Il8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and towns in Massachusetts. Its presence in large numbers at Providence 

 R. I., was discovered in 1901 and other infested localities may be reported 

 from time to time. 



Description. It is exceedingly important that residents of this State 

 should know something about the appearance of this insect and what to 

 e.xpect. Do not jump at conclusions and consider the specimen some form 

 of gipsy moth because it bears a general resemblance to the illustrations 

 given herewith. It is much better to send the specimen to an entomologist 

 and secure an authentic determination. Generally speaking, the statement 

 from a nonscicntific person that the object in hand is a gipsy moth is of 

 little or no value and is quite apt to be incorrect. 



The eggs of this insect are deposited usually in round or oval patches 

 [pi. 9, tig. 15 1 on a piece of bark and then covered with the buff-colored 

 scales from the underside of the female's abdomen. A completed egg mass 

 looks very much like a small piece of sponge. The eggs may be found on 

 stones, in tin cans and in fact on almost any fi.xed object near at hand, 

 preferal)ly on the undersurface, particularly of limbs and fence rails. The 

 nearly globular, pale yellowish or salmon-colored eggs are about ' 20 inch 

 in diameter, and there are usually 400 to 500 eggs in a cluster, though 

 occasionally 1000 may be found in an egg mass. 



The young caterpillar is slightly over ' ,0 inch long just after it emerges 

 from the egg. It has a black head, the body is brownish yellow and well 

 clothed with long hairs. 1 here is a prominent hairy tubercle on either side 

 of tht; segment next the head ; this gives the caterpillar a peculiar broad 

 headed appearance, specially in its early stages. The markings become 

 plainer as it increases in size, and when full grown it is from 2 to 2j4 inches 

 long, This caterpillar has a double row of conspicuous warts or tubercles 

 down its back, the eight anterior blue, the 12 remaining red, not counting 

 the four blue ones just behind the head. Similar tubercles also occur on 

 the sides | pi. 9, fig. i6|. 



The somewhat conical, dark brown pupa ranges from ^ to ij^ inches 

 lon^ and is well represented in figure 17 on plate 9. It is usually found 



