ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



263 



or (luring the forepart of June, the moths com- 

 mence to issue, and fly about at niglii. This 

 moth (Fig-. 1C5, ?j ? ) bears a consiilerable resem- 

 blance to fliat of the Conunon Tent-caterpillar 

 (Fig. 107. ?), being of a brownisli-yellow or 



[lU 11.7.] 



Color— Rust-ljrown . 



rusty brown, and having two oblique transverse 

 lines across the front wings. It differs, however, 

 iu the color being paler or more yellowish, espe- 

 cially on the thorax; in the space between the 

 oblique lines being usually darker instead of 

 lighter than that on either side; but principally 

 in the oblique lines themselves being dark in- 

 stead of light, and iu a transverse shade, often 

 quite distinct, across the hind wings. As in 

 Americana, the male is smaller than the female, 

 with the wings shorter and cut off more squarely. 

 CDUsidcniblc variation may be found in a given 

 number of moths, but principally in the space 

 between the oblique lines on the front wings 

 being either of the same shade as the rest of the 

 wing, or in its being much darker; but as we 

 have found these variations in different indi- 

 viduals of the same brood, bred either from Oak, 

 ILckory, Apple and Rose, they evidently havi^ 

 nothing to do with the food-plant. The scales 

 on the wings are very loosely attached, and rub 

 off so readily that good sijecimens of the moth 

 are seldom captured at large. So much for the 

 natural liistory of our Forest Tent-caterpillar. 



THE I.AKVA SPINS A WEB. 



From the very moment it is born till after the 

 fourth or last moult, this caterpillar spins a web 

 and lives more or less in company ; but from the 

 fact that this web is always attached close to the 

 l)ranches and trunks of the trees infested, it is 

 ollen overlooked, and several writers have falsely 

 declared that it does not spin. At each succes- 

 sive moult all the individuals of a batch collect 

 and huddle together upon a common web for 

 two or three days, and during these periods — 

 though more active than most other caterpillars 

 in this so-called sickness— they are quite slug- 

 gish. During the last or fourtli moult they 

 very frequently come low down on the trunk of 

 the tree, and, as in the case of the gregarious 

 larva3 of the Hand-maid Moth (Datana minis- 

 tra), which often entirely denude our Black 

 Walnuts, they unwittingly court destruction by 

 collecting in such masses within man's reach. 



IT FEEDS BOTH ON ORCHARD AND FOREST TREES. 



In the summer of 1867 this insect did gi-eat 

 damage in Western New York, where it is falsely 

 called THE "Army-worm." From the fact that 

 Mr. Peter Ferns, of Millville, Orleans county, 

 N. Y., was greatly troubled with it that year in 

 his apple orchard, and tliat he did not notice any 

 of the same worms on the Oak and Walnut tim- 

 ber of that section, he concluded that his Apple- 

 feeding worms must be different from those 

 feeding on forest trees. In an article signed 

 " F., Orleans county, N. Y.", which appeared 

 in the Country Gentleman of July 23d, 1868, 

 the same writer endeavors to prove his Apple- 

 feeding worms distinct by sundry minute char- 

 acters, as may be seen from the following extract : 



Now I am not an entomologist, but still must be 

 allowed to beheve that there are several points, 

 if not ••(lis|iii,-tivc cliaraclcrs." in which our 

 catcriiilliir (lillcr- IVoiii Ihr TcnI-ratcrpilliir of 

 the Forr-i, a- (1.-. Tilled l.v Dr. Kil.-li. His larva 

 is of a ]ialr Iihir ii>|,.i-. lin-cd lower down on 

 each si.lc w iili ^i-eeni-li-iiiay. In ours the pre- 

 vailing; r.il.ir (111 the liaek is lilack; there is a sky- 

 blue stiiiiei aeli side Imt no greenish-gray. 



Both liavelliewhilesp.ils nil tlie 1 laek niueb alike, 

 (li(jui;li lierliaps luii-s are more eliili-,-lialie,l, look- 

 il|o- to rlie iiakeil eve liearlv llie ,~lia]ie .irieli-pius. 

 Botli have llie,-e si^ils siin-oiiii,le(l w ill. lilaek; in 



ours Ihei-e is (juilea limail Mack siiii i each 



side or ihe spills. ■I'ht- l.laek -iiipe is nii.reor 

 lesslilleil with line, iriiikleil, liri-hl (.raiiuv lines. 

 In siinie. these oraii-e liiie> are Ml plentvas to 



be seen Jilailll V wit llnllt llle-la-s; in .illierstllC 

 eulol- In the na'ke.l ryr i- a line vel vi't-l .laek. In 



tlie larva ileseribed bv Dr. Fiteli I here is much 

 less of black and of the tine crinkled lines, which 

 are pale orange-yellow. There is a smnewhat 

 broader stripe of the same yellow enlnr, in place 

 of a narrow orange one in ours. The Inwer yel- 

 low stripe may be much alike in Imlli. Imt what 

 is skv-blue in one is gTeenisli-i;ra\ in the other. 

 In both, the head is of a dark lilni-li enlnr, but 

 in his it i> livekled with nnnieions black dots; 

 in ours. I.nth tn the nailed eye ami under ii glass, 

 it is plain. In his ■■ the seennil seenient <>v neck 

 is edged anterimly with ereani-wliite. which 

 color is more brouil <in the sides, 'the ihivil and 

 fourth segments lunc eaeli a laii^e hhiek s|inl nn 

 each side." .Bntli the ereani-w hile .due .and 

 black spots are entirely wanting in our cater- 

 pillars. 



The habits of the larvis also appear to be dif- 

 ferent. According to Harris and li itch, the Tent- 

 eaterpillar nf the Forest lives in large societies, 

 under a ti^nt or enli-wi'l.-like nest placed against 

 the side of the tree, and i-nines nut to feed on the 

 leaves. Others, as well as myself, have watched 

 our caterpillars and entirelx tail to discover that 

 they lived in communities, nr in any one place 

 that they went from and returned ti>. While 

 small, they remain scattered nver the smaller 

 branches and nn tin' leaves, and are tir>( sei>n to 

 begin to get tn^ellier when ahniit halt grown, 

 on some of the higlier limb.s iu the »un. They 

 only collect in large bunches on the trunk and 

 lower limbs ; when nearly full grown, and the 



