3fi 



feeding in company and protecting themselves with a web makes 

 them often very conspicuous. The adult moth is about an inch 

 and-a-quavter across the expanded wings, a. figure 25, f. figure 

 26. It varies somewhat in color, often being pure white, as in 

 figine 26, but also often more or less marked with black, some of 

 the variatif)ns being seen in figure 25, which is copied from one of 

 Ri lev's. 



Figure 25. 



Variation in marking ok wings of Fall Weis Worm. 

 a. Female resting on a leaf. b. Cluster of eggs. 



The females lay their eggs early in the summer on a leaf or 

 twig. The eggs hatch during July and August ; some of the broods 

 are early and some aie late. Soon after hatching, the little worms 

 begin to spin silk threads which form the web beneath the shelter 

 of which they live in companies. These webs may cover a con- 

 siderable part of a branch. The tent caterpillar uses its web 

 merely as a shelter at night or during stormy days, and leaves it 

 during the feeding time ; the web worm differs from it in that it 

 does not leave the web at all until mature. As the leaves covered 

 by the web have been devoured the web is extended over new ones. 

 When the larvic are full grown they have the general appearance 

 seen in figure 26 a. b. c. which shows them enlarged somewhat. 

 As the figure shows, the larva varies in much the same manner as 

 does the moth in coloration ; some being bright, others dark. They 

 are about an inch long ; the body is rather thinly covered with 

 gray hairs, among which are a few black ones. The general color 

 is yellowish green, dotted or otherwise marked with black. There 



