THE TENT- CA TERPIL LAR. 



Fig. 160o— Eg 



Masses ok Apple-Tree Tknt- 



CaTERI'ILLAK. 



many places it may pay to 

 offer a small price per hun- 

 dred to encourage the chil- 

 dren to collect them. This 

 was tried in New Hampshire 

 and one case is recorded 

 where 8,250 egg masses, equi- 

 valent to 1,237,500 esigs, were 

 collected for $8.25. The lit- 

 tle caterpillars form in the 

 eggs in the summer but do 

 not hatch until the middle or 

 last of the following April. If 

 food is not -yet plenty they 



live for a few days upon the glue which the caterpillars within limits : Some of 

 has been their winter bed-blanket, but the ground beetles and the spiny soldier 

 soon begin the construction of the well- bugs catch and eat the larva; ; several 

 known nests. These are usually placed species lay their eggs within the bodies 

 in some crotch of twigs near the aban- of trie caterpillars and the little grubs 

 doned little honeycomb-like egg-band which hatch from them live upon the 

 and are formed by the threads of silk caterpillars' life blood ; and a bacterial 

 which the caterpillars spin As the disease frequently destroys large num- 

 larva; grow and the nest becomes too bers. These friendly agencies are but 

 small another sheet of threads is spun, slightly under man's control ; but the 

 so that the tent is really a succession of birds which prey upon the pest would 

 nests one outside the other. These respond quickly and beneficently to 

 white or yellowish masses of silk are efforts to protect and encourage them, 

 easily destroyed by burning on the tree The principal birds feeding upon the 

 or by cutting off the twig and crushing tent-caterpillar are the yellow-billed and 

 the nest. This should be done in the black-billed cuckoos and the black-cap- 

 evening or just before a storm when the ped chickadee, but others known to do 

 caterpillars have sought shelter. some service in this line are the Balti- 



The caterpillars feed until late in May, more oriole, red-eyed and warbling 



when, after four or five molts, they are 

 of the size and appearance shown in Fig. 

 1604. The body color is black, but a 



vireos, wren, chipping-sparrow, yellow 

 warbler and crow. 



The larvie crawl down the trunks of 



prominent white stripe extends the full the trees in late May, when they are 

 length of the back. There are also mature and are nearly two inches long, 

 numerous shorter irregular white lines and spin their cocoons on the trunks of 

 and a row of oval, pale blue spots upon the trees where partially protected by 

 each side ; while the entire body is the rough bark, in the grass under the 

 thinly covered with long yellowish hairs, trees, on and about the fences, and very 

 The caterpillars, especially when young, often about the eaves and window cas- 

 can easily be killed by two or three ings and along the sides of out build- 

 sprayings with some arsenical poison. ings. These cocoons are quite cons'pi- 

 Several natural agencies serve to keep cuous even when placed singly ; but 



