194 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Description. This insect can be distinguished from the preceding 

 by the absence of the conspicuous white tents or nests. The forest 

 tent caterpillars spin a web but it is much thinner than in the 

 case of the species commonly occurring on apple-trees, and usually 

 escapes observation on account of its being attached to the side of a 

 limb, instead of stretched between diverging branches. 



Vig. 9 Forest tent caterpillar: la, cluster of eggs ; 

 6, female; c, top view of an egg; cf^ side view of sev- 

 eral eggs (after Riley). 



Fig. lo Larva (after Riley). 



The egg belts are similar to those of the preceding species, except that 

 the ends terminate abruptly, all the eggs standing upright (fig. 9). Each 

 mass is composed of about 400 eggs, the number ranging from 380 to 

 .416, according to Dr Riley. The young caterpillars are not often 

 noticed. The recently hatched larvae have been characterized as ' black 

 with pale hairs and are always found either huddled together or traveling in 

 file along the silken paths which they form when in search of food.' After 

 feeding for a time they become 'paler or of a light yellowish brown, with 

 the extremities rather darker than the middle of the body, with the warts 

 which give rise to the hairs quite distinct, and a conspicuous dark inter- 

 rupted line each side of the back' (Riley). After the second molt the 

 characteristic row cf spots along the back appears (fig. 10) and enables 

 one to readily distinguish between them and the apple-tree tent caterpil- 

 lars. As the larvae increase in size and undergo successive molts, the 

 colors become brighter and more distinct. The cocoon is very similar to 

 that of C. americafia. The moth is smaller, lighter colored and may be 

 distinguished from that of the apple-tree tent caterpillar by the oblique 

 bands across the fore wings being darker instead of lighter than the 

 ground color. 



