300 FIFTH EEPOET OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



Full-fed larvce, — White, covered with white hairs in short spreading tufts, a row of 

 eight black tufts ou the fourth segment ; two long, black, pencil-like tufts ou the 

 fourth aud tenth segments ; four white pencils on the second and third, and two on 

 the eleventh and twelfth segments. Head and prolegs black, the surface of the 

 body with minute black tubercles, and a transverse black line between each segment. 

 (Harris.) 



The moth. — Very light ocher yellow; the long narrow-pointed fore wings are thickly 

 sprinkled with little brown dots, and have two oblique brownish streaks passing 

 backwards from the front edge, with three rows of white semi-transparent spots 

 parallel to the outer hind margin ; hind wings very thin, semi-transparent, and with- 

 out spots. The wings expand about 2 inches. (Harris.) 



47. The luxa moth. 



Actias luna (Linnaeus). 



Order Lepidoptera ; family BoMBYCiDiE. 



Devouring the leaves in August, a large thick-bodied caterpillar, about 3 inches 

 long, apple green, each segment with six small bright rose-red elevated dots, aud low 

 down along each side a pale yellow line running lengthwise immediately above the 

 lower row of dots, from which line at each of the sutures a pale yellow line extends 

 upward upon the sides. Spinning a large oval cocoon, which is found among the 

 fallen leaves; the moth, one of our largest insects, appearing late in May and during 

 June; pale green, with eye-like spots in the center of each wing, the hinder pair pro- 

 longed into two long, broad "tails." 



48. The American silk worm. 

 Telea polyphemiis (Linu.). 



Mr. D. L. Harris, of Cuba, III., writes me that he has found this cater- 

 pillar more abundantly upon the hickory than upon the oak. Mrs. 

 Dimraock has contributed the following bibliographical account to 

 Psyche, iv, 278: 



Attacus lunalAun. (Syst. Nat., 1758, ed. 10, p. 210). Harris (Kept. Ins., Injur. Veg. 

 1841, p. 277-278) describes larva, cocoon, and imago, and gives Juglans and Carya as 

 food-plants; he repeats (Treatise on Ins. Injur. Veg., 186'^, p. .382-384) these descrip- 

 tions, adding a figure of the cocoon and imago ; later (Entom. Corresp., 1869, p. 293- 

 234, pi. 4, fig. 14) he describes and figures the larva, specifying the food-plants as 

 Carya porcina and Juglans chierea. Morris (Synop. Lepid. N. A., 1862, p. 225-226) de- 

 scribes the larva and imago. Trouvelot (Amer. Nat., Mar. 1867, v. 1, p. 31) gives a 

 note on the cocoon, aud adds Quercus aud Flatanus to the food-plants. Miuot (Can. • 

 Entom., Nov. 1869, v. 2, p. 2r) describes the egg. Riley (4th Aun. Kept. State Entom. 

 Mo., 1872, p. 123-125) describes the egg and larva, which he states to have five stages, 

 and figures larva, cocoon, and imago; among food-plants he mentions Liquidambar, 

 Fagus, Betula, Salix, and plum. Lintuer (Entom. Coutrib., No. 3, 1874, p. 126-128) 

 describes the larva, which molts four times. Gentry (Can. Entom., May 1874, v. ♦>, p. 

 86) describes the normal form of the larva, and a variety of it. Bunker (Can. Entom., 

 April 1875, v. 7, p, 63) mentions how to distinguish the cocoon of this species from 

 tli&t oi A. poly phermis. Rogers (Can. Entom. 1875, v. 7; Aug. p. 141-143; Oct., p. 

 199-200) describes egg, larva, cocoon, and imago. Thaxter (Psj^che, Sept. [10 Nov.] 

 1876, V. 1, p, 194) adds Ostrya virginica and Castanea to the food-plants of the larva. 



