INSECTS, HARMFUL AND OTHERWISE 241 



ered antennae. The legs are covered with hairs, and the body 

 also is hair-covered, especially the chest. The abdomen is 

 marked with white bands. The moth is nocturnal. Its 

 caterpillar is a large, fleshy creature of a dull green color, with 

 rows of blue tubercles at the sides, and yellow tubercles on 

 the back. It is about three inches in length. The cater- 

 pillar feeds upon butternut, walnut, cherry, willow, and 

 many other trees, and spins a large silken cocoon on the twigs 

 of the food tree. These cocoons are very conspicuous in the 

 winter on the bare trees and may then be collected. They 

 are made of a good quality of silk and are double walled. 

 At the top is left a loosely covered opening, through which 

 the moth comes out in May or June. 



Children should be instructed to bring in such cocoons, 

 which may then be hung up in the school-room. The emer- 

 gence of the moths may be seen in the spring, and will always 

 cause a mild excitement. It is very interesting to see the 

 moth coming out with soft, crumpled wings, and then proceed 

 to inflate them. 



The lo or Bull's-eye Moth is a smaller species, called by 

 these names because of a large eye-like spot on the hind wing. 

 The female is brown, the male yeflow, with shadings of pur- 

 ple, black, and red. 



The Promethea-moth is also a common species. It 

 somewhat resembles the Cecropia, but is smaller, being about 

 four inches across from tip to tip. Unlike its cousins it is a 

 day flier. The female is reddish brown, with a wavy line of 

 white across both pairs of wings. There is a conspicuous eye 

 spot in the outer comer of the front wings. The male is 

 black. The wavy white line so noticeable in the female is 

 faint, but the eye spots are there. This moth has a very 



