FLANNEL-MOTHS. 95 
ious insects. It is nearly oval, covered with evenly shorn 
hairs of a brownish color, which are raised to a ridge along 
the middle of the back, sloping off on each side like the roof of 
ahouse. Whenabout three-fourths of an inch long, the cater- ' 
pillar ceases to feed and forms now a tough, oval cocoon, 
which is fastened securely to the side of a twig upon the foli- 
age of whichit has been feeding. This cocoon is fastened very 
securely and can only be removed by applying some force. 
Inside this cocoon the caterpillar changes to a brown pupa. 
The moth issues during July of the following year, and 
escapes by lifting a flat and circular lid on one end of the 
cocoon. It is a soit looking yellowish-cream or straw-yel- 
low being; the fore-wings are more or less dusky on the 
outer margin, covered with fine, flattened, curled hair-like 
scales, arranged in regular waves, running from near the 
base to the tip. The body and legs are thick and woolly; 
at the tip of the abdomen there is a tuft of long and soft 
hairs, forming a bushy tail. The moth, with wings expand- 
ed, measures about one and three quarter inches across. It 
is shown in Fig. 90, Plate X XI. 
Cas A closely related species, 
/ — the Lagoa opercularis S.& A., 
is foundin ourSouthernStates. 
The moth resembles very close- 
ly the waved Lagoa. Its co- 
coonis about asinteresting an 
object as we can find, and so 
closely resembles a terminal 
bud of the Life Oak, upon 
which thecaterpillaris usually 
found, that it is almost impos- 
sible to detect it, especially as 
Fig. 91. 2 
Fig. 91.—Lagoa opercularis S.&A.; both twigs and cocoons are 
larva. cocoon and adult. From Div. 2 i a 
of Entomology, Dep. of Agriculture. covered with small bits of 
lichen. The larva, pupa and adult of this interesting moth 
is shown in Fig. 91. 
