XVI 



NOTODONTID^ 



FAMILY, NOTODON'TID^E. 



DATANA MAJOR 



GENUS, DATA'NA. 



SPECIES, ma'jor ("larger") 



BARE stems of Andromeda ligustrina and bunches 

 of yellow, or white, and black just below the bare 

 stems show two habits of Batana major caterpillars. 

 They live in very close crowds until almost full fed, 

 and they begin at the top leaf of a branch and eat 

 downward. 



The photograph shows their position at rest, but 

 does not show that their heads are red, or that their 

 bodies are yellow, or white, and black in stripes. 



They have an unpleasant habit of ejecting partly 

 digested food when disturbed. They are locally very 

 abundant, but also much victimized l)y parasitic flies. 



The moths are brown, with lines of darker brown. 



295 



