70 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. III. 



less regularity in different species, in some of which 

 they are very beautiful. 



There is a caterpillar found upon the chickweed 

 about the end of July, of a green colour, and of the 

 middle size, with two black spots bordered with 

 white upon the fourth ring, and with another spot 

 of the same colour upon the eighth ring. Its mode 

 of walking somewhat resembles that of the geomet- 

 ric caterpillars, although the moth, from Reaumur's 

 account, evidently belongs to the Noctuida, the 

 singular form of the larva indicating it to be one of 

 the spectacle moths (Abrostola). It constructs its 

 cocoon about the beginning of August, by attaching 

 together without much precision the leaves and ten- 

 der twigs of the chickweed which it has bitten off. 

 In this way it forms an envelope, within which it is 

 completely concealed, and, in order to keep the 

 whole in place, it spins an inner slender web of 

 white silk, from whence, in the following July, a 

 moth of a brownish colour, with faint yellow spots, 

 makes its appearance. 



There is another caterpillar observed by Reau- 

 mur, which arranges the leaves with which it covers 

 its cocoon with much more regularity than the pre- 

 ceding species. This is found in the month of Oc- 

 tober upon the cypress spurge, and it evidently be- 

 longs to one of the species of Acronycta, as may be 

 seen by comparing Reaumur's figure of the cater- 

 pillar with those of Hubner and other lepidopterists. 

 This caterpillar is black, with white longitudinal 

 stripes, and with one lateral red line. It arranges 

 the narrow leaves which it has detached from the 



