280 feRITISH LEPIDOPTEkA. 



1895, pp. 263 — 266) of the cocoons of the Attacids as follows : "The 

 Saturniidae (Attacidae) weave large and dense cocoons attached to 

 objects free from and elevated above the surface of the earth ; the 

 Hemileucidae spin cocoons of slighter texture on or near the ground, 

 and granules of earthy matter are mixed with the web (Auto men's), 

 or in a surface cell among debris with no or little silk (Heinileuca) ; 

 the Citheroniidae enter the ground to form a cell beneath the surface, 

 in which the naked pupa reposes, showing an analogy of habit 

 with the Sphingina. In Attacus, Philosamia and Callosamia, the larva 

 attaches the deciduous leaf, which forms the basis and natural 

 attachment for its web, firmly to the branchlet by a pedicel of silk. 

 Evidently this habit has been found more useful to the species, the cocoon 

 being thus prevented from falling to the ground with the fall of the 

 leaf. Telea and Actias have not this habit, and the cocoon falls in the 

 autumn with the leaf which was used in the spinning. The Attacid 

 group {sens, strict. ) has generally this habit of attaching the cocoon, 

 and in Callosamia the habit is strongly developed, although bamia 

 has it not at all, but spins a thick double cocoon attached to the 

 branches themselves often near the ground, and much after the 

 fashion * of the European Saturnia. I, therefore, place the genera 

 with the pedicel habit at the commencement of the family, Samia 

 and Saturnia following, and closing with Actias and Telea, in which 

 the thinner cocoon falls with the leaf to the ground." Sharp 

 says : " The cocoons are very various, ranging from a slight 

 open network to a dense elaborate structure arranged as in 

 Saturnia pavonia, and in this latter case an opening is left by the 

 larva for its exit after it has become a moth, but, by an ingenious 

 chevaux de frise work, this opening is closed against external enemies, 

 though the structure offers no resistance at all to the escape of the 

 moth. Fabre has recorded some observations and experiments 

 which seem to show that the instinct predominating over the for- 

 mation of the cocoon is not cognoscent. The insect, if interfered 

 with, displays a profound stupidity; its method is blind perseverance 

 in the customary (Souvenirs entomologiques, 4th series, 1891, pp. 39 — 

 46)." The cocoon of the Attacids is, however, more often 

 entirely closed, and, although Packard and others have asserted 

 that the " cocoon-cutter," with which Actias tuna and other species 

 are provided, is used to cut its way out of the cocoon, Chapman 

 long since described how Platysamia cecropia softened its cocoon with 

 an abundance of fluid (anted, vol. ii., pp. 64 — 65), and has recently 

 (Ent. Rec, xiii., p. 300) shown, as we have already stated, that the 

 " cocoon-cutter " of Actias tuna is not used to cut the silk at all, 

 but to tease it out when it has been sufficiently softened by a fluid 

 excreted by the imago. Sharp further notes that the cocoons ot 

 the species of Ceranchia have a beautiful appearance, like masses of 

 filagree-work in silver. [The pupa in Ceranchia, too, is very peculiar, 

 being terminated by a long spine-like process.] In Loepa newara 

 the cocoon is of a green colour, and suspended by a stalk, looking 

 like the pod or pitcher of a plant." 



The Attacid pupa is very fairly specialised and distinctive, although, 

 if the Citheroniids be considered, a considerable range of variation exists. 



*• Bacot notes the.attachment as being often very similar to that of Eutricka 

 (jKcrcifolia. 



