THE CANKER-WORM. 461 



unequal in size, and in others the females are wingless. 

 Among those whose females are wingless are the canker- 



O O 



worm moths. In the late Professor Peck's "Natural His- 

 tory of the Canker- Worm," which was published among the 

 papers of " the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Ag- 

 riculture," and obtained a prize from the Society, this insect 

 is called Phalaina vernata, on account of its common ap- 

 pearance in the spring, and also to distinguish it from the 

 winter moth {Phalccna or Cheimatobia brumata) of Europe. 

 In the male canker-worm moth (Fig. 



moN ii i Fie. 228. 



zzo) the antennae have a very nar- 

 row, and almost downy edging, on 

 each side, hardly to be seen with the 

 naked eye. The feelers are minute, 

 and do not extend beyond the mouth. 

 The tongue is not visible. The wings 



are large, very thin, and silky ; and, when the insect is at 

 rest, the fore wings are turned back, entirely cover the hind 

 wings, and overlap on their inner edges. The fore wings 

 are ash-colored, with a distinct whitish spot on the front 

 edge, near the tip ; they are crossed by two jagged, whitish 

 bands, along the sides of which there are several blackish 

 dots ; the outermost band has an angle near the front edge, 

 within which there is a short, faint, blackish line ; and there 

 is a row of black dots along the outer margin, close to the 

 fringe. The hind wings are pale ash-colored, with a faint 

 blackish dot near the middle. The wings expand about one 

 inch and a quarter. 



This is the usual appearance of the male, in its most 

 perfect condition ; by which it will be seen that it closely 

 resembles the Anuopteryx ^Escularia of Europe. Compared 

 with the latter, I find that our canker-worm moth is rather 

 smaller, the wings are darker, proportionally shorter and 

 more obtuse, the white bands are less distinct, and are 

 often entirely wanting, in which case only the whitish spot 

 near the tip remains, the hind wings are more dusky, and 



