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92 



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placed in the middle between two y el- i bark, and afterwards, when they are 



low cross lines. The under wings are 

 of a yellowish-white ; and have near 

 the inner angle a greyish-brown and 



stronger, penetrating into the wood. 



" When we have actually ascertained 

 the existence of one of these creatures 



often faint double stripe. As the cater- | in a trunk, by the extruded excrement, 

 pillars when they appear are gregarious,! relief comes too late for the tree, even 

 they can easily be destroyed by picking if we are able to kill the caterpillar, the 



them off when young.' 



B. cossus, Goat-moth. Its caterpillar 

 is most destructive to the wood of fruit 

 trees, though the elm, oak, willow, 

 poplar, and walnut also, are liable to 

 its attacks. M. Kollar says: — '-It is 

 one of the largest caterpillars known 

 in Europe, measuring more than four 

 inches in length. It is smooth and 

 shining, beset only here and there with 



mischief being already done. Notwith- 

 standing this, the caterpillar should ne- 

 ver be left undisturbed, and an attempt 

 should be made to reach it, by enlarg- 

 ing the opening with a garden knife; or 

 endeavouring to kill it by thrusting a 

 piece of p'l.iited wire up the hole of the 

 tree." 



B. dispar, Gipsy Moth. Its little 

 caterpillar is found in early spring on 



single short hairs. It is dark red on ' the leaves of fruit trees, as they burst 



the back, and the spiracles situated at 

 both sides are of the same colour. The 

 sides and lower part of the body are 

 flesh-coloured; the head is black, the 

 first segment also rnarked with black 

 above. 



" After remaining more than two years 

 in the larvaj state, and casting its skin 

 eight times, the caterpillar becomes of 

 a light ochre yellow hue, shortly be- 

 fore pupation, which usually takes place 

 in spring ; when it makes a strong co- 



from the bud. M. Kollar, to whose pages 

 I am so much indebted for accurate in- 

 formation relative to this species, says 

 that — 



"In unfavourable weather they col- 

 lect upon the trunk near the top, or in 

 the forks of the branches, and enclose 

 themselves in a web ; but when they 

 feed, they disperse themselves all over 

 the tree. They are immediately dis- 

 tinguished from other caterpillars by 

 their large yellow-spotted head, and 



coon of chips of wood and small pieces I by the six pairs of red dots on the 

 of bark, which it has gnawed off. The ' hinder part of the back, 

 abdomen of the pupa is yellow, and the I "The males are dark brown, and 

 segments are deeply indented and ca- their forevvings have three or four undu- 

 pable of much extension. The back is : lating blackish stripes. The females 

 furnished with strong pointed spines, [ are whitish-grey, and their (brewings 

 sometimes of a reddish-brown colour, are traversed by brownish stripes. 

 The cocoon is situated immediately 

 within the opening in the tree, so that 

 the pupa when arrived at maturity can 

 press itself half out of the hole when 

 the shell bursts, and the moth comes 

 forth usually in the month of June or 

 July, after having reposed in the pupa 

 state for an indefinite time. When at 

 rest the wings are folded together over 

 the back in the form of a roof; it sits 

 quietly in the daytime on the stems of 

 trees, and is difficult to be distinguished 

 on account of its grey colour. It mea- 

 sures with extended wings, from one 

 tip to the other, nearly three inches, 

 and many specimens are more than this; 

 the female is usually larger than the 

 male. 



" The female is provided with a 

 strong ovipositor, with which she in- 

 troduces her eggs in the bark of the 

 tree, the young caterpillars living at 

 first in and between the outer and inner 



The moth lays iier eggs in various 

 places in August and September, but 

 chiefly on the trunks of the fruit trees, 

 on which the caterpillars lived. It also 

 lays its eggs in places that are not very 

 near fruit trees, viz., on garden buildings, 

 palings and walls, so that the young 

 caterpillars have to go a considerable 

 distance in search of food, which is 

 seldom the case with insects. The 

 eggs lie in a shapeless mass one inch 

 long, and a quarter of an inch high, to 

 the number of two to five hundred 

 together, and are surrounded with yel- 

 lowish hair, which preserves them from 

 the winter's cold." 



B. monacha, Black arch moth. Its 

 caterpillar prefers the leaves of the fir 

 tribe, but also attacks fiuit trees, the 

 oak, aspen, elm, lime, and willow. M. 

 Kollar states that — "The moth is of 

 the medium size. It sitsduring the day, 

 with its wings lying close to its body 



