244 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



honey-yellow color; hind wings with a short rounded tail on 

 the hind angles, and a broad silvery band across the middle of 

 the under side. Expands from 2 to 2} inches. 



This large and beautiful insect makes its appearance, from 

 the middle of June till after the beginning of July, upon sweet- 

 scented flowers, which it visits during the middle of the day. 

 Its flight is vigorous and rapid, and its strength is so great 

 that it cannot be captured without danger of its being greatly 

 defaced in its struggles to escape. The females lay their eggs, 

 singly, on the leaves of the common locust-tree {Robitiia 

 pseiulacacia), and on those of the viscid locust [Rohinia vis- 

 cosa), which is much cultivated here as an ornamental tree. 

 The caterpillars are hatched in July, and when quite small 

 conceal themselves under a fold of the edge of a leaf, which is 

 bent over their bodies and secured by means of silken threads. 

 When they become larger they attach two or more leaves 

 together, so as to form a kind of cocoon or leafy case to shelter 

 them from the weather, and to screen them from the prying 

 eyes of birds. The full-grown caterpillar, which attains to the 

 length of about two inches, is of a pale green color, trans- 

 versely streaked with darker green, with a red neck, a very 

 large head roughened with minute tubercles, slightly indented 

 or furrowed above, and of a dull red color, with a large yellow 

 spot on each side of the mouth. Although there may be and 

 often are many of these caterpillars on the same tree and 

 branch, yet they all live separately within their own cases. 

 One end of the leafy case is left open, and from this the insect 

 comes forth to feed. They eat only, or mostly, in the night, 

 and keep themselves closely concealed by day. These cater- 

 pillars are very cleanly in their habits, and make no dirt in 

 their habitations, but throw it out with a sudden jerk, so that 

 it shall fall at a considerable distance. They frequently trans- 

 form to chrysalids within the same leaves which have served 

 them for a habitation, but more often quit the trees and con- 

 struct in some secure place a cocoon of leaves or fragments of 

 stubble, the interior of which is lined with a loose web of silk. 

 They remain in their cocoons without further change through- 

 out the winter, and are transformed to butterflies in the follow- 



