237 



a cocoon. This is of a regular oval shape, made of fine threads of dirty- 

 white silk, intermixed with a few hairs from the body of the caterpillar. 

 In the course of about ten days the pupal stage is assumed. The pupa 

 is intensely black, highly polished, with rather sparse punctuations. 

 The sutures are reddish brown. If kept in a cool room, the moths 

 commence to issue early in April of the following season, though in a 

 warm room some issued as early as the 3d of February. 



The moth, Fig. 47c, has rusty black upper wings ; the scales are not 

 very close, so that the venation is plainly visible. The under wings are 

 of a similar color, but much lighter, and possess a brick-red, ill-defined 

 space at posterior margin. Both upper and lower wings, with the ex- 

 ception of their anterior margins, are fringed with pale red. Head,, 

 thorax, legs, and first two joints of abdomen are rusty brown. The ab- 

 domen is blackish, densely covered with rather coarse brick-red hairs ; 

 a dorsal and two lateral stripes are blackish. The femora of front legs 

 are bright red. The whole underside of wings is pale reddish brown. 

 Antennae white, with blackish tips. 



This rather handsome moth is very peculiar in its motions. It does 

 not rest like other Arctiids in a more or less perpendicular position 

 upon stems of plants, but prefers some dead leaves, under which it 

 hides. If such a leaf is removed, the moth will rapidly run away to 

 hide again, this time perhaps under a loose lump of soil. 



The following extract from my notes illustrates the remarkable vital- 

 ity of this insect : 



December 3, 18M9. Found to-day in a little depression of the soil a clear cake of 

 ice, and imbedded in it the larva of the above species. By means of a hot iron I sep- 

 arated a cube of ice with tbe inclosed larva, and took it to my office. The caterpillar 

 was entirely and solidly inclosed by the ice ; no air-spaces could be detected among 

 the hair. How long the caterpillar had been inclosed I could not say. Left the cube 

 of ice in front of ray window, where the temperature sunk for two days to 11° below 

 zero. Later the weather moderated, and during the day a little ice would melt near 

 the caterpillar, but never exposing it to tbe air. After being inclosed for fourteen 

 days, I carefully melted the ice and removed the caterpillar to a piece of blotting 

 paper. In less than thirty minutes the larva was crawling about, not injured in the 

 least. Yet, to escape further experimentation, it has shown good sense and spun up, 

 and transformed into a pupa, healthy to all appearances. 



