86 



THE FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR 



extended observations in other localities. Evidently the larvae 

 utilize whatever foliage they find available when the stress of 

 cocoon making is upon them. A correspondent at Haverhill, 

 New Hampshire, reported that she found " pine trees covered 

 with the cocoons of the Forest Tent Caterpillar. The needles 

 were tied together with their silk, and the cocoons inside of 



them." These leaf 

 coverings are of all 

 degrees of perfec- 

 tion from such a 

 well-knit specimen 

 as is shown in Fig. 

 29 to that of a co- 

 coon in which two 



or three grass blades 

 Fie. 29- Cocoon of Forest Tent Caterpillar in a serve mQre 



maple leaf. Natural size. 



purpose than that of 



supporting the silken woof of the cocoon. Two or more 

 cocoons are commonly spun within a single leaf, and trees fre- 

 quently appear " bunched up" from the ac.tion of the caterpil- 

 lars. Numerous observations indicate that normally about as 

 many caterpillars spin cocoons in leaves as out, but the pro- 

 portion would be likely to vary with the conditions present in 

 a given locality. 



FOOD PLANTS 



This Forest Tent Caterpillar is a very general feeder, attack- 

 ing many more kinds of plants than does the American Tent 

 Caterpillar. In the various articles which 'have heretofore been 

 published the following food-plants are recorded : 



Apple Oak 



Ash Peach 



Beech Plum 



Birch Poplar 

 Cherry (wild and cultivated) Rose 



Hawthorn Sour Gum 



Hickory Sweet Gum 



Linden Walnut 

 Maple 



