418 



PSYCHE. 



November — December iSgo. 



Spiracles velvety black. Hair white, 

 rather long, beside numerous fine, short 

 black hairs, all growing from minute 

 black tubercles. Length of larva at 

 maturity 60 mm. The form of this 

 larva with canary yellow bands and 

 spots did not occur in any of the examples 

 from which these notes were made (a 

 brood of 55 and another large brood ob- 

 served in the field). I have formerly 

 found a few yellow ones among a brood 

 of white spatted D. niajof., and occasion- 

 ally a brood entirely yellow. Though 

 the difference in coloration is very 

 marked between the two forms, it is 

 evidentlv, from its mode of occurrence, 

 only a variation. A similar variation 

 occurs in D. palm/'i* and less markedly 

 in D. contractu. 



Pupa. Formed in a subterraneous cell. 

 In shape it is robust, cylindrical, thickest 

 centrall}', and rounded to the head ; cases 

 distinct ; a slight creased elevation be- 

 tween the eyes. Abdominal segments 

 slightly tapering ; cremasters, two, very 

 short, not well separated, each with three 

 spines, the posteiior one the longest, but 

 often two, or partly aborted. Cases 

 creased, body coarsely punctured, very 

 finely in the movable sutures. Color 

 dark or blackish mahogany. Length 25 

 mm., width 9 mm. This stage lasts 

 through the winter and the species is 

 single brooded. The duration of the lar- 

 val stages was as follows: — ist stage, 

 not observed, but probably about five 



* I would like to call attention to the relationship 

 that evidently exists between D. palmii and D. major, 

 Tliey are alike in egg structure, in the feature of bico- 

 lorous larval hairs (which does not occur in any other 

 species to my knowledge), in coloration of head and 

 lines and in the slightly scalloped forewings of the 

 moth. 



days ; 2nd stage, 6 days ; 3rd stage, 8 

 days ; 4th stage, 9 days. 



Food-plant : Andromeda ligustri- 

 7ia. 



Larvfe from Ulster Co., N. Y. 



Datana drexelu, Hy. Ediv. 



Egg. On the type of D. niinistra. 

 Subcylindrical, of a little greater di- 

 ameter near the bottom than near the 

 top ; vertex rounded ; base nearly flat. 

 Color shiny whitish, tiie circular lid-like 

 top very white and shiny, with a central 

 small round black spot. Diameter .7 

 mm. In hatching, the larva eats away 

 the lid, and emerges fi'om the hole thus 

 formed. 



First stage. Head rounded, black, 

 shiny; width .5 mm. When newly 

 hatched, the larva is scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable from D. major. The 

 anal feet are rather long and elevated. 

 Body sordid yellow, cervical shield, anal 

 plate and feet, l)lackish. A number of 

 short hairs from the head and from 

 about six rows of small blackish tuber- 

 cles whicli are larger in proportion than 

 in the subsequent stages. As the stage 

 advances, the body becomes reddish 

 with four lateral stripes on each side 

 and three ventral, about as wide as the 

 intervening spaces, dull yellow and con- 

 fluent posteriorly. During this stage, 

 the larvae eat the parenchyma in the 

 same manner as D. major. I have 

 estimated that a single larva eats about 

 90 sq. mm. of Witch-Hazel leaf. 



Second stage. Head black and shiny 

 with a few hairs, width i.i mm. Body 

 brown, stripes dull yellow, narrower 

 than the intervening spaces, extending 



