STING-MOTH. Doratifera vulneraiis. (With larva and coc.oon.) 



ISSE. Pericopis Isse. 



HEL1CON1A-MOTII. Hyelfaia 



light are seen to be of the deepest imaginable green with a velvety lustre. The hindei 

 wings are rich crimson scarlet, decorated with three or four black spots. This species is 

 found in several parts of Europe, though not apparently a native of England. It is 

 shown in the upper right-hand corner of the illustration. 



THE moth which is represented in the accompanying illustration presents while in its 

 perfect state but few points of interest, and would not be likely to attract the attention of 

 any but an entomologist searching for new species. But in its preliminary stage of 

 existence, and especially during the larval life, it is a very remarkable creature, both for 

 its odd shape and its offensive qualities. As may be seen by reference to the engraving, 

 the larva is stout, broad, and strong, and furnished with four protuberances in front and 

 an equal number behind. From these protuberances the creature is able to project 

 bundles of slight filaments of a bright yellow colour, which are capable of piercing the 

 skin like so many darts ; and whether through mechanical action, which irritates the 

 nerves, or through any poisonous substance with which they are imbued, they act on the 

 skin like venomed stings, and inflict exceedingly painful wounds. 



The reader may possibly be aware that many caterpillars, common in England, possess 

 a highly irritating power, and are able to cause no small inconvenience to those who handle 

 them roughly. The well-known and handsome palmer-worm caterpillar (the larva of the 

 gold-tailed moth) possesses this property in a very high degree, as I can testify from 

 personal experience. In the course of dissecting a series of these creatures, my face and 

 the back of my hands were swollen into hard knots, as if moderate-sized potatoes had been 

 inserted beneath the skin, and the sensation caused was not unlike the dull pain that 

 ensues after the sting of a wasp, mingled with the intense irritation of nettle-rash. 



There are, besides this insect, several other British species of caterpillars which have 

 a greater or less power of injuring those who handle them incautiously. None of them, 

 however, appear to possess any poisonous secretion, the unpleasant and even painful 

 effects being apparently due simply to the irritating mechanical action of the sharp hairs 

 upon the nerves. All persons do not suffer alike from these larvae, the tender-skinned 



