MELSHEIMEE'S SACK-BEAEER. 41o 



bits of sticks, about a quarter of an inch, long, arranged 

 transversely, and the cases were hung by a thick silken loop 

 or ring to a twig; the lower end of these cases was filled 

 with a large quantity of loose and veiy soft brownish floss- 

 silk, which completely closed the orifice within. The male 

 Oiketicus resembles a Zeuzera in the form and great length 

 of its body, in the shape of its wings, and in its antennae, 

 and in both the latter it resembles also the same sex of a 

 Dryocampa, particularly in its antennae, which are feathered 

 on both sides on the lower part of the stalk, and are bare at 

 the other end. The female has neither wings, antennae, nor 

 legs, and is said to remain always within its cocoon. Some 

 years ago, a case or cocoon of an Oiketiaus, which was found 

 on Long Island, was presented to me. It was smaller than 

 the West Indian specimens, measuring only an incli and a 

 half without its loop, and was covered with a few little sticks 

 longitudinally arranged. It contained a female chrysalis, 

 with the remains of the caterpillar. In Philadelphia and the 

 vicinity, cases of a similar kind are very common on many 

 of the trees, particularly on the arbor-vitse, larch, and hem- 

 lock, which are often A'ery much injured by the insects in- 

 habiting them. These are there popularly called drop-worms 

 and basket-worms. 



We have in Massachusetts another sack-bearer, which 

 does not appear to have been described, and differs so much 

 both from Psyche and Oiketious, when arrived at maturity, 

 as to induce me to give it another generical name. I there- 

 fore call it Perophora Melsheimerii,* Melsheimer's sack-bearer 

 (Plate VI. Fig. 5). A case of this insect, containing a 

 living caterpillar, was brought to me towards the end of 

 September, by a student of Harvard College, Mr. H. O. 

 White, who found it on an oak-tree in Cambridge. This 

 case (Plate VI. Fig. 4) was nearly an inch and a half long, 



* Named in honor of Dr. F. E. Melsheimer (the son of the Rev. F. V. Melshei- 

 mer, the father of American Entomology, as he has been called), from whom I 

 Iiave received specimens of this insect, and its curious case. 



