﻿958 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinct 
  black 
  markings. 
  The 
  abdomen 
  is 
  tipped 
  with 
  buff. 
  

   The 
  spread 
  female 
  and 
  her 
  characteristic 
  resting 
  position 
  are 
  well 
  shown 
  

   in 
  fig. 
  1 
  and 
  2 
  of 
  pi. 
  i. 
  The 
  female 
  moth 
  does 
  not 
  fly 
  though 
  she 
  

   apparently 
  has 
  well 
  developed 
  wings. 
  

  

  Life 
  history. 
  The 
  winter 
  is 
  passed 
  in 
  the 
  egg 
  mass, 
  which 
  is 
  remark 
  

   ably 
  resistant 
  to 
  atmospheric 
  and 
  other 
  agencies. 
  Experiments 
  have 
  shown 
  

   that 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  egg 
  clusters 
  were 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  freely 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   elements, 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  apparently 
  not 
  harmed, 
  and 
  a 
  normal 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  appeared 
  at 
  the 
  usual 
  time, 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Boston 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June. 
  The 
  feeding 
  

   period 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July, 
  a 
  catert 
  

   pillar 
  requiring 
  from 
  about 
  nine 
  to 
  eleven 
  weeks 
  to 
  complete 
  its 
  growth 
  

   and 
  enter 
  the 
  pupa 
  stage. 
  The 
  young 
  caterpillars 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  egg 
  

   clusters 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  five 
  or 
  more 
  days 
  and 
  then 
  commence 
  feeding 
  on 
  

   the 
  leaf 
  hairs. 
  Soon 
  they 
  eat 
  out 
  small 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  and, 
  after 
  the 
  

   third 
  or 
  fourth 
  molt, 
  about 
  as 
  many 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  as 
  eat 
  

   out 
  holes. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  are 
  nocturnal 
  feeders, 
  remaining 
  in 
  clusters 
  

   on 
  limbs 
  and 
  trunk 
  or 
  hiding 
  in 
  some 
  crevice 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  be- 
  

   ginning 
  between 
  7 
  and 
  8 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  leisurely 
  to 
  ascend 
  the 
  

   tree, 
  where 
  they 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  foliage 
  at 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  night, 
  de- 
  

   scending 
  about 
  3 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morning. 
  Many 
  of 
  our 
  farmers 
  are 
  fa- 
  

   miliar 
  with 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  forest 
  tent-caterpillars 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  sections 
  

   of 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  y^ars. 
  The 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  caterpillars 
  

   assemble 
  in 
  just 
  such 
  masses, 
  and 
  on 
  badly 
  infested 
  trees 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  de- 
  

   structive 
  as 
  our 
  native 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  transform 
  to 
  pupae 
  during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June, 
  the 
  moths 
  

   appearing 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  till 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July. 
  In 
  

   exceptional 
  cases 
  these 
  dates 
  may 
  be 
  considerably 
  extended. 
  Males 
  

   emerge 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  sex, 
  and 
  shortly 
  after 
  the 
  females 
  ap- 
  

   pear, 
  pairing 
  takes 
  place 
  and 
  egg 
  deposition 
  begins. 
  The 
  embryos 
  are 
  

   frequently 
  well 
  developed 
  within 
  the 
  egg 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks 
  after 
  

   oviposition, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  do 
  not 
  emerge 
  till 
  the 
  next 
  

   spring. 
  A 
  case 
  is 
  on 
  record 
  of 
  eggs 
  hatching 
  in 
  early 
  September 
  of 
  1895 
  

   at 
  Woburn 
  (Mass.), 
  but 
  the 
  round 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  not 
  completed, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  

   northern 
  latitude, 
  at 
  least, 
  there 
  need 
  be 
  little 
  fear 
  of 
  two 
  generations 
  

   annually. 
  

  

  Food 
  plants. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  

   moth 
  is 
  the 
  exceedingly 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  plants 
  on 
  which 
  its 
  caterpillars 
  

   thrive. 
  They 
  will 
  eat 
  without 
  hesitation 
  almost 
  all 
  our 
  native 
  shrubs 
  and 
  

  

  