3l6 NEW YORK STATE MfSEUM 



prevalent in the vicinity of Albany, that parties desirous of collecting 

 the leaves fur medicinal ])urposes experienced great difficulty in finding 

 uninjured ones. A similar condition obtained over a considerable portion 

 of Massachusetts. This attack is In- no means un])recedentecl, though it is 

 of more than usual int(-r(;st on account of the large territor\- involved, 

 'i his species was reported to 1 )r I.iiilncr as \ery prexalent about Scotts- 

 viUe, Monroe co. in iSS6, antl in 1S91 it seriously injured birches about 

 Ausable I'orks X. \. 1 )r James bdetcher, entomologist of the Central 

 E.\periment,:l I'"arms, ( )tlawa Can., stated in 1892, that for the previous 

 three years birches of all kintls in the vicinity of Ottawa had been severely 

 damageil b\- this insect. l)r Packard calls attention to the general occur- 

 rence of this species in I'i'oxidence R. I., and in adjoining portions of 

 Massachusetts, during the samt; \car. 



Description. The delicate little moth has been described by Dr 

 Fletclier as follows. 



.^b)th small, wings e.xpanding .v;^ of an inch. General color, bright 

 brown, the wings crossed with silvery white bars, three of these run from 

 the outer edge about half way across the wings obliquely towards the apex, 

 and there two shorter subtriangular blotches on the inner margin of each 

 forewing. These latter, when the wings are closed, form two white dorsal 

 saddles, the anterior of which is slightly the larger, and is followed closely 

 by a tuft of raised black scales, .^t the extremities of the forewings are 

 also several raised black scales, a few of which are separated into an apical 

 spot by an irregular narrow white" band. The cilia of the fringes are pale 

 brown. Head white; frontal tuft dark brown in the center; antennae 

 brown, slender, about 's of an inch long. Thorax brown with margins 

 including the bases of the forewings, wliite. Leg and bodv pale fuscous, 

 silvery. 



riu' full grown caterpillars measure less than '4 inch long, are very 

 slender in I irm Ami taper considerabl)- at each e\tremit\-. Deep incisions 

 divide the body into will marked, rounded segments. The head is long, 

 slightly bilobed, and of a ])ale brown color, body light green or yellowish 

 green and l)ears short hairs on small tubercles. The caterpillar walks 

 slowly, and when disturbed, drops from the leaf and suspends itself l)y a 

 thread. The moiling cocoon has been described by Dr Packard as being 



