WINTEE MOTH* 341 



following is just a short general note of these changes, taken 

 from Dr. Taschenberg's more detailed description. 



When hatched they are greyish, afterwards of a yellowish 

 green, faintly striped with white along the back, and with 

 dark head and mark on the neck. Afterwards the dark colour 

 is thrown off, the green is of a clearer tint, and the white 

 stripes plainer, and after the last moult the caterpillars are of 

 a yellower green, with a light brown shining head. A stripe 

 of darker colour down the back is probably (or, at least, in 

 part) from the food showing through the skin. When full- 

 grown they are about an inch long. 



Whilst still small and weak the caterpillars attack the 

 most tender part of the young growths, but gradually (in bad 

 cases) sweep everything eatable — buds, flowers, leaves, or 

 growing fruit — before them, until the ravaged tree, with the 

 remains of brown spun-up knots of leaves on it, looks as if it 

 had been scorched by fire. They prey on many kinds of 

 trees besides the orchard trees, where they are especially 

 injurious to us ; and when full-fed, which may be from the 

 middle to the end of May and sometimes as late as June, they 

 leave the trees (as far as is recorded, by letting themselves 

 down by their threads) and go down into the ground, where 

 they turn to chrysalids near the surface, from which most of 

 the moths come up in autumn. 



Some of the moths, however, remain in the chrysalis state 

 during winter, and do not come out until the following spring ; 

 and the brood from these spring moths coming later than the 

 others accounts for the succession of appearance of young 

 caterpilhrs sometimes observed.* 



The reader will please to observe, that the following 

 long observations on means of prevention and remedy of damage 

 f7'om Winter Moth, are placed imder this heading because not 

 only are those named of service in counteracting this attack, but 

 also the different classes of treatment mentioned are serviceable 

 with regard to many other kinds of attacks, and are therefore 

 given in detail here, ivith references to them throughout the 

 volume, to save repetition. 



The " greases " or " lubricants " are of use in stopping traffic 

 of ivingless pests ; the various kinds of soft-soap and mineral oil 

 emulsions are useful as " washes " or " sprays,'' in many kinds 

 of attack, to leafage or branches ; and the Paris-green, as being 

 newly introduced as a satisfactory caterpillar remedy {when used 



* For good accounts of the life-history of the Winter Moth see ' Praktische 

 Insekten-Kunde,' by Dr. Taschenberg ; likewise the account in 'Brit. Moths,' 

 by Edw. Newman, and likewise that given in KoUar's ' Insects Injurious to 

 Gardeners, Foresters &c.' 



