silk, and makes between them its hiding- 

 place. Afterwards, when more mature, it detaches two pieces of leaves, 

 and makes out of them a case which it carries about with it, and which 

 it can desert at will. When at rest it ties the case to a station selected 

 with a few strands of silk, which it bites off when it desires again to 

 start on a journey among the branches. The larva of Lacosoma makes 

 a case by doubling a leaf at the midrib, cutting it off at the petiole, and 

 taking it with it as a portable house. There are only two genera of 

 this family in our fauna. It is more abundantly represented in the 

 tropics of South America." 



The family Psyehidse is of more interest to us, however, as in it we 

 find the bag-worms, or basket-worms, so called from the curious habit 

 the larvae have of making for themselves a case, or basket, or shelter, 

 composed of pieces of leaves, grass, or fragments of wood or other vege- 

 table substances. These fragments are carefully joined together and 

 lined with silk, spun by the insect. In this case the caterpillar lives 

 securely, and carries it along wherever it goes, much as the snail does 

 its shell. It does not do much damage in our State, as it confines itself 

 to conifers and is not very common. When the bag-worm has attained 

 its full growth, it attaches the bag to a twig and changes to a pupa 

 within it. The male emerges a full-winged insect, but the female is 

 wingless and never leaves the sack, laying the eggs for a new generation 

 within the house she has inhabited during her life. 



The family Coehlidiidse consists of slug-like caterpillars, and con- 

 tains a number of interesting, modest green or brown moths. They 

 are usually of small size and very densely clothed with scales or hair. 

 The larvae resemble slugs in their general form, being usually oblong 

 in shape and flattened. They have no visible legs and move like slugs. 

 Some of these larvee have stinging powers, and can inflict a sharp, 

 burning sting when carelessly handled. 



The family Megalopyg-idae, or flannel moths, is a small family of 

 whitish moths, having their wings densely clothed with long, curly 

 hairs resembling bits of flannel. Their larvae have ten pairs of legs — 

 three pairs of true legs and seven pairs of prolegs — a larger number 

 than in any other family of lepidopterous larvae. The cocoons have a 

 trap door, through which the moth escapes after it has passed its 

 metamorphosis. 



The family Dalceridse is a small one, of no interest to the fruit-grower. 



The family Epipyropldse is of interest to us from the fact that it is a 

 family of parasitic moths. Among all the vegetable pests of this order. 



