Ihe insect is common throughout Great Britain and Irelami, 

 especially in urban districts, and abroad its range extends 

 through Europe, N. Africa and Western Asia. 



Description. Moth. The two sexes are extremely 



different in appearance. The male (Fig. a.) measures from 

 1 inch to 14 inch in expanse of wings. The body is brown : the 

 wings are pchreous.or chestnut brown, the fore-wings having 

 dark markings. Near the hind angle of each fore- wing is a 

 somewhat crescent-shaped clear white spot. The female 

 (Fig. &.) is yellow-grey in colour, hairy, and unable to fly, 

 the wings being reduced to mere stumps. 



Eggs. r lhe> eggs (Fig. c.) are whitish-grey in colour and 

 are laid in great numbers on or about the empty cocoon of the 

 female moth. 



Caterpillar. The caterpillar (Fig. d.) is very hairy and 

 of gay colouration, a mixture of red, yellow and brown, with 

 four brushes of hairs on the back, and a pencil of long black 

 hairs protruding from each side of the head, one on the sides 

 and one similar at the tail. There are two red warts on eacli 

 ring of the body. When full grown the caterpillar measures 

 about an inch. 



Pupa,. The chrysalis is dark brown and lies under cover of 

 a somewhat oval-shaped yellow-grey web or cocoon (Fig. c.). 

 Mixed in the web are hairs from the caterpillar. 



Life-History. The male moth being in possession of 

 normal wings flies actively during the day, . and usually 

 rather high above the ground. The female, wingless and 

 sluggish, does not go far from the cocoon, but pairs and 

 remains on the outside of it for the remainder of her life, 

 laying on and all around it up to 300 eggs or more. Some 

 of these eggs hatch in a fortnight to three weeks, while others 

 laid at the same time may not produce caterpillars until the 

 following spring. From this it follows that all stages of the 

 insect may be met with at the same time. Soon after hatching 

 the young caterpillars scatter over the tree. When they are 

 full-fed they spin cocoons, which are attached to leaves, twigs, 

 bark, or to a neighbouring post or fence. The moths emerge 

 from the pup*e in about three weeks. Two broods or even 

 three in the year are possible, for if the eggs that have passed 

 through the winter hatch' in the early part of May, the 

 resulting caterpillars may become adult in time to allow for a 

 second and perhaps even a third brood of moths by October. On 

 the other hand (and probably this is more usual) there may be 

 only one generation in the year, in which case the eggs laid 

 by the first brood pass through the autumn and winter and 

 hatch in the following spring. Weather conditions have great 

 influence on the production of second broods, which are usually 

 most numerous in a hot summer. Owing to the irregularity 



