WOOD LEOPARD MOTH. 133 



affected than timber. The caterpillar is white or 

 yellow, spotted with black (figured, p. 132), and pre- 

 cisely the same remedial measures are applicable 

 as for the destruction of the caterpillar of the Goat 

 Moth. 



The various kinds of attacks of Moth caterpillars 

 are so many, and the injuries they cause so great, that 

 in whatever point we may select now for study it 

 seems at the cost of leaving out something else of 

 importance ; but in these short dry details I have 

 tried to draw attention to some four or five principles 

 of preventing or remedying attack : — 



One is taking away shelter (as in the case of Cabbage 

 caterpillars) . Another, the possibility of hand-picking, 

 shaking down, gathering, or whatever term we use 

 for it, being so managed as to be a practicable and 

 paying operation, instead of a ridiculous loss of time. 

 Another is prevention of egg-laying on fruit bushes, 

 by keeping them so properly pruned that there is no 

 attraction of cracks and crevices. We have also 

 noticed that the caterpillars may be smoked or 

 poisoned in their burrows, — a simple piece of know- 

 ledge, but yet one which some few years ago would 

 have been of great service in saving Coffee shrubs in 

 one of our colonies. Further, we have noticed that 

 with webbing caterpillars it is decidedly well, before 

 we pay our visit, to see if the family are at home. 



Orchard MotJi-caterpillars, that is, the caterpillars 

 of moths of various kinds, and various also in some 

 points of their structure, and in many points of 

 their habits (excepting that of damaging or totally 

 devouring the leafage of our common orchard fruit 

 trees), are a class of injurers to which for some years 

 back attention has been absolutely necessitated. 



With the great increase of the fruit industry, we 

 have now areas of thousands of trees where formerly 

 these were counted by hundreds, and we have a con- 

 sequent increase in amount of the attendant fruit-tree 

 insect vermin. Where there is a large extent of 



