CITHERONIA REGALIS 



GENUS, ciTHERO'NiA (a Greek poet). 

 SPECIES, kega'lis (" royal " or " regal "). 



Unfortunately, this fine and formidable-looking cater- 

 pillar is not often met with in New England, though 

 it is found now and then on ash, hickory, butternut, 

 sycamore, sumac, and walnut, while farther west and 

 south it feeds also on persimmon and sweet-gum. 



We had never seen any stage but the moth until a 

 friend sent us a box of the large amber eggs, like 

 those of JE. imperiaUs, but larger and encircled with a 

 red line. Under a lens they showed facets. 



After a few days the eggs showed the black heads 

 of the larv?e, and then the segments of their bodies, 

 and then grew black speckled with orange. On the 

 sixteenth day they hatched, and in spite of the size of 

 the eggs, the size of the caterpillars surprised us. 

 They were a little over half an inch long, and their 

 black round heads looked huge. Their bodies were 

 velvety black, and on the first segment were two long, 

 rough horns ending in a ball from which spread hori- 

 zontally two spines or setae. Below these horns, on 

 each side of the larva, was a much smaller one. On 

 the second and third segments each were four long 

 horns, the two dorsal ones being much larger than 



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