Winter Moths. 



453 



is probably the worst enemy that the fruit-grower 



in this country has to contend with ; and anyone 



acquainted with its work might be pardoned for 



saying that its appearance in winter, when the nights 



are long, is only confirmation of his theory of its 



origin. The fruit-grower who knows his Insect 



enemies will tell us that, in order the better to escape 



his vigilance when she is engaged on her deadly 



work of laying eggs all over his trees, the female 



has got herself up to resemble a spider, and in this 



guise, under cover of winter darkness, she climbs ^''°'" ''-'"^ '-'"■■ '''''-''• ''•'•■''■ 



.. , . r ,, 4^1 u ^u u 1- Mottled L'mber-Motii. 



up the trunk from the earth where the chrysalis ono of the commonest of the winter moths, it 



1 ^ • 11 'iii J.1 1J1 makes its appearance at any time between 



has lam, and deposits her two or three hundred eggs October and March, but chiefly in the last 



•1,1 1, i it v, J CI ■ • • "n L months of the year. The female is a wingless, 



in batches about the buds. She is an insignificant spideriike creature. 

 little creature, her \Nings reduced to a size that enables one to assert that they are 

 there, but for all practical purposes they might as well be entirely wanting. But 

 she has her six legs, and with these she can ascend quickly to the upper branches of 

 the tree if the fruit-grower has not been laying a trap for her feet. This consists 

 of a band of tar and grease around the trunk, which prevents her passage. At 

 least it prevents the passage of the vast majority, but a few contrive by some means 

 to get up above and lay their eggs, or the race would soon be exterminated locally. 

 The male has well-developed wings, expanding to about an inch, of greyish-brown, 

 obscurely lined and dotted with a darker tint. 



When newly laid the eggs are greenish but 

 become orange later. They hatch about April, when 

 the buds are swollen preparatory to bursting and 

 freeing the new leaves. The tiny caterpillars do not 

 wait for this expansion, but bite through the bud- 

 scales and bury their heads in the contents, and so 

 destroy the bud. These are the buds that the tits 

 are seen so industriously to pick off in spring in order 

 that they can appropriate the grubs. The grower 

 will not listen to this exi)lanation, nor see the grubs 

 on the trees : to him the birds are purely malignant 

 pests who, for lack of other occui)ation, are bringing 

 his efforts to ruin. As a matter of fact, birds who 

 have to take their food in such minute portions have 

 no time to spare for amusement : all tluir energies 

 at this season are absorbed in filling the mouths 

 of the dozen youngsters they have at home, to say 

 nothing of their own plusical needs. As the cater- 

 pillar gets too big for this work, and unattacked 



buds unfold their leaves, it spins two or tliree of .\ near relation of the winter moth, but it does 



,1 i_ l_^ 1 r 1 1 \ 11 if not appear until March. It is a female example, 



these together and let^dS UlUler CON'er. .\ll sorts OI and U win be seen that though she has four 



ji- J- -, , , ,• 1 ^ ,1 1 ,- wings, they arefartoosmall to beof the slightest 



trees suner from its depredations, l)ut ihv (Uslruction use in moying her corpulent body. 



i 



\\ Jl. Main, I'.E.S. 



Dotted Border Moth. 



