294 ; INSECTA. 
The caterpillars live in the open air, and feed on the tender parts of 
plants. Most of them forma cocoon of pure silk. The margin of the 
abdominal annuli is not dentated in the chrysalis. 
We will form a first subgenus with those species in which the wings 
are extended and horizontal, or the Phalenze attacus of Linnzus, 
retaining the name 
Saturnia, Schr., 
Given to it by M. Schrank, uniting with it Aglie (Bombya tau., 
Fab.) of Ochsenheimer. It comprises the largest species, the wings 
of which are frequently fenestrate, or marked with diaphanous spots. 
Such are the 
S. Atlas of China, the B. hesperida, B. cecropia, the B. luna, 
where the inferior wings are prolonged into a sort of tail, &c. 
The silk of two other species of the same division, the Bombyx 
mylitta of Fabricius, and the Phalena cynthia of Drury—Insect. 
Il, vi, 2 *, has been employed in Bengal from time immemorial. 
I have satisfied myself by a Chinese MS. on this subject, sent to 
me by M. Huzard, that the caterpillars of these Bombycites were 
the wild silk-worms of China. I suspect that part of the silks 
procured by the ancients in their maritime commerce with the 
inhabitants of India, proceeded from the silk of these caterpillars. 
But five species of this subgenus } are found in Europe. ‘The 
most common is the 
S. pavonia major ; B. pavonia major, Fab.; Rees., Insect. IV, 
xv, xvil, The largest species found in France. It is five inches 
in width; wings extended; body brown, with a whitish spot at 
the anterior extremity of the thorax; wings round, sprinkled 
with grey; a large, black, ocellated spot, traversed by a trans- 
parent line, surrounded by an obscure fulvous circle, by a white 
semicircle, by a second that is reddish, and by another black 
circle, on the middle of each wing. 
The caterpillar, that lives on leaves of different trees, is 
green, with blue tubercles, arranged in rings, from which issue 
long clavate hairs. In the month of August it spins an oval 
cocoon, narrowed into a blunt point, with a double neck, the 
interior of which is partly formed of elastic and convergent 
threads, that facilitate the egress of the Insect, but prevent the 
ingress of enemies. The silk is very strong and adhesive. The 
perfect insect appears in the May of the following year t. 
The superior wings of the other Bombycites are tectiform, and 
the exterior margin of the inferior ones project almost horizontally 
—ale reverse—beyond them. 
Sometimes their palpi project in the manner of a rostrum, and 
their inferior wings are frequently dentated. The Insect resembles 
a bundle of dead leaves. These species form the genus 
* Trans. Lin. Soc., VII, p. 35. 
+ Authors mention but four; a fifth has lately been discovered, now in the collec- 
tion of M. Bois-Duval, that is perfectly distinct. 
t For the other species, see Fab., Syst. Entom., first division of Bombyx; and 
Oliy., Encye. Méthod., first division of the same genus. 
