THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 103 



Mr. Cornaby will continue his efforts. If we can contrive to furnish our 

 ladies their silk dresses from our own hedgero-ws, we shall certainly be out- 

 doing those nations which at present rival us ; and such a result is not 

 impossible! Indeed, by constantly choosing the darker and more vigorous 

 worms and moths, there is no reason why a race may not in time be pro- 

 duced, which in the climate of Utah, would feed freely out of doors j and 

 in this manner any amount of silk, though perhaj^s not of the best quality, 

 could be cheaply grown by simply covering the hedges with some kind of 

 netting, so as to protect the worms from birds and other enemies. 



THE CECROPIA SILKWOEM— A^^acu,s* IPlatysamia] Cecropia, Linn. 



(Lepicloptera, Bombycidiv.) 



In the American Entomologist for February, 1870, I published an article 

 on this insect from which is quoted much of what follows. Few insects are as 

 frequently sent to me for identification as this magnificent moth (Fig. 33). It is 

 common and its great size and beauty attract genei-al attention. It is also more 

 easily obtained, for the cabinet, than most of our other large moths, because 

 its cocoon is always fastened to a twig where it remains all winter a con- 

 spicuous object; whereas those -of Luna and Polyphemus, for instance, 

 fall to the ground with the leaves, and are seldom seen. The ground- 

 color of the wings is a grizzled dusky brown with the hinder mar- 

 gins clay-yellow; near the middle of each of the wings there is an opaque 

 kidney-shaped white spot, shaded more or less on the outside with dull red, 

 and edged with black ; a wavy dull red band edged inside with white, crosses 

 each of the wings, and the front wings next to the shoulders are dull red 

 with a curved white and black band, and have near their tips an eye-like 

 black spot with a bluish- white crescent ; the upper side of the body and legs are 

 dull red ; the forepart of the thorax, and the hinder edges of the rings of the 

 abdomen are white, and the venter is checkered with red and white. There 

 is considerable variation in the ground-color of individuals, some being quite 

 dark and others quite light, but the female differs from the male in^ nothing 

 but her larger abdomen and much smaller antennae or feelers. 



The genus Attacus — meaning elegiSnt — was founded by Linnaius, and 

 our moth received its specific name from the same author. As Cecropia 

 was the ancient name of -the city of Athens, and as it has j)uzzled some nat- 



* We have here an excellent illustration of the effect of the custom of attaching to an insect the 

 name of the author of the genus instead of that of the describer of the species. In ITtiT Linnreus 

 described this insest as ^<<afKs C'ccrojuin. In 1816 it becomes Samia Cecroina, Hilbn; in 1852, Hyalo- 

 phora Cecropia, Duncan, and in 18(55, P/ntijsamia Cecropia, Grote. 



For reasons, repeatedly stated, I shall refer this and the six other large insects which follow, to the 

 old and well known Linnxan genus Attuviis, indicating in brackets the more recent genus to which each 

 is at present referred by modern systematists. To my own mind it is very clear that thev constitute 

 but three distinct genera instead of six; and I should myself refer Cecropia, cynthia. and Promethea 

 to one genus; Polyphemus, yamn-mai. and Pernyi to a second; and Luna to a third, in giving this 

 opinion I intend no disrespect either to Dr. Packard, who erected the genus Callosamiatov Promethea 

 (P. E. S. P. III. p. 379), or to Mr. Grote, who proposed another genus Platysamia for Cecropia 

 (P. E. S. P. V. p. 228) ; for our present genera are for the most part the creations of man and not of 

 Xature, and men's opinions will always diflfer. There must be a limit to genus-making somewhere, 

 as no two species agree in all minute particulars; and in their adolescent and perfect states, as well 

 as in their habits, few insects show a closer generic connection than the three first named. The 

 iniquitous law above mentioned has no doubt been the cause of much of this generic hair-splitting; 

 but I do not believe that it will hold its own in entomologv even in this country where it has already 

 obtained a foothold. 



