142 LASIOCAMPIDS. 
points on the back, from which arise a number of coarse 
black hairs. The back is clothed with whitish hairs; the 
head is dark blue, freckled with black dots, and clothed 
with black and fox-colored hairs; the legs are black, clothed 
with whitish hair. Fig. 143, Plate XX shows these cater- 
pillars. 
When mature these caterpillars wander on fences, houses 
and along roads in search of suitable shelters in which to. 
form their cocoons, which are a little more loosely con- 
structed than those of the other tent caterpillars. After 
having finished these cocoons they transform in two or 
three days to reddish-brown pupae densely covered with 
short, pale yellowish hairs. Two or three weeks later the 
moths appear which soon afterward deposit their eggs and 
die. 
Tent caterpillars have few enemies and only few para- 
sites are known to attack them. Some carniverous beetles, 
as the large black ground beetle, Calosoma 
frigidum devour large numbers; the green 
Calosoma has been reported to even enter 
the tents to devour these worms. The 
skunk also eats large numbers of the wan- 
dering caterpillars. Our two species of 
Cuckoos make it a regular business to feed 
upon these worms which no other birds 
will eat. This useful bird is shown in 
Fig. 145. 
Lapeer ReMEDIES.—Many methods have been 
‘Calo & i rs : 
Oameal suggested for the destruction of these 
caterpillars. In case of orchards or smaller trees the 
most available and economical way to nip the evil in the 
bud is to remove the cluster of eggs wherever found 
and to burn them. In the case of small trees this is 
easily done, as the egg-masses remain on them during 
all the time when the leaves have dropped, and as the 
former are easily seen they can as _ readily ‘be re- 
