TUSSOCK -MOTHS. 29/ 



The caterpillars which emerge from these eggs in the spring 

 are most grotesque in appearance. The caterpillar of the 

 white-marked tussock moth when full grown has a shiny coral 

 red head beyond which extend two stiff pencils of black hairs 

 directed forward like horns. A single pencil of similar con- 

 struction supplies the other end of the body with a tail. Upon 

 the middle of the back, starting a little behind the head, is a 

 row of four regular tufts of soft whitish hairs which resemble 

 small paint brushes neatly trimmed off at the tip. In a line 

 with these but nearer the tail occur two little bright red tuber- 

 cles. The full grown antique tussock caterpillar resembles 

 closely the species just described. Its head, however, is jet 

 black and it has an additional pair of black pencils, similar 

 to though shorter than the horns, projecting from the sides 

 of the body, which is lacking in the caterpillar of the white- 

 marked tussock. These fantastic little creatures in masquerade 

 attire hold a summer festival upon orchard and shade trees, 

 v/hich often proves to be a serious matter to the owners of the 

 trees. 



After feeding for four or five weeks the caterpillar becomes 

 full grown and spins a rough cocoon of silk with which it 

 mixes the hairs that have decorated its body. These cocoons 

 are usually formed upon the bark or in the angles of twigs. 

 Often a leaf is attached to the mass. 



In about two weeks the adult insects emerge from the 

 cocoons. Figs. 44 and 45. The males are winged, the white- 

 marked tussock having gray wings which expand nearly one 

 and one-half inches and the antique tussock having smaller 

 brown wings. The female moths of these two species are not 

 readily distinguishable. They never acquire wings and their 

 distended bodies are practically little more than animated sacs 

 of eggs. The females being unable to fly and their bodies 

 being too heavy for their slender legs to drag about, cling to 

 the cocoons from which they emerge and soon" after mating 

 deposit about 300 eggs in a mass upon the cocoon. This done 

 they drop to the ground and die without feeding in the adult 

 stage at all. 



Natural Enemies. There are several species of parasites, a 

 Tachina fly and an Ichneumon known as Pimpla inquisitor 

 prominent among them in this State, which sometimes occur 

 21 



