THE AMERICAN SILK-WORMS 



269 



Promethea (Callosantia promethea) 

 The promethea is not so large as the cecropia, although the fe- 

 male resembles the latter somewhat. It is the most common of 

 all of our giant silk-worms. 



Food Plants. — Wild cherry, lilac, ash, sassafras, buttonwood 

 and many other forest trees. 



The eggs. — These are whitish with brown stain, and are laid in 

 rows, a good many on the same leaf. 



The caterpillar. — ^The caterpillars as they hatch from the eggs, 

 have bodies ringed with black and yellow. They are sociable 

 little fellows and live together side by side amicably, not exactly 

 "toeing the mark" like a spelling class, but all heads in a row at the 



edge of the leaf 

 where each is 

 eating as fast as 

 possible. When 

 they are small 

 the caterpillars 

 remain on the 

 imder side of the 

 leaves out of 

 sight. In about 

 five days, the 

 first skin is shed 

 and the color of 

 the caterpillar 

 remains about 

 the same. Fcau" 

 or five days later 

 the second molt 

 occurs, and then the caterpillar appears in a beautifvil bluish-green 

 costume with black tubercles, except fotu" large ones on the second 

 and third segments, and one large one on the eleventh segment 

 which are yellow. This caterpillar has an interesting habit of 

 weaving a carpet of silk on which to change the skin; it seems 

 to be better able to hold on while pushing off the old skin if it has 

 the silken rug to cling to. After the third molt, the color is a 

 deeper greenish blue and the black tubercles are smaller, and the 

 five big ones are larger and bright orange in color. After the fourth 

 molt, which occurs after a period of about five days later, the 



Promethea caterpillars fully grown. 



