24 



Insect Pests. 



sometimes an inch in length; these h.nig egg-masses are coveretl 

 over by the hairs from the female's tail, ihe eggs being completely 

 hidden. The ova are round, of a dull gulden hue, and as many as 

 two hundred and fifty may occur in eacli Ijatch. They are not only 

 laid on a[iple, pear and pium, but also on nak, elm, blackthorn and 

 whitethorn. 



The larvie hatch out from the beginning of August and live on 

 throughout tlie winter. At first they are very small, of a dirty 

 yellow colour, with black liead and four rows of black dots and 

 numerous hairs. They at once bend over and spin a single leaf 

 together, eating only the epidermis, and at the same time they attach 

 the leaf to the twig by a mass of silk, so that it cannot fall ott'. 



Towards September tliey commence to make a, regular nest of 

 dull grey silk, attaching scx'eral lea^■es together in the process ; these 



dead leaves become lined and 

 covered with silk and are all firmly 

 united. 



This nest (Figs. 7 and S) remains 

 on tlie trees all the winter. In 

 September the larv;e moult and still 

 feed on as long as the lea\'es contain 

 any sa}i. This small nest they use 

 as a protection in damp weather 

 and at night. Even after the leaves 

 have gone it is not unusual to see 

 the small larvie basking in the sun 

 outside their tent. As the weather 

 becomes colder they become dormant 

 The hardest frosts do not seem to 



10.— i'.\i:'r (IF K(ii;-M.\ss Axii l.\i;\".v 



iW T'.KinVN T.VIL ]N[(JTII. 



and remain in their dwellings, 

 harm them. 



In the s]iring they commence to feed on the leaves as they 

 open, the young larvir wandering some way from their nest. A'ery 

 frequently a colony will divide, two nests being made antl sometimes 

 even a third is formed. 



Early in ^lay they moult again, and assume a deep brown colour 

 with reddish-bro^^■n hairs, a row of white spots on each side, a narrow 

 double broken line of red on the back, dark between, and with 

 tw(.i prominent bright red tubercles on the liaek of the ele^■entll 

 and twelfth segments; these two tidiercles are depressed iu the 

 middle and can lie elevated or withih'awn at will by the caterpillars. 

 Their objecl is unknown. If it is to frighten olf enemies they are 

 useless, for the ISrown Tail ^loth caterpillar iu this country is sidiject 



