THE BAGWORM. 5 
plants of the character enumerated which may be available, but it 
does not seem to live on grasses and herbaceous plants generally. 
HABITS AND LIFE HISTORY. 
The bagworm overwinters in the egg stage within the old female 
bag, and for this reason hand picking in wintertime is an efficacious 
remedy. In the late spring the young hatch from the eggs, crawl 
out upon the twigs, make their way to the nearest leaf, and imme- 
diately begin to feed and to construct cases or bags for themselves. 
They spin a_ large 
quantity of silk, and 
attach to it for addi- 
tional strength and 
protection bits of leaf 
or twig, evidently at- 
tempting to disguise 
the nature of the case 
as well as to strength- 
en it. The larva is re- 
markably soft-bodied, 
except for its head 
and strong thoracic 
plates, and it is nec- 
essary that the soft 
abdomen should have 
some protection. 
The construction of 
the bag of an allied 
species of similar hab- 
its has been described 
as follows: The young 
larva cuts off with its 
jaws a small fragment 
of leaf which it places 
between its front legs, 
Fig. 5.—a, Newly hatched bagworm before making its 
case; 6, same, just beginning case; c, same, with its 
gradually forming a case nearly completed; d, completed case, insect con- 
cealed within; e, larva after first molt. Highly magni- 
fied. (Authors’ illustration.) 
pile fastened loosely 
with silk. When the 
pile becomes a transverse tangle about as long as the body, it is 
fastened at each end loosely to the surface upon which it rests; then 
the caterpillar, after placing itself at right angles, dives under the 
