24** ORDER LEPIDOPTER*. 



There M«iu9 to I* onsiilrrnhlr riirinti<>n in the flzc ami color? of this jialntcd moih, 

 possibly due in |«rt to sex. In tlic fli;im< nf Dhih^, the uiitnlor wingit are dark, with 

 yellow niarRinul duts. A Caltxala Tuumt in Wrnlcru MuvsarliuM-tls lua the dark anterior 

 wiugH tttid di'tttxl nuirKiu ; while the uiuth is larger, the r«tl bells of the biodwings are 

 l>riuhiiT,and the |»»>ttri<>r mjirj;in is ulnio^t rllintcand Je^o»i^h \^ny. But anotiur, mar- 

 ly lis UrKi*. is luilcand u>hen,utid the inrt-rior witigshatc Yi-II>>w iii>tea<l uf vermilion nd. 

 Another still is small, nUmt 1 \ inch in eiipaasion, with yelK-w also ; but has the angular 

 s{iot, and other nmrkini;<t similar in fashion to Dkihv'k figure. 



There s».^'ta to U> gradations iN.th in size nml »l«|.th of rol..ring, whirh are m-t huflirient 

 to distinguish s|Hxlcs, but may estnldish varieties ; but ns I liave U-fore me only six In- 

 dividuAls, I may bo mistaken In my estimate of the Importance of their diflerences. 



Gconu'tridac. 



SPANWOUMiJ, LO(jrKnS, Ac. 



Tin: insects of this fjimily move over the gr<jund,or along the branches of trw'.<. in dislimt 

 st<*|>s, as if measuring their pn)gress, by alternately flexing and ext4>nding their IkmHcs from 

 |>oint to point. The mamriivre is iH-rformeil by first extending the nnttriir extremity of the 

 body as far ahead as it will reach, ami then bringing forward the i>oslerior extremity by 

 elevating the middle jw.rtion of the InKiy, s<i that the extnnics are brought into c<.nloct, 

 and the wh"le takes the form of a looj' ; and thus by successive stei>s they measure their 

 route according to the length of their IxKlies. Their legs, which are usually ten on each 

 worm, ore emj>loye«l rather in fixing the IxKJy at its successive jwiinls of rest, than in in- 

 dejK-ndcnt movements of the feet. They necessarily move slow ; and as they occujiy bushes 

 and trees in feeding, and must seek the ground to unilergr> transf trmatlon, they are pro- 

 vid«l with the apparatus and means of spinning a thread, by which they are enabled to 

 let themselves fjulckly ilown to the gn^nnd ; and In cases of alarm they fre<juently do this, 

 remaining «nspende«l until the dancer is j-nst, when they return to their fe<-<liiig by aid of 

 mouth and feet, seizing the thread alxn'e with the jaws, and then drawing up the Knly by 

 doubling it as l>efore descrilx-*!. They are destitute of hairs. 



When the spanwomi g<>e« t-) rest. It fixes itself by the posterior feet, and lifts Its Uxly 

 up and sustains It stiffly in an angular and mctionlrss posture, thereby counterfeiting the 

 appearance of a short bmkendead twigof the branch on which it reposes, with the instinct 

 of eluding If possible the searching eyes and devouring beaks of htiiuoy birds. 



To the F'amily Gi/iMirrKin.T. I>eh>ng some of the most destructive moths, particniarly 

 the cankerworms. Those which an- Injurious to fhiit trees have tisu.iHy thin angnlatcd 

 wings ; but they are wanting In the female, or merely ru<linient.ir}-, and hence are ^erj' 

 iuie<iual In this resi>ect : this fact gave origin to the name onm/)/crij-, 'une(|ual-wlng8.* 



