162 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



have taken this species of moth on the 16th of May." It thus appears 

 to be double-brooded in the Gulf States. 



Larva. — Body very thick and fleshy, skin thin, segments short and convex, some- 

 what swollen and angulated. The head large, rounded, full above and retractile in 

 the prothoracic segment, which is considerably wider than the head, but much nar- 

 rower than the one succeeding. The head is pale rust-red, and rather hairy in front. 

 The body is of a soft rich pea-green, much paler than the upper side of an oak leaf 

 and even than the under side. The front edge of the prothoracic segment is straw- 

 yellow and on its anterior edge are four widely separated yellow warts, each bearing 

 a black hair. Two dorsal rows on second (meso) to tenth segment behind the head 

 of prominent spherical mammillae, bearing two to three pale yellowish hairs: those 

 on the tirst four segments rich yellow, those behind tinged with orange-red and glis- 

 tening with silver. Two lateral rows of similar tubercles in color and form, reddish 

 behind the fourth segment. The two rows are very wide apart, the lower row next 

 to bases of abdominal and thoracic feet. The spiracles are slightly nearer the lower 

 than upper lateral row of mammillae. They are bright brick-red. A faint straight 

 oblique pale yellow band connects the upper and lower tubercles on each segment, 

 there being six such bands. 



Supra-anal plate forming almost an equilateral triangle, subacute, the edge thick- 

 ened and broadly marked with a bright varnish brown, forming a distinct brown V) 

 the hind edge of the broad anal legs also of the same hue of brown. Thoracic feet 

 rust-red. Abdominal feet concolorous with the body. Along the lateral ridge are 

 numerous short hairs. Length 65 mm ; thickness 13 mm. 



220. The buck moth or maia moth. 

 Hemileuca maia (Drury). 



This fine insect feeds on the oak, as Harris says, in company when 

 small, but dispersing when becoming larger; the caterpillar eats the 

 leaves of various kinds of oaks and stings very sharply when handled. 

 In the New England States the moth flies in July and early in August, 

 but is usuall^^ rarely seen so far to the northeast. In Illinois and Mis- 

 souri, according to Riley (fifth Missouri report), it is more abundant, and 

 in Illinois is called the buck moth or deer moth, because seen flying 

 late in autumn when the deer run. The species under its ordinary form 

 ranges from Maine to Georgia and westward to Kansas ; it has also been 

 rarely found west of the Eocky Mountains at Dayton, Nev., flying 

 about willows in August (var. neradensis Stretch). I possess a male 

 from Colorado which has still wider white bands on both wings than 

 figured by Stretch. It also inhabits California {californica Stretch). 

 The Californian moth apparently agrees, as Riley states, with Dr. Lint- 

 ner's variety bred in ]S"ew York ; the fore wings having no pale mark- 

 ings. It thns appears to range from 

 Maine to California ; southward through- 

 oat the Gulf State and to Nevada. 

 ,, .„ „ , Riley states that the leaves of our dif- 



Fii;. o6. — i/. waia. eggs natural 8ize.— 



After Riley. ercut oaks afiford the usual food, and that 



" the black masses of the prickly larvse 



are sometimes quite abundant on the young post, black, and red oaks 



along the Iron Mountain region." He has also found them abundantly 



