﻿334 
  ANNUAL 
  BEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  lowing, 
  when 
  the 
  campers 
  were 
  soaked 
  by 
  hard, 
  cold 
  rains 
  till 
  they 
  

   became 
  so 
  inert 
  they 
  seemed 
  reduced 
  to 
  lifeless 
  masses 
  of 
  soggy 
  

   wool. 
  On 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  17th 
  the 
  temperature 
  moderated, 
  the 
  

   sun 
  came 
  out 
  a 
  few 
  times, 
  the 
  wetness 
  evaporated 
  from 
  the 
  trees, 
  

   and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  revived 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  move 
  about 
  a 
  

   little 
  and 
  dry 
  their 
  fur. 
  Though 
  a 
  few 
  had 
  been 
  washed 
  off 
  the 
  

   carpets 
  by 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  storm 
  and 
  perished 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  

   in 
  one 
  camp 
  about 
  20 
  dead 
  were 
  left 
  behind 
  on 
  the 
  web, 
  the 
  majority 
  

   had 
  survived. 
  

  

  For 
  several 
  days 
  after 
  this, 
  during 
  better 
  weather, 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  

   of 
  these 
  families 
  continued 
  their 
  free 
  existence, 
  feeding 
  at 
  large 
  on 
  

   the 
  opening 
  buds, 
  but 
  returning 
  during 
  resting 
  periods 
  to 
  the 
  webs 
  

   or 
  constructing 
  new 
  ones 
  at 
  more 
  convenient 
  places. 
  Often 
  each 
  

   family 
  split 
  into 
  several 
  bands, 
  each 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  retreat, 
  yet 
  all 
  

   remained 
  in 
  communication 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  silk 
  trails 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillars 
  left 
  wherever 
  they 
  went. 
  

  

  The 
  camping 
  sites 
  were 
  either 
  against 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  branch 
  or 
  in 
  

   the 
  hollow 
  of 
  a 
  crotch. 
  Though 
  the 
  carpetlike 
  webs 
  stretched 
  over 
  

   these 
  places 
  were 
  spun 
  apparently 
  only 
  to 
  give 
  secure 
  footing, 
  those 
  

   at 
  the 
  crotches 
  often 
  roofed 
  over 
  a 
  space 
  well 
  protected 
  beneath, 
  

   and 
  frequently 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  crawled 
  into 
  these 
  spaces 
  

   to 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  their 
  shelter. 
  Yet 
  for 
  12 
  days 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   broods 
  constructed 
  webs 
  designed 
  for 
  coverings. 
  Then, 
  on 
  the 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  20th, 
  one 
  family 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  spun 
  several 
  sheets 
  

   of 
  silk 
  above 
  the 
  carpet 
  on 
  which 
  its 
  members 
  had 
  rested 
  for 
  a 
  

   week 
  and 
  all 
  were 
  now 
  inside 
  their 
  first 
  tent. 
  These 
  caterpillars 
  

   were 
  nearing 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  their 
  first 
  stage, 
  and 
  two 
  days 
  later 
  the 
  

   first 
  molted 
  skins 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  tent, 
  14 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  

   hatching. 
  

  

  In 
  Stage 
  II 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  have 
  a 
  new 
  color 
  pattern 
  and 
  one 
  

   which 
  begins 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  its 
  more 
  

   mature 
  stages 
  (fig. 
  6). 
  On 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sides 
  the 
  dark 
  

   color 
  is 
  broken 
  into 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  quadrate 
  spots, 
  each 
  spot 
  partially 
  

   split 
  lengthwise 
  by 
  a 
  light 
  streak, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  series 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  

   is 
  bordered 
  above 
  and 
  below 
  by 
  distinct 
  pale 
  lines, 
  the 
  upper 
  line 
  

   often 
  yellowish. 
  Below 
  the 
  lower 
  line 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  dark 
  band, 
  and 
  

   below 
  this 
  another 
  pale 
  line 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  legs. 
  The 
  

   back 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  body 
  segment 
  has 
  a 
  brown 
  transverse 
  shield, 
  and 
  the 
  

   last 
  three 
  segments 
  are 
  continuously 
  brown, 
  without 
  distinction 
  of 
  

   spots 
  or 
  lines. 
  

  

  From 
  now 
  on 
  the 
  tents 
  increase 
  rapidly 
  in 
  size 
  by 
  successive 
  addi- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  web 
  spun 
  over 
  the 
  tops 
  and 
  sides, 
  each 
  new 
  sheet 
  covering 
  

   a 
  flat 
  space 
  between 
  itself 
  and 
  the 
  last. 
  The 
  old 
  roofs 
  thus 
  become 
  

   successively 
  the 
  floors 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  stories. 
  The 
  latter, 
  of 
  course, 
  lap 
  

   over 
  on 
  the 
  sides, 
  and 
  many 
  continue 
  clear 
  around 
  and 
  beneath 
  the 
  

  

  