SPHINX DRUPIFERARUM 



GENUS, SPHINX. 



SPECIES, DRUPIFERARUM {" of flriipe-bearing trees "). 



This is not a common caterpillar, and when found in 

 autumn on wild-cherry, plum, apple, or hackberry trees 

 is usually stung. Once in a long while one is found 

 crawling on the ground, searching for a good place to 

 burrow, and this one may give a fine moth, or may be 

 stung, or may die in the pupa-case from any one of sev- 

 eral causes. Perhaps more caterpillars, and unstung 

 ones, might be found by taking a lantern and search- 

 ing the trees after dark, for " good " drupiferartim 

 larvai evidently do not feed by day, or even rest on 

 the stems, leaves, or twigs where we can find them. 

 We have never tried the lantern experiment, but it 

 may be worth trying, notwithstanding. We have had 

 several larvae which gave us moths, but never a moth 

 which gave us eggs, and our history is the life-story of 

 just one caterpillar, whose egg was found on the under 

 side of a wild-cherry leaf in July. 



Two eggs were found on the same sapling, and were 

 very nearly alike in size, shape, and color, being 

 ovoid and pale green, of- just the color of the leaf sur- 

 face on which they were found. One egg hatched a 

 day before the other and gave a little crawler which 



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