TELEA POLYPHEMUS 265 



a very large polypliemus caterpillar on it. It was quiet 

 and had its head flat against the twig, after the manner 

 of the big spinners when at rest. An old farmer met 

 us and stoi3ped to ask : " Say, does that kind do any 

 damage to the trees ? " We said that there were not 

 enough to do any great harm, and added : " Is n't he 

 a beauty ? " " Well, I ain't never looked for beauty in 

 a worm before, but I swan he 's as fair an' wholesome 

 an' noble-looking as ye are yourself." 



"Noble" in that region refers only to size. Any 

 cow, horse, pig, dog even, which was well grown and 

 healthy was always "noble" or "noble-looking" in 

 that part of the world, so we were not unduly " set up " 

 by the compliment. 



PoJiiphemiis caterpillars are much like liina^ but lack 

 the yellow lines between the segments and on the 

 sides, while their tubercles have a metallic luster which 

 those of lima have not, and the edge of the anal shield 

 is conspicuously brown, which is not the case with 

 lima. 



The cocoon is unmistakable. 



The moths are large and of beautiful coloring, vary- 

 ing much in tint. The fore wings are of yellow or 

 red tan-color, slightly peppered with black scales, 

 having the costa gray. A band of white and red or 

 pink crosses the wing near the body, and a baud of 

 gray, white, and red or pink crosses the wing near 

 the margin. There is an apical patch of white and 

 pink, with two black spots suggesting the eye-spots of 

 the attacine moths. On each wing is a transparent 

 spot crossed by a yellow line and surrounded by a 

 line of tan-color, then one of black. 



