396 MISC. PUBLICATION 657, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
June and July, the eggs hatch late in the summer, and the larvae feed 
for a few w eeks, hibernate as partly grown larvae, and resume feeding 
again in the spring. 
The full-grown larva of Epizeuxis americalis (Guen.) is about 34 
inch in length and dull brown with the tubercles black, shghtly raised 
and rather prominent. This species probably has about the same 
range as £’. aemu/a, and its seasonal history is very similar. The lar- 
vae feed on dried leaves and have been found in the nests of squirrels 
and ants. 
Famity NOTODONTIDAE 
The moths of the Notodontidae ave of moderate size, few having 
a wing expanse of more than 2 inches, and in appearance they resemble 
the Phalaenidae. In general they have a stout body densely clothed 
with hair, and the legs, especially the femora, are clothed in long 
hairs. The wings are strong but not very broad, the front wings in 
some species have prominent projecting lobes on the inner margins, 
and the anal angle of the hind wings rarely reaches the end of the 
abdomen. They are nocturnal and are often attracted to lights. 
The larvae feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs, and most species 
live exposed, although a few species, such as Ichthyura inclusa, con- 
ceal themselves in tents or webs composed of silk and leaves. In this 
family, there is a wide variation in larval characters; they are either 
naked or clothed in hairs and some species have spines, ‘fleshy tubercles, 
or prominent dorsal humps, and many are brightly colored. The 
transformation takes place in a thin silken or parchmentlike cocoon 
or in the ground. A monograph of the Notodontidae of North Amer- 
ica was published by Packard (324) in 1895. 
A few species are important as defoliators of forest and shade trees. 
The moths in the species of Jchthywra have a wing expanse ranging 
from 34 to 114 inches, and in general are grayish to light brown, with 
the head rather broad in front, eyes hairy, antennae short and well 
pectinated to the tip, and the thorax usually with a dark-brown median 
crest. The forewings are short and broad, apex slightly upturned, 
the outer edge a little bent, and usually marked by four cross lines, 
two of them forming a V. The hind wing has a rounded apex, and 
the legs are densely scaled. The thorax and inner margin of hind 
wings are densely hairy, and the abdomen in the male is long and 
slender with a spreading dark tuft at the end. 
The poplar tentmaker (/chthyura inclusa) is about 134 inches in 
length. The head is black with white hairs scattered over it, the 
body brownish to nearly black with four dorsal lines of light yellow, 
one bright and several indistinct lateral lines and yellowish marks. 
The back of the first abdominal segment bears a bifid black tubercle, 
and there is also a similar one on the eighth abdominal segment. 
The thoracic legs and anal shield are black, and the abdominal legs 
yellowish brown (fig. 79). This species is distributed through the 
Atlantic States and westward into the Mississippi Valley, and also 
reported from southern Canada, Nebraska, and Colorado. The larvae 
are gregarious, feeding on poplar, and when at rest live in a tent or 
web constructed by drawing together the edges of one or more leaves 
and lining them with silk. They are often abundant locally, causing 
severe defoliation on small groups of trees, particularly those crowing 
