THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 79 



non-impressed dark brown patches, alternating with each other, and 

 giving the worm a checkered appearance. These patches become 

 more dense along the subdorsal region, where they form two irregu- 

 lar dark lines, which on the thoracic segments become single, with a 

 similar line between them. There was also a dark stigmatal line with 

 a lighter shade above it, and a dark stripe running obliquely down- 

 wards from the posterior to the anterior portion of each segment. 

 The belly was yellow , with a tinge of pink between the prolegs, 

 and the • shiny tubercle at the tail was black, with a yellowish 

 ring around the base. The head, which is characteristically marked, 

 and by which this worm can always be distinguished from its allies — 

 no [matter what the ground-color of the body may be — is slightly 

 roughened and dark, with a lighter broad band each side, and a cen- 

 tral mark down the middle which often takes the form of an x. This 

 worm does not assume the common Sphinx attitude of holding up the 

 head, but rests stretched at full length, though if disturbed it will 

 throw its head from side to side, thereby producing a crepitating 

 noise. 



The chrysalis is formed in a superficial cell on the ground ; its 

 surface is black and roughened by confluent punctures, but between 

 the joints it is smooth and inclines to brown; the head-case is broad 

 and rounded, and the tongue-case is level with the breast ; the tail 

 terminates in a rough flattened wedge-shaped point, which gives out 

 two extremely small thorns from the end. 



The moth (Fig. 54, below) appears in the following March or 

 April, there being but one brood each year. It is of a dull chocolate 

 or grayish-brown color, the front wings becoming lighter beyond the 

 middle, and being variegated with dark brown as in the figure ; the 

 hind wings are sulphur-yellow, with a broad dark brown border 

 breaking into a series of short lines on a flesh-colored ground, near 

 the body. The wings are deeply scalloped, especially the front ones, 

 and the body is furnished with lateral tufts. When at rest, the abdo- 

 men is curiously curved up in the air. 



THE BLUE CATERPILLARS OF THE VINE. 



Besides these large Sphinx caterpillars, every grape-grower must 

 have observed certain so-called "Blue Caterpillars," which, though 

 far from being uncommon, are yet very rarely sufficiently numerous 

 to cause alarm, though in some few cases they have been known to 

 strip certain vines. There are three distinct species of these blue 

 caterpillars, which bear a sufficiently close resemblance to One 

 another, to cause them to be easily confounded. The first and by far 

 the most common with us is the larva of 



