396 



KNOWLEDGE. 



October, 1910. 



smaller, vertical branch, man)- of the fascicles, which 

 in P. strobiis consist of five leaves, will readily be 

 seen to have been eaten down quite close to the 

 brow n 



scales at their base. 



This point is well borne out m the illustration. 

 The photograph of the s^roup represents a brood 

 of the larvae of thr Hantimaiden Moth (Dalana 

 iiiinistrij), of the famih' ISombxcidae. 



The perfect insect is in no way par- 

 ticularly remarkable or striking. The 

 caterpillar is know n as the Yellow-necked 

 Appletree Caterpillar, and is, when full 

 grown, about two inches long, with a large 



ack head, the next 



being dull 



The lar\a of the Aiiieriean 1 



Figure 1. 



ipenir Mi 



th i-afiii.i; pine needle 



For hours the 

 insect feeding. It 

 up its position 

 whole bimdle of 

 them sineK, or m 



writer has \\at('hc(l tliis 



proceeds thus. Alter taknig 



within convenient reach of a 



five, the caterpillar demolishes 



twos, more often 



but iie\er three at a tune. It gras|)S one 

 iir more needles with its six [lernnuK'nt 

 legs, grotesquely enough using them 

 apparently as three pairs of hands and 

 fingers, beginning b\- hauling at the base 

 of the leaflet or leaflets and gradualh- 

 passing them through its "hands" until 

 it has brought down the tij) of the leaf to 

 its mouth. Then, whilst feeding, the 

 opposite process of handling (or walking, 

 pacing backwards) is kept going until at 

 last it has nibbled down the om.' or two 

 leaves (as the case ma\- be) to the stump 

 end. In this \\a\' it in^ariabK, and thus 

 economicall)', deals with the remainder 

 of the bundle sampled, until it has made 

 a clean business of its work, and not 

 till then does it attack another fascicle. 



Occasionally the grub grasiis three or 

 more needles at the start : but it does not 

 appear to be able to hold more than two 

 at a time, as the others, in such case, fl\- 

 out of its grasj). 



The more slender twigs are cleaned up 

 all rdund. but in the case of the large twigs, owing to 

 the i)ossibility of the beast getting a foothold without 

 embracing the whole branch, a clean sweep of the 

 vegetation is freijuently made onl)- on one side. 



orange, and the rest of the body striped 

 w ith lilack and xclkiw . 



The larva of this insect, like that of 

 the ISritish Lobster Moth, has the singular 

 habit, when at rest.nf throwing its anterior 

 part backwards and its posterior portion 

 forwards. This attitude is onl\- feebly 

 assumed when at rest and undisturbed, 

 but, on the moment of alarm, it instanth' 

 strikes its more severe attitude, when its 

 extremities become rigiil, the head and tail 

 alniDSt meeting, as appears on the left- 

 hancl sick' ol the group in one indi\'idual 

 at the top. 



The brood dej)icted is on the Witch 

 Ha/el I Hiiiiuniuiis viri^inica I. The \ery 

 slight stir of a bird settling on the 

 parent braiuh. or e\en the footfall of a 

 person passing mar the occupieil bush has, within 

 the writer's persnual obser\ation, tlirown them 

 suddenh' into the severe attitude, which the)- 

 continue to maintain for main' minutes without 

 l)etra\ing uKnement or sign of life. At a ^passing 



tire; 



l-n'.iKr; 2. 

 various Caterpillars of the Handmaiden Moth. 



glance at such a time the massed lirood strongl)- 

 resembles a fulvous moss)- patch of h)-pertrophied 

 vegetable growth, such as ver)- commonly pro- 

 tects the homes of certain gall-producing insects. 



