43 



iJr inches ; the male can be told by having a dusky 

 spot on each forewing and is slightly smaller than the 

 female. This insect is widely distributed over Britain 

 and feeds in the larval stage on a variety of fruit and 

 forest trees as well as the Rose. 



LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS. 



The moths lay their eggs on the leaves. They are 

 placed in golden coloured nests of hairs, derived from the 

 female tail. In from seven to ten days the small larvae 

 come forth and feed upon the leaves until late in the 

 autumn ; they then go into winter quarters, sheltering in 

 bark crevices, under bark scales, moss, etc., where they 

 spin small dull grey cocoons about one-fourth of an inch 

 long and remain in a dormant condition all the winter. 

 At this time their size is seldom much more than one- 

 fourth of an inch long. In spring they come out of these 

 cocoons and commence to feed on the leaves. The cater- 

 pillar, when mature is a brownish-black with a bright red 

 line down the back, a red line on each side spotted with 

 white and another above the legs, and there are numer- 

 ous tufts of brown hairs. 



When mature they reach over an inch in length and 

 then spin a grey cocoon of silk mingled with hairs in 

 which they change to a deep brown pupa. These cocoons 

 are usually found near the Rose or other food plant, often 

 between the leaves. 



PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 



When and where these moths are abundant it is 

 advisable to go over the Rose bushes in winter to see if 

 there are any winter cocoons about, and if so destroy 

 them. 



