194 APPLE-TREE CATERPILLAR THE MATURE WORMS. 



gray, the head velvety black, and the body was clothed with numerous ash 

 gray hairs of different lengths. 



After the second moult it was half an inch long and nearly cylindric, the 

 head being scarcely any broader than the body. It was black and hairy, the 

 neck with numerous long hairs directed forward and overhanging the head, 

 which was velvety black. A broad dull blue stripe extended along the back 

 and a narrower wavy brighter blue one along each side, with several short 

 curved blue lines between them. 



After Ihe third moult it was three-fourths of an inch long, with yellowish 

 white hairs, and' stripes, &c, much the same as before. 



After the fourth moult it was 0.95 long, of a velvet black color with numer- 

 ous yellowish or fox-colored hairs, with a white stripe down the back and nu- 

 merous short crinkled white lines on the back and sides; a large black spot on 

 each side of each segment, in the hind part of which spot was a transverse oval 

 pale blue spot having an impressed line across it; a second pale blue spot in 

 the crinkled white lines below the black spot. 



The full grown caterpillar is about two inches long and over a quarter of an 

 inch thick, cylindrical, sixteen-footed, and thinly clothed with line soft yellow- 

 ish or fox-colored hairs of different lengths, the longest ones measuring a quar- 

 ter of an inch. These hairs are rather more numerous upon the neck, where 

 they project obliquely forwards, shielding in some measure the head, which is 

 black and furnished with shortish black hairs. The body is of a deep black 

 color. A white stripe extends along the back its entire length, commencing 

 upon the second or the base of the first segment back of the head. In this 

 stripe are numerous minute black dots. On each side of it are a number of 

 short crinkled irregular longitudinal lines, of a yellow color, which become 

 paler down upon the sides. Above the lowermost series of these lines is a row 

 of transverse oval pale blue spots, one upon the middle of each segment. On 

 the anterior side of each of these spots is a broader deep velvety black spot, as it 

 appears to the naked eye, forward of which is a rather faint pale blue oblong spot 

 or short stripe, reaching to the anterior margin of the segment. Lower down 

 the sides are mottled with the same tint of pale blue coloring, interspersed with 

 short crinkled pale yellow or whitish lines. The under side of the body and 

 the legs are black, the soles of theprolegs white. The neck or anterior edge of 

 the segment next to the head is also white, with two small somewhat square 

 yellow spots above. 



Early in June, as these caterpillars approach maturity they 

 lose their social habits and leave the trees on which they have 

 been bred, wandering about and feeding upon whatever foliage 

 they find that is palatable to them. Being now so large and 

 well fed, they are able to travel considerable distances, and can 

 sustain themselves on such a variety of plants that they incur 

 little risk of suffering from hunger. For a number of days at 

 this period they may be seen everywhere, on plants in our yards 

 and gardens, or crawling along fences and upon the walls of 

 buildings, and frequently entering our dwellings at the open 



