THE LIME-TREE WINTER-MOTH. 473 



measures about one inch and a quarter in length. It often 

 rests with the middle of the body curved upwards a little, 

 and sometimes even without the support of its fore legs. 

 The leaves of the lime soom to be its natural and favorite 

 food, for it may be found on this tree every year; but I 

 have often seen it in considerable abundance, with common 

 canker-worms, on other trees. It is hatched rather later, 

 and does not leave the trees quite so soon as the latter. 

 About or soon after the middle of June it spins down from 

 the trees, goes into the ground, and changes to a chrysalis 

 in a little cell five or six inches below the surface ; and 

 from this it comes out in the moth state towards the end 

 of October or during the month of November. More rarely 

 its last transformation is retarded till the spring. 



The females are wingless and grub-like, with slender 

 thread-shaped antennae. As soon as they leave the ground 

 they creep up the trees, and lay their eggs in little clusters, 

 here and there, on the branches. The males have large 

 and delicate wings, and their antennae have a narrow feath- 

 ery edging on each side. They follow the females, and 

 pair with them on the trees. This kind of moth closely 

 resembles the lime-looper or umber moth (Hyhernia defo- 

 liarid) of Europe ; but differs from it so much in the larva 

 state, that I have not the slightest doubt of its being a 

 distinct species, and ac- 

 cordingly name it Syher- ^ig- 236. 

 nia Tiliaria (Fig. 236), 

 the lime-tree winter-moth, 

 from Tilia, the scientific 

 name of its favorite tree. 

 The fore wings of the 

 male are rusty bufi" or 

 nankin-yellow, sprinkled 

 with very fine brownish dots, and banded with two trans- 

 verse wavy, brown lines, the band nearest the shoulders 

 being often indistinct ; in the space between the bands, and 



60 



