262 



THE AMERICAN 



completed, she commences another — and not 

 befoi-e. With each egg is secreted a brown var- 

 nish wliich firmly fastens it to the twig and to 

 its neighbor, and wliich, upon becoming drj^, 

 forms a carinated net-work of brown over the 

 pale egg-shell. These eggs are so regiilai-ly laid 

 and so closely glued to each other, that the sides 

 are often so appressed, that the moth economizes 

 space almost as effectually as does the Honey-bee 

 in the formation of its hexagonal cells. In confine- 

 ment the moth very seldom succeeds in forming 

 a perfect ring, but in her abortive attempts, 

 deposits tliem in diflerent sized patches ; and as 

 we have found such unfinished patches attached 

 to an oak leaf out-of-doors, we may conclude 

 that either from injury or debility of some kind, 

 the parent's instinct sometimes fails it even when 

 all the conditions are normal and natural. 



The eggs are deposited, in the latitude of St. 

 Louis, during the latter part of June. The em- 

 bryo develops during tlie hot summer weather, 

 and the yet unborn larva is fully formed by the 

 time winter comes on. They hatch with the 

 first warm Aveather in spring — generally from 

 the middle to the last of March — and thongh the 

 buds of their food-xilant may not have opened at 

 the time, and though it may freeze severely 

 afterwards, yet these Uttle creatures are won- 

 derfully hardy, and can fast for thi-ee whole 

 weeks, if need be, and withstand any amount of 

 inclement weatlier. The very moment these 

 little larvse are born, they commence spinning a 

 web wherever they go. At this time they are 

 black with pale hairs, and are always found 

 either huddled together or traveling in file along 

 the silken paths wMch they form when in 

 search of food. In about two weeks from the 

 time they commence feedmg they go through 

 their first moult, having first grown paler or of 

 a light yellowish-bi'own, with the extremities 

 rather darker than the middle of the body, with 

 the little warts which give rise to the hairs quite 

 distinct, and a conspicu.ous dark interrupted line 

 each side of the back. After the first moult, 

 they are characterized lorincipally by two pale 

 yellowish subdorsal lines, which border what 

 was before, the dark line above described. After 

 the second monlt, which takes place in about a 

 week from the first, the characteristic pale spots 

 on the back appear, the upper jiale line be- 

 comes yellow, the lower one white, and the space 

 between them bluish: indeed, the characters of 

 the mature larva are from this period apisarent. 

 Very soon they undergo a third moult, after 

 which the colors all become more distinct and 

 fresh, the head and anal plate have a soft bluish 

 velvety appearance, and the hairs seem more 



dense. After undergoing a fourth moult with- 

 out material change in appearance, they acquire 

 their full growth in about six weeks from the 

 [Fig. 166 ] time of first feeding. At this time 

 they appear as at Figure 166, and 

 for those who are interested in such 

 matters, we quote below* Dr. Fitcli's 

 descriijtion of the fuU-gTOwn lai-va, 

 as it is the first accurate and detailed 

 description that was published, and 

 as we have occasion to refer to it 

 further on. 

 At tliis stage of its growth the Tent- 

 ^ caterpillar of tlie Forest may be seen 

 ^^ wandering singly over different trees, 

 along roads, on the to^js of fences, 

 etc., in search of a suitable place to 

 form its cocoon. It usually contents 

 itself with folding a leaf or drawing 

 ""waclrwiiite, s^"*''^!"''^^ together for this purpose, 

 and rufous, though it frequently spins up under 

 fenceboards and in other sheltered situations. The 

 cocoon is very much like that of the conunon 

 Tent-caterpillar, being formed of a loose exterior 

 covering of wliite silk ■«'ith the hairs of the larva 

 intei-woven, and by amore compact oval inner pod 

 that is made stiff by the meshes being filled with a 

 tliin yellowish paste from the mouth of the lai-va, 

 whicli paste, when dried, gives the cocoon the 

 appearance of being dusted with powdered sul- 

 phur. Three A&ys after the cocoon is completed 

 the caterpillar casts its skin for the last time and 

 becomes a chrysalis of a reddish-bi'own color, 

 slightly dusted with a pale powder, and densely 

 clothed with short pale j^ellow hairs, whicli at 

 the blunt and rounded extremity are somewhat 

 larger and darker. In a couple of weeks more, 



*The Caterpillar, as seen after it has forsaken its nest and 

 is wandering about, is an inch and a half long and 0.20 thick. 

 It is cylindrical and of a pale blue color, tinged low down 

 on each side with greenish gray, and is everywhere sprinkled ' 

 over with black points ana dots. Along its back is a row 

 often or eleven oval or diamoDd-shajjed white spots which 

 are similarly sprinkled with black points and dots, and are 

 placed one on the forepart of each segment. Behind each of 

 these spots, is amuch smaller white spot, occupying the mid- 

 dle of each segment. 'I he intervening space is black, which 

 color also forms a border surrounding each of the spots, and on 

 each side is an elevated black dot from which arises usually 

 four long black hairs. The hind part of each segment is 

 occupied by three crinkled and more or less interrupted pale 

 orangp-yeliow lines, which are edged with black. And on 

 6:1 ch side is a continuous and somewhat broader stripe of the. 

 same yellow color, similarly edged on each of its sides with 

 black Lower down upon each side is a paler yellow or 

 cream-colored stripe, the edges of which are more jagged 

 and irregular than those of the one above it, and this strijie 

 also is bordered with black, broadly and unevenly on its 

 upper side and very narrowly on its lower side. The back is 

 clothed with numerotis fine fox-colored hairs, and low down 

 on each side are numerous coarser whitish ones. On the 

 under side is a large oval black spot on each se,2;ment except 

 the anterior ones. The legs and prolegs are black and clothed 

 with short whitish hairs. The head is ol a dark bluish color 

 freckled with numerous black dots and clothed with short 

 blackish and fox-colored hairs. The second segment or 

 neck is edged anteriorly with cream white, which color is 

 more broad upon the sides. The third and foiu-th segments 

 have each a large black spot on each side. The instant it is 

 immersed in spirits the blue color of this caterpillar vanishes 

 and it becomes black. 



