146 CATERPILLARS AND THEIR MOTHS 



leaves in autumn, witli the obliques of a paler shade 

 of the same color, and black caudal horns. All had 

 the white dots set in the black rings. 



These caterpillars are subject to diseases which kill 

 many out of doors, and many more fall victims to 

 several kinds of parasitic flies. 



They fed for six days after the fourth molt, then 

 stopped eating, went into the shallow earth provided 

 for them, and in six days more the puj)ae cast the 

 larva-skin. The pupae were dark brown, with short 

 tongue-cases detached. 



The food-plants of gordius are apple, pear, ash, bay- 

 berry, blueberry, whortleberry, Andromeda Ugustrina, 

 and sweet-fern. 



The moth is gray, black, and white, the fore wings 

 having some sooty-brown color. The hind wings are 

 white, with a band of black across the middle and a 

 wider band along the outer edge. Hind wings so 

 banded are common among the sphinx moths. The 

 tongue is nearly two inches long. The moths fly 

 after dark. 



