FEATHER-WING MOTHS. 227 
THE GARTERED GRAPE PLUME. 
(Oyptilus periscelidactylus Fitch). 
This moth is sometimes quite abundant, and has else- 
where caused some injury to the foliage of the grape-vine. 
The caterpillars appear very early in spring, or as soon as 
the leaves unfold; they have the bad habit of fastening to- 
gether the terminal leaves into a large ball, within which 
they live, feeding upon the tender leaves and young bunches 
of flowers. This habit causes the caterpillars to do con- 
siderable damage, but when we investigate the case more 
thoroughly we find that after all this is not so great since in 
most cases they do not commence operations until the 
clusters of flowers are already too large to be enclosed inthe 
web, hence are not always eaten. The insects reach their 
full size quite early, giving the 
damaged shoot an opportunity to 
send out anew spur from the last 
leaf, so that the effects from the 
presence of the worm are scarcely 
noticed afterwards. In June the 
worms reach their full size, when 
they are about half an inch in 
length, of a yellowish-green color, 
with transverse rows of dull yellow 
tubercles, from each of which arises 
a small tuft of white hairs. Owing 
to these tufts of hairs the cater- 
pillars resemble those of some 
“Woolly Bears.” A line along the 
back is of deeper green, and the 
Fig. 208.—Oyptilus perisceli- 
dactylus Fitch. a, caterpillars; ; - = L seo- 
5, pupa; c, peculiar horn on back body 1S paler betw een the seg 
of pupa; d, moth; e, one segment 
of caterpillar. After Riley. 
ments. The \small yellowish-green 
head has a black band across the 
front; the feet are black, tipped with pale-green; the 
long and thin prolegs are greenish. As soon as mature 
