REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST, 1 898 



17^ 



The glistening brown egg belts encircling the smaller twigs of the tree 

 are from -^ to -5^ of an inch long. Sometimes the mass of eggs does not 

 completely embrace the twig, though usually there is a more or less 

 narrow union on one side. The ends of the egg mass curve gradually 

 down to the twig, the outer eggs inclining and the outermost lying 

 almost flat, in order to permit this shape. The normal egg mass of this 

 insect is so thickly covered with the glutinous secretion that the indi- 

 vidual eggs are invisible. The young caterpillars are rarely observed 

 till they have attained some size and their webs on the smaller limbs 

 have become visible. The full grown larvae and their characteristic 

 tents are too well known to need description in connection with the 

 accompanying figure. The yellowish, oblong, oval cocoons with a loose 



Fig. 6. Tent calerpillars and nest (after Riley). 



texture are not generally recognized as being the product of the familiar 

 tent caterpillar. It will be noticed that when these cocoons are handler^ 

 a yellow, sulphur-like powder sifts out. This is the dried paste inter- 

 mingled with the silk at the time the cocoon is spun. The parent 

 moth is buff-colored, with two parallel oblique white lines across the 

 fore wings. The female is about one third larger than the male (see 

 figure 7, a, r). 



