OWLET-MOTHS. 15 
hind border. The wing beyond the middle is crossed by a 
broken, blackish, somewhat indistinct, zigzag line; some 
darker grayish spots are also found about the middle of the 
wing. The hind wings are white. Both moth, larva, and 
cocoon are shown in Fig. 156. 
There are a number of other dagger-moths whose larve 
are more or less destructive, being found upon the foliage of 
fruit trees and upon that of our small fruits. Especially 
the blackberry and raspberry are to the taste of such 
worms. 
We do not very often find the larve of Acronycta xilini- 
formis Gn. upon the foliage of the blackberry, but we do 
much more frequently on the willow, rose and oak. These 
caterpillars possess a certain urticating power, which is 
located in a number of stiff and acute spines springing from 
warts located on the back. Even the common caterpillar of 
Acronycta americana, so numerous upon such shade trees 
as maples, etc., although covered apparently with long and 
soft hairs, can cause considerable irritation upon a soft and 
tender skin, and the writer has seen the greatly inflamed 
neck of a boy upon which one of these caterpillars had been 
pressed by the collar of the vest or coat. This urticating ef- 
fect seems to be simply a mechanical one, and not onecaused 
by the presence of any special acid. 
A. furcifera, A. fragilis, A. lithopsila, A. funeralis, A. tri- 
tona, A. falcula, A. grisea, A. luteicoma, A. morula, and 
A. hamamelis all occur in our state and are all known to 
feed to some extent upon the leaves of fruit-producing plants. 
THE PALSIED CATERPILLAR. 
(Harrisimemna trisignata Walk.). 
There are few caterpillars that possess such a_ peculiar 
shape, or have such alarming habits as this one, which is 
frequently found upon the foliage of ash, willow, lilac and 
