120 THE FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR 



is larger than that of the male. The sizes are approximately 

 as follows : Male, length three-fourth inch, width five-sixteenth 

 inch ; female, length nine-tenth inch, width three-eighth inch. 

 The pupa is commonly more or less covered with the light, 

 yellow powder which gives the cocoon its yellow color. 



■ Moth. — The male moth (Fig. 44 a) is considerably smaller than 

 the female (Fig. 44^). The former has a wing expanse of one 

 and one-fourth inches, while the latter expands one and one- 

 half inches. Both are light buff-brown, the color of the male 

 being considerably deeper than that of the female. Along the 

 middle of the front wings there is an oblique darker band, as 

 shown in the figures. "She feelers or antennae of both sexes 

 are feathery, but those of the male -are much broader as well 

 as somewhat longer. 



BIRD ENEMIES OF THE CATERPILLARS 



In Bulletin 64 mention was made of many sorts of birds 

 that feed upon these insects. During last season these feath- 

 ered allies continued their good work. Under date of June 26, 

 Miss Soule wrote from Brandon, Vt. : "I am almost sure that 

 the caterpillar has drawn the birds here, for in four summers 

 I have never seen nearly so many as this year, though I 

 have been observing birds for years. Too much cannot be 

 said for the birds. The orioles and the redwinged blackbirds 

 especially are stripping the trees of pupae. Yesterday I saw 

 orioles at work on a beech and an oak that had been badly 

 eaten at the top, and I pulled down some of the branches and 

 examined each of the many cocoons. Every one had the neat 

 slit these birds make, and every pupa was gone. The baby 

 orioles all learn to do this as soon as they can fly from one 

 twig to another," A little later cedar birds were seen flocking 

 to the trees, opening cocoons and devouring the pupae. On 

 July 8, Miss Soule wrote: "The number of birds is really 

 amazing, and the thorough work they do is delightful." Re- 

 garding the birds that eat the moths, the same keen observer, 

 in an admirable article in the Springfield Republican, said : 

 " Many cocoons gave the moths in July, and these little brown 

 moths could be seen in great numbers flying about the maple, 



