THE TIGER-MOTHS. 345 



brown border on the front margin generally has two short 

 angular projections extending backwards on the surface of 

 the wing. The hind wings are white, and without spots. 

 The body is white ; the head, collar, and thighs, buff-yellow ; 

 and a longitudinal brown stripe runs along the top of the 

 back from the collar to the tail. This is a very variable 

 moth ; the brown markings on the fore wings being some- 

 times very much reduced in extent, and sometimes, on the 

 contrary, they run together so much that the wings appear 

 to be brown, with five large white spots. This latter variety 

 is named Callimorpha Lecontei by Dr. Boisduval. The cat- 

 erpillar is unknown to me. The caterpillars of the Calli- 

 morphas are more sparingly clothed with hairs than the 

 other Arctians ; and they are generally dark-colored, with 

 longitudinal yellow stripes. They feed on various herba- 

 ceous and shrubby plants, and conceal themselves in the 

 daytime under leaves or stones. 



Most of the other tiger and ermine moths of Massachusetts 

 may be arranged under the general name of Arctia.* The 

 first of them would probably be placed by Mr. Kirby in Cal- 

 limorpha^ from which, however, they differ in their shorter 

 and more robust antennae, always very distinctly feathered, 

 at least in the males. They are distinguished from the rest 

 by having two black spots on the collar, and three short 

 black stripes on the thorax. The largest and most rare of 

 these moths is the Arctia virgo, or virgin tiger-moth. On 

 account of the peculiarly strong and disagreeable odor which 

 it gives out. it might with greater propriety have been named 

 the stinking tiger-moth. It is a very beautiful insect. Its 



* Chelonia of the French, Euprepia of the Germans (from a Greek word sig- 

 nifying pre-eminent beauty), and subdivided, by the English entomologists, into 

 many genera, founded on minute differences in the length of the joints of the feel- 

 ers, &c., which it is unnecessary to regard in this treatise. 



t Mr. Kirby's Callimorpha parthenice and virguncula closely resemble the first 

 two or three species which follow. The European pudica, and probably also the 

 Nemeopliila plantaginis belong to the same group. See Fauna Boreali Americana, 

 Vol. IV. pp. 304, 305, pi. 4, fig. 6. 

 44 



