294 INSECTA. 



The caterpillars live in the open air, and feed on the tender parts of 

 plants. Most of them form a cocoon of pure silk. The margin of the 

 abdominal anniili is not dentated in the chrysalis. 



We will form a first subgenus with those species in which the wings 

 are extended and horizontal, or the Phalaenae attacus of Linnaeus, 

 retaining the name 



Saturnia, Schr., 



Given to it by M. Schrank, uniting with it Aglia (^Bomhyx tau.. 

 Fab.) of Ochsenheimer. It comprises the largest species, the wings 

 of which are frequently fenestrate, or marked with diaphanous spots. 

 Such are the • 



S. Atlas of China, the B. hesperida, B. cecropia, the B. luna, 

 where the inferior wings are prolonged into a sort of tail, &c. 

 The silk of two other species of the same division, the Bomhyx 

 mylitta of Fabricius, and the Phalcena cynthia of Drury — Insect. 

 II, vi, 2 *, has been employed in Bengal from time immemorial. 

 I have satisfied myself by a Chinese MS. on this subject, sent to 

 me by M. Huzard, that the caterpillars of these Bombycites were 

 the wild silk-iDorms of China. I suspect that part of the silks 

 procured by the ancients in their maritime commerce with the 

 inhabitants of India, i^roceeded from the silk of these caterpillars. 

 But five species of this subgenus f are found in Europe. The 

 most common is the 



S. pavonia major ; B. pavonia major. Fab. ; Roes., Insect. IV, 

 XV, xvii. The largest species found in France. It is five inches 

 in width ; wings extended ; body brown, with a whitish spot at 

 the anterior extremity of the thorax ; wings round, sprinkled 

 with grey ; a large, black, ocellated spot, traversed by a trans- 

 parent line, surrounded by an obscure fulvous circle, by a white 

 semicircle, by a second that is reddish, and by another black 

 circle, on the middle of each wing. 



The caterpillar, that lives on leaves of different trees, is 



green, with blue tubercles, arranged in rings, from which issue 



long clavate hairs. In the month of August it spins an oval 



cocoon, narrowed into a blunt point, with a double neck, the 



interior of Avhich is partly formed of elastic and convergent 



threads, that facilitate the egress of the Insect, but prevent the 



ingress of enemies. The silk is very strong and adhesive. The 



perfect insect appears in the May of the following year \. 



The superior wings of the other Bombycites are tectiform, and 



the exterior margin of the inferior ones project almost horizontally 



— alcB reverses — beyond them. 



Sometimes their palpi project in the manner of a rostrum, and 

 their inferior wings are frequently dentated. The Insect resembles 

 a bundle of dead leaves. These species form the genus 



* Trans. Lin. Soc, VII, p. 35. 



t Authors mention but four ; a fifth has lately been discovered, now in the collec- 

 tion of M. Bois-Duval, that is perfectly distinct. 



X For the other species, see Fab., Syst. Entom., first divisioa of Bomhyx ; and 

 Oliv., Encyc. Method., first divisioa of the same genus. 



