2 APPLE. 



The very conspicuous presence of the caterpillars of the Lappet 

 Moth, which when full-grown reach a length of four inches or more, 

 has long been known of in this country as occurring on Willow, also 

 on Sloe or Blackthorn, and sometimes on Pear, and on Whitethorn ; 

 but it was not until last season that I had an observation of the infes- 

 tation as seriously injurious to orchard leafage. In this case the attack 

 was reported early in May to me by Messrs. Cranston, of King's Acre, 

 near Hereford, as occurring here and there on their Apple trees, and 

 that where they were found, every leaf had been devoured. 



The little bundle of Apple twigs sent accompanying as samples of 

 the ravage, showed this to have been total, as all was cleared excepting 

 just the remains of the leaf-stem. The above sketch of part of one of 

 the twigs sent me shows the extent of the injury, and the figure of the 

 caterpillar, taken from a specimen which was the counterpart of the 

 sample forwarded to me, shows its great size, and also shows the row 

 of fleshy appendages along the side (fancifully compared to lappets), 

 from which the perfect insect takes its popular name of "Lappet 

 Moth." 



The caterpillars of this " Lappet Moth " grow to a length of from 

 four to five inches (the specimen before me is somewhat over four 

 inches long), and are cylindrical, slightly hairy, and grey or brownish 

 in colour, but the tint is variable, and so also is the pattern of the 

 markings down the middle of the back. These may be almost absent, 

 or may occur as a row of somewhat V-shaped dark marks ; but across 

 the back, on the segments next the head, are two beautifully lustrous, 

 deep blue or purple, velvety bauds. These are characteristic markings, 

 and are especially observable when the caterpillar is in movement ; 

 when at rest they may be hardly noticeable. The caterpillars have 

 three pairs of claw-feet, and four pairs of sucker-feet beneath the body, 

 besides the pair at the end of the tail ; and just above the feet, and all 

 along each side is a row of fleshy warts or appendages with long grey 

 hairs, to which the name of "lappets" has been given. These peculiar 

 excrescences have been carefully figured from a specimen in my 

 possession (by Mr. E. K. Knight), so that their position and form 

 should be clearly distinguishable from that of the claw and sucker- feet, 

 with which they are sometimes confused. 



When full-grown, which may be in the late spring or early 

 summer, the caterpillar spins a dark coloured oval cocoon, apparently 

 in any convenient shelter, as the localities are variously recorded as 

 being in clefts of bark, or between boards under eaves, or amongst the 

 lower twigs of the plant on which the caterpillar fed, or close to the 

 ground amongst grass. From these cocoons the moths appear at 

 variable dates from June (or even as early as May) to July and August. 

 These moths, scientifically the Gastrupacha Qiiem/ulia, are very fine 



