172 



INSECT LIFE. 



Note. — There are several species of tent-caterpillars in the United 

 States. The most common one east of the Rocky Mountains is the one 

 figured above — the apple-tree tent-caterpillar, Clisiocampa americana 

 ( Clis-i-o-cam! pa a-mer-i-ca no). Another species that occurs in this region 

 is the tent-caterpillar-of-the-forest, Clisiocampa disstria {C. dis stri-a). 

 The larva of this species dilTers in having a row of spots along the middle 

 of the back instead of a continuous, narrovf line. This species viiW an- 

 swer just as well for the work outlined above as the apple-tree tent- 

 caterpillar. 



The more common tent-caterpillars of the Pacific coast are Clisio- 

 campa californica (C. cal-i-forni-cd), whose webs may be found on oaks 

 in March and April, and Clisiocampa constricta (C. con-shic ta\ which in- 

 fests fruit trees later in the season. The caterpillars of the leist-named 

 species do not make tents, although they live in colonies. 



Other Leaf-eating Caterpillars {Field and 

 School WorJi). — There are many kinds of caterpillars 

 that feed on the foliage of other fruit trees, any one 

 of which will serve as a good subject for study. It 

 would take too much space to describe many of these 

 and to outline the method of study of them, as has 

 been done above for the tent-caterpillars. The fol- 

 lowing brief outline will be all that is necessary for 

 the pupils that have carefully studied several of the 

 insects already described : — 



1. Collect larvae found feeding on the foliage of 

 fruit trees. Try to get several specimens of each 

 kind, and note carefully upon what they were feed- 

 ing. 



2. Put each kind of larva into a separate breeding 

 cage (see pages 327 to 330 for descriptions of breeding 

 cages), and feed each with leaves from the kind of 

 tree on which it was found. Keep the food fresh by 

 placing the stems in water, and renew it daily. 



3. Make careful notes on the habits of the insects, 

 and describe each stage in their development. 



