55 



along the top of the back, and a wide dusky stripe on each side of the 

 body. 



The female is almost wingless, and for this reason their spreading is slow 

 and could be entirely prevented by placing bands with sticky material 

 which is used to capture the wingless female of the canker worm. As a 

 general thing the damage is not very serious, and the caterpillars being 

 very conspicuous they can easily be seen and destroyed. The eggs are laid 

 on the cocoon and are covered with a large quantity of frothy matter, 

 which, on exposure, becomes hard and brittle. The wingless female has 

 a large heavy body, and is of a light gray color. The male has large gray 

 wings marked with darker stripes. 



THR RED-HUMPED CATERPILLAR. 



Notodonta Concinna. Order, Lepidoptera; Family, Bomhycidx. 



The name given to this insect is a very good one, being taken from its 

 most characteristic point. 



It has been reported in various portions of the State, and proved itself 

 quite troublesome in certain parts of Sonoma for some seasons past, feed- 

 ing principally in apple trees. 



Evidently it has two broods in the season — perhaps three — as I saw it there in Jul.v, and 

 specimens of the larv£e were sent to me again this fall. The insect is well known in the 

 East and is well described by Harris. As it has not been mentioned here in any previous 

 report, we take the liberty of copying from him. The eggs from which they proceed are 

 laid in the month of July, in clusters on the under side of the leaf, generally near the end 

 of a branch. When first hatched they eat only the substance of the under side of the leaf, 

 leaving the skin of the upper side and all the veins untouched ; but as thej' grow larger 

 and stronger, whole leaves from the point to the stalk, and go from leaf to leaf down the 

 twigs and branches. The j'oung caterpillars are lighter colored than the old ones, which 

 are yellowish brown, paler on the sides, and longitudinally striped with slender, black 

 lines; the head is red; on the top of the fourth ring there is a bunch or hump, also of a 

 reddish color; along the back are several short black prickles; and the hinder extremity 

 tapers somewhat, and is always elevated at an angle with the rest of the body, when the 

 insect is not crawling. The full grown caterpillars measure one inch and a quarter, or 

 rather more, in length. They rest close together on twigs when not eating, and some- 

 times entirely cover small twigs and ends of branches. The early broods come and 

 leave the trees by the middle of August, and the others between this time and the latter 

 part of September. All the caterpillars of the same brood descend at one time, and dis- 

 appear in the night. They conceal themselves under leaves or just beneath the surface 

 of the soil, and make their cocoons, which resemble those of the unicorn (Notodonta). 

 They remain a long time in their cocoons before changing to clirysalids, and are trans- 

 formed to moths towards the end of June or the beginning of July. Mr. Abbott states 

 that in Georgia these insects breed twice a year, the first broods making their cocoons 

 towards the end of May, and appearing in the winged form fifteen days afterwards. This 

 Notodonta is a neat and trim-looking moth, and hence is called concinna. It is of a light- 

 brown color; the fore wings are dark brown along the inner margin, and more or less 

 tinged with gray before; there is a dark-brown dot near the middle, a spot of the same 

 color near each "angle, a very small triangular whitish spot near the shoulders, and several 

 dark-brown longitudinal streaks on the outer hind margin ; the hind wings of the male 

 are brownish or dirty white, with a brown spot on the inner hind angle. Those of tlie 

 other sex are dusky brown; the body is light brown, with thorax rather darker. The 

 wings expand from one inch to one inch and three eighths. 



nemcdlcs. 



As they maintain their gregarious habits during their entire larval state, they can be 

 gathered or destroyed either by cutting off the limbs" they are on or by jarring the branches. 



When but a few" caterpillars are seen handpicking will suffice. Where they are num- 

 erous spraying -with Paris green, at the rate of one pound to two hundred gallons, would 

 be useful. This caterpillar is especially fond of apple and plum 'eaves. 



