110 THE PESTS OF THE FAKM. 



brown spot on the inner hind angle ; those of the other sex are 

 dusky brown ; the body is light brown, with the thorax rathei 

 darker. The wings expand from one inch to one inch and three- 

 eighths. 



The second kind grow to a greater size, are longer in coming to 

 their growth, their swarms are more numerous, and consequently 

 they do much more injury than the red-humped kind. Entire 

 branches of the apple-trees are frequently stripped of their leaves 

 by them, and are loaded with these caterpillars in thickly crowded 

 swarms. The eggs from which they are hatched will be found in 

 patches, of about a hundred together, fastened to the under-side of 

 leaves near the ends of the twigs. Some of them begin to be 

 hatched about the twentieth of July, and new broods make their 

 appearance in succession for the space of a month or more. At 

 first they eat only tJhe under-side and pulpy part of the leaves, 

 leaving the upper-side and veins untouched ; but afterwards they 

 consume the whole of the leaves except their stems. These cater- 

 pillars are sparingly covered with soft whitish hairs ; the young 

 ones are brown, and striped with white ; but as they grow older, 

 their colors become darker every time they cast their skins. They 

 come to their full size in about five weeks or a little more, and then 

 measure from an inch and three quarters to two inches and a quar- 

 ter in extent. The head is large, and of a black color ; the body 

 is nearly cylindrical, with a spot on the top of the first ring and the 

 legs dull orange-yellow, a black stripe along the top of the back, 

 and three of the same color alternating with four yellow stripes on 

 each side. The posture of these caterpillars, when at rest, is vcfry 

 odd ; both extremities are raised, the body being bent, and resting 

 only on the four intermediate pairs of legs. If touched or other- 

 wise disturbed, they throw up their heads and tails with a jerk, at 

 the same time bending the body semicircularly till the two extremi- 

 ties almost meet over the back. They all eat together, and, after 

 they have done, arrange themselves side by side along the twigs 

 and branches which they have stripped. Beginning at the ends 

 of the branches they eat all the leaves successively from thence to- 

 wards the trunk, and if one branch does not afford food enough 

 they betake themselves to another. When ready to transform, all 

 the individuals of the same brood quit the tree at once, descending 

 by night, and burrow into the ground to the depth of three or four 

 inches, and, within twenty-four hours afterwards, cast their cater- 

 pillar-skins, and become chrysalids without making cocoons. They 



