184 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Vol. vi. 



It might be rash to assume these seemingly adaptive changes of 

 habits and colors in the larval state to be a protective measure. The 

 insect, on account of its early appearance, hardly needs much protection 

 from enemies. Birds are rather scarce at this time, especially in hem- 

 lock groves and probably would detect it in any case. Ichneumon flies 

 and other parasitic hymenoptera are almost out of the question. A 

 small Carabid beetle which ascends the trees at night and a rather large 

 green hemipteron lurking often on the bark in day time probably never 

 will infest the lofty habitat of the Feralia larvae. Even the colors of 

 the imago resembling the green and white mottled lichens on the bark 

 are to all appearance of not much protective value, as some mutilated 

 moths found near the trunks had apparently been killed by Carabids 

 while resting on the bark. Probably the larva simply follows the gen- 

 eral law of markings (Eimer, Artbildung bei den Schmetterlingen ; 

 Orthogenesis, etc.), gradually converting the primitive pattern of longi- 

 tudinal stripes into spots. In this case these changes apparently coin- 

 cide with the different surroundings which are conditioned by the alter- 

 ing food habits. 



Egg. — Rather large, of the typical noctuid form; semiglobular, 

 much flattened at base, depressed on top ; pale honey yellow with 

 faint greenish tint, extremely thin shelled and soft; closely ribbed when 

 magnified, the ribs appear as blunt ridges with many irregular indenta- 

 tions, these ridges widening toward base, do not all commence from the 

 vertex, nor do they all reach the base. 



Eggs laid April 7th commenced to hatch April 21st. The young 

 larvae do not eat their egg shells, but making an opening side ways, they 

 leave the delicate, colorless, transparent membrane in shape. 



First stage. — Larvae slender, almost pellucid, of a pale green- 

 ish yellow color. Skin not smooth but irregularly folded. Head 

 rather large, sparsely hairy, mouth-parts and ocelli pale yellowish- 

 brown. On 1st, 2d and 3d segments dorsally shield-like plates indi- 

 cated, those on 2d and 3d are omitted after moulting. Eleventh seg- 

 ment humped slanting to anus, this hump before first moult has a raised 

 shield-like plate covering the entire dorsal and subdorsal region. Seg- 

 ments, except thoracic and last, with five minute black dots each bearing 

 a short slender hair arranged in the usual noctuid way (Dyar, Classifi- 

 cation of Lepidopterous Larvae); the three first segments have a few more 

 delicate hairs and above cremaster a transverse bow of about 24 minute 

 hairs. The young larvae have during their earlier stages a looper-like gait 

 and habits, holding with the after legs to a sprig and stretching the body 



