MAPLE CATERPILLARS. 403 



of life from the time the egg is laid until the moth appears was found to 

 be fifty-two days. " The eggs were deposited April 30, and the first 

 moth hatched June 21, the last July 10. During former years I have 

 found the larvte of this species on the willow and other bushes, and 

 had them spin up to the last of September and come out as moths the 

 forepart of November. In other instances they passed the winter as 

 chrysalids." There are from two to three broods during a season. Mr. 

 Hill has claimed that H. edusa and lunata are possibly sexes of one 

 species, and Mr. Bean, as well as Mr. Leubner, have concluded that 

 these two species, with SaundersH, were all the same species. From 

 one brood of eggs deposited by lunata the three forms, lunata, saun- 

 dersii, and edusa, were obtained, thus reducing two of the forms to sex- 

 ual varieties, lunata b.eiug the female. 



Mature larva. — Head flat, sloping ; six ocelli, in shape and number resembling larvae 

 of CatocaliTB. Body marked with three dorsal stripes and three on each side, alter- 

 nating light and dark; but these are less distinct, approaching a uniform brownish 

 drab; the white spots also less distinct. First and second abdominal legs about half 

 the length of the others. A little paler beneath than above, with an elliptical red- 

 dish brown spot in the center of each segment. Length, 1.45 inches. 



Pupa. — Wing-cases covering five segments in front. Tip of abdomen coarsely fur- 

 rowed and punctured, ending in two long hooks, with several shorter ones arising 

 from the corrugated surface a little way from these. Length, .80 inch. (French.) 



Moth. — Male: Thorax, abdomen, and wings of a fine red sandy brown color; the 

 first ring of the abdomen with an ash-colored spot. Anterior wings with two whitish 

 oblong spots on the external edges of each ; one near the tips, the other at the lower 

 corners. A small whitish bar crosses the fore-wings about a quarter of an inch from 

 the body, and next the shoulders is a spot of the same whitish color. Posterior 

 wings brown, with an oblong whitish spot placed along the external edges, reaching 

 from the abdominal almost to the upper corners. Under side, wings pale sandy-col- 

 ored, except a few small round dark spots dispersed over them, but scarcely dis- 

 cernable. Margins of all the wings dentated. (Drury.) 



Female (lunata). — The head, thorax, abdomen, and wings hazel-colored. Anterior 

 wings with a waved line, of a dark brown color, placed near the anterior angle, be- 

 ginning at the posterior and ending at the external edge. At the shoulders and 

 along the anterior margin are several small dark brown clouds and marks that pro- 

 duce a darker shade. Posterior wings with a series of narrow transverse waved 

 lines, extending from the middle to the external edges. All the wings are dentated. 

 Under side, the breast, abdomen, and wings are all of a paler hazel color. Anterior 

 wings dappled with dark brown on the middle of the anterior edges and spotted with 

 minute short brown streaks, as well as the posterior. (Drury.) Expanse of wings, 

 55"™. • 



35. The maple semi-looper. 



Ophiusa bistriaris (Hiibner). 



Order Lepidoptera ; family Noctuid^. 



Late in July feeding on the silver maple, a brownish gray caterpillar 1.40 inch long, 

 with the first pair of prologs small, the worm having a semi-looping gait. 



When about to go into chrysalis it cuts through a portion of a leaf 

 of the tree on which it has fed, and turning it over constructs a snug 

 little case, fastening it up closely and carefully with silken threads, and 



