334 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



and a half in length. They live together, in swarms of twenty 

 or more individuals, in a nest made of a single leaf folded or 

 curled at the sides, and lined with a thin web of silk. An 

 opening is left at each end of the nest; through the lower one 

 the dirt made by the insects falls, and through the upper one, 

 which is next to the leaf-stalk, the caterpillars go out to feed 

 upon the leaves near to their nests. When young they some- 

 times fold up one side of a leaf for a nest, and eat the other 

 half. The stalks of the leaves, to which their nests are hung, 

 become covered with silk from the threads carried along by 

 the caterpillars in going over them; and these threads help to 

 secure the nests to the branches. They eat all parts of the 

 leaves except the stalks and larger veins, and frequently strip 

 long shoots of their foliage in a very few days. Towards the 

 end of September or early in October, according to the age of 

 the different broods, they descend from the trees, disperse, and 

 seek a shelter in crevices or under leaves and rubbish on the 

 ground, where they make their cocoons. These are thin, 

 irregular, silken webs, so loosely spun that the insects can be 

 seen through them; but they are protected by their situation, 

 or by the dead leaves and other matters under which they are 

 made. As soon as the cocoons are finished, the insects become 

 chrysalids, and remain quiet through the winter; and about the 

 middle of June, or somewhat later, they are transformed to 

 moths. They belong to the genus Clostera, or spinner, so 

 named on account of the spinning habits of the caterpillars. 

 The antennae are narrowly feathered or pectinated in both 

 sexes; the thorax has an elevated crest in the middle; the tail 

 is tufted and turned up at the end, in the males; the fore legs 

 are thickly covered with hairs to the end, and are stretched 

 out before the body when the insect is at rest. Our poplar 

 spinner may be called Clostera Americana, the American Clos- 

 tera. It closely resembles the European anastomosis, from 

 which, however, it differs essentially in its caterpillar state, 

 and the moth presents certain characters, which, on. close com- 

 parison with the European insect, will enable us to distinguish 

 it from the latter. It is of a brownish gray color; the fore 

 wings are faintly tinged with pale lilac, and more or less 



