310 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



tinged with reddish-brown, and with the head giving off faint metallic colors ; palpi 

 blackisli on the outside. Fore-wiugs rather broad; just within the basal third a 

 straight line of raised scales, extending from the inner edge and stopping short of 

 the subcostal vein, conspicuously black externally with bright vermilion (some- 

 times wanting), which usually reaches the costal edge. Base of wing slightly paler 

 than middle of the wing. A light, triangular, paler shade in the costal region of the 

 middle of the wing, inclosing two small, conspicuous twin black dots. A submar- 

 ginal faint, pale, narrow line curving outward in the middle, and with four or five 

 acute scallops. Fringe concolorous with the rest of the wing. Hind wings pale, 

 glistening, cinereous. Beneath, fore-wiugs quite dusky, with no markings ; hind 

 wings much paler, growing darker toward the costa. Legs dark ash, paler at the 

 ends of the joints, especially the hind tibse, which have a whitish band around them ; 

 hind legs whitish within. Length of body, male, .40; female, .40 inch; of fore- 

 wings, male, .38 to .40; female, .40 inch. Orono, Me., and Providence, R. I. 



This species is at once recognized by the broad bright-red transverse 

 stripe just within the middle of the wing. This stripe varies much, 

 being sometimes not present, at others not reaching the costal edge. 

 In one additional specimen from Maine the fore-wiug has scattered 

 reddish scales at base and beyond the middle, while the dark trans- 

 verse stripe is wanting, and the red portion forms a broad transverse 

 bright-red band. The larva lives in June and early in July between 

 the leaves of the alder, whore it makes a horn-shaped case of black 

 cylindrical pellets of excrement, arranged regularly in circles, the 

 additions being made around the mouth of the case. The case is about 

 an inch and a half long, its mouth a quarter of an inch in diameter. 

 Within it is densely lined with white silk. The pupa is of the usual 

 color, mahogany brown ; the end of the abdomen rounded, with six 

 hairs projecting from a transverse supra-anal projecting ridge. On 

 each abdominal segment is a dorsal dusky transverse stripe, widest on 

 the basal segment. The pupa state lasts about two weeks, the moth 

 which I reared in Maine appearing July 24, the larva having been found 

 July 6. 



The Museum of the Peabody Academy of Science also contains ten 

 specimens of this moth, reared by Mr. J. H. Emerton. The larvfe were 

 found feeding on the sweet fern {Comptonia aspenifolia Ait.), July 7, 

 1866, at Hamilton, Mass., the moth appearing July 20. The case is 

 quite different in form from that previously described, being regularly 

 oval cylindrical, .55 inch long and .35 inch in diameter. It is con- 

 structed in the same manner as those found on the alder. This striking 

 difference in the form of the case may possibly be due to the difference 

 in the form of the leaves oi" the food plant, the large, broad leaves of 

 the alder inducing the larva to build a horn-like, much elongated case, 

 while the narrow, smaller leaves of the sweet fern may have led to the 

 formation of a short oval case. These differences are such as we would 

 -ordinarily regard as specific, but neither do the pupa? nor adults reared 

 from the two plants differ appreciably. 



From the foregoing descriptions and remarks it will be seen that this 

 is a variable moth both in its coloration as well as in the habits of the 



