3056 THE JOINTED ANIMALS 



beauty of their richly-colored ocellated wings. The larvae, too, are not only of 

 remarkable beauty, but have great commercial value; for it is from members of this 

 family that China and Japan obtain vast quantities of a strong, though less expen- 

 sive silk than that produced by the ordinary silkworm. The former are the oak 

 silk moth of China (Satumia pernyi) , and its near relative Anthercea yama-mai of 

 Japan. In all their stages these lovely insects are remarkable, differing widely in 

 their general characteristics from the majority of moths. The larvae, with 

 their clear rich green velvet bodies, deeply cleft into separate, well-marked seg- 

 ments; their rounded warts, golden, rose colored, and sky blue, emitting long 

 sinuous hairs, the latter, sometimes enlarged at the extremity, cannot fail to attract 

 attention both for their unusual aspect and their beauty. When this stage is past, 

 and the insect reposes in the large, leathery, sombre-brown cocoon, there is no lack 

 of interest. The mouths of these cocoons, as noted at the commencement of the 

 chapter, are fashioned for the better security of the slumbering pupa. No earwigs, 

 beetles, or other prowling enemy can find its way into the cocoon to destroy the 

 inmate, though the moth can readily emerge as soon as the outer shell of the 

 inclosed pupa has been burst. For with a subtle ingenuity, no less wonderful 

 because instinctive, the larva has carefully provided against these contingencies. 

 It has arranged stiff, springy bristles round the orifice, each pointing outward, 

 gathered in at their tips, so that unwelcome visitors cannot gain an entrance. But 

 beyond all these interesting features, the perfect insects are themselves sufficient to 

 enlist our admiration. The enormous, strong fore-wings with prominent anterior 

 angles; the rich browns, purples, and grays in every shade and gradation; the large 

 crescent-shaped or eye-like blotch on both fore- and hind-wing render the members of 

 this family not easily to be mistaken for any other lepidopterous insects. True, the 

 eye-like blotches recall to mind those of the peacock butterfly, but the stout, woolly 

 bodies, the plumose antennae, and the feathered legs of the emperor moths will show 

 clearly enough that the resemblance is but superficial, and that there is no close 

 relationship between them. The males fly swiftly, with a somewhat erratic flight 

 in the broad daylight; and if the female, held captive in some receptacle, be placed 

 in the open woods, many of the former sex will eagerly gather round the cage, and" 

 thus themselves fall victims to the net of the naturalist. There are many varieties 

 included in the family Saturniidce, though mention can be made of only a few. The 

 common emperor moth (Saturnia carpini}, one of the dwarfs of the family, is 

 abundant in England, where, in the heather districts, the beautiful emerald larva, 

 studded with rose or golden-yellow warts, may often be discovered wandering over 

 some open sandy space or footpath. It is, however, at times scarcely distinguish- 

 able as it nestles among the heather sterns, since the rosy warts on the back and 

 sides assimilating closely with the pink heather blossoms secure it from observation. 

 The moth itself smaller and darker in the male sex is of a deep purple brown. 

 The fore-wings, richly variegated with grays, .are bordered with a snow-white fringe, 

 while the hind pair are orange margined with brown. Both fore- and hind-wings 

 bear a black eye-like blotch, ringed with a narrow line of blue in the centre. The 

 tough and dry empty cocoon may often be seen spun up among the heather stems. 

 The common emperor is found all through Europe and in Northern and Western 



