PINE CATERPILLARS. 775 



its legs until its tip is held between them. The caterpillars spin their 

 cocoons beneath leaves lying in the bottom of the breeding-cage, the 

 moth emerging June 12. It is interesting to see that this, like several 

 other caterpillars of the pine in this country and Europe, are colored 

 red like the pine shoots, and are thus perfectly protected from their 

 enemies. 



Though usually occurring on the white pine late in August and 

 through September, as observed in Maine and Rhode Island, it also 

 occurs on the hackmatack, where we have observed several half grown 

 ones in Maine, August 20. It spins its cocoon about the middle of Sep- 

 tember ; the moth appearing the following June. 



The caterpillars are usually reddish, the color of the base of the pine 

 needles, but occasionally they occur without any trace of red. 



Larva before the last molt. — Head large, roiiuded, reddish, not so wide as the pro- 

 thoracic segment, which is broad, swollen on the side ; a pair of stiff spike-like tufts 

 of hair arise from the two dorsal tubercles, which are reddish at base and blackish at 

 the end. These two are succeeded by a pair one-third as long, and the tubercles be- 

 hind throw off erect as well as laterally radiating reddish hairs. The tufts and 

 tubercles are a little larger on the third segment from the end of the body. There 

 are two rows of lateral hairy warts and a row at the base of the legs. Body and hairs 

 pale rust-red, a lateral irregular whitish stripe sending prolongations upwards ; an 

 interrupted dorsal median white line. Legs reddish. Adapted for protection by its 

 rust- red color, which is like that of the terminal pine twigs. It maybe known by the 

 pale rust-red color, the short thick hairy body, and the prothoracic stiff erect black 

 and red tufts. Length 15™™. 



Larva after the last molt. — The body is black, with sparse, dull, light-yellow hairs 

 radiating from dark or pale mammillae. A pair of long prothoracic straight tufts 

 projecting over the head, and a pair of long similar erect ones on the eighth segment. 

 All the legs reddish. Length, 28™™. Some mature ones at Providence turn black, 

 and in form are like the larva figured by Lintner, the spikes whitish, but the broken 

 lateral line still white. 



Moth. — Antennae pectinated ; fore wings rather triangular, ashen white, dusted 

 with fine dark scales. The fore wings are crossed by a twice-bent basal black line, 

 within which at the insertion of the wing is a short basal spot. A second straight 

 line crosses the wing just before its middle, and from it branches at nearly right 

 angles a line which becomes straight above the second median nervule and parallel 

 to the inner line, thus inclosing a large square area which is concolorous with the 

 rest of the wing. There is a submarginal obscure line, shaded externally with white, 

 which is irregularly zigzag, and runs down more than usual in the second median 

 interspace towards the margin of the wing. Hind wings whitish, especially on the 

 outer border, with a bioad obscure dusky submarginal line. Expanse of wings, 1.50 

 inches. 



99. Apatela oblinita Abb. and Sm, 



The caterpillar of this moth occurred on the pitch pine August 8 to 

 12. It began to spin a cocoon on the 12th by drawing needles together 

 and spinning a cocoon between them, and the moth appeared June 1 

 of the following year. 



Larva. — Body cylindrical, short and thick, with large rounded tubercles from 

 which arise short tufts of radiating yellow hairs, often tipped with black. Body 

 dark green with a broad dorsal longitudinal band. Two lateral interrupted narrow 

 black lines. Head shining black. 



