PUSS MOTH. 89 



land, namely, the Oak Hook-tip and the Barred 

 Hook-tip. 



WE now come to a singularly interesting 

 insect, popularly called the Puss MOTH (Centra, 

 or Dicranura, Vinula). A figure of the female 

 insect is seen on Plate VII. fig. 3 ; the male 

 resembles it in general appearance, but is smaller 

 in the body, rather darker in the markings of the 

 wings, and the antennae are strongly pectinated. 

 The general arrangement of the markings are to 

 be seen from the figure, and it will suffice to say 

 that their colour is blackish, and that the ground 

 hue of the wings is white. The body is covered 

 with soft and downy feathers, which, from their 

 fur-like appearance, have earned for the insect 

 its popular name of Puss Moth. 



Pretty as is this insect, it is in its larval and 

 pupal stages that it is most interesting. The 

 larva is a most singular-looking caterpillar, whose 

 general appearance can be understood from the 

 accompanying illustration. The colour is a 

 beautiful leaf-green, diversified by a narrow 

 white stripe that forms a sort of St. Andrew's 

 cross upon the body, the point of junction being 

 on the hump. 



The most remarkable part of this creature is 



