STATES OF INSECTS. 175 



some of which he thinks he has even seen enter the root 

 of the hairs, which perhaps are organs of touch a . 



Of the pilose larvae, some, like most of those of the 

 smaller moths (Geo?netra, Tortrix, Pyralis, &c), have 

 merely a few scattered short hairs, scarcely perceptible ex- 

 cept through a lens: others [Odenesis Rotatoria, Lasiocam- 

 pa Rubi) are covered with down more or less thick : in 

 others (Eriogaster lanestris, Lasiocampa Neustria) the 

 hair is slenderer, and more like wool; the body of two spe- 

 cies which I purchased from the collection of Mr. Fran- 

 cillon is covered with woolly hairs, so long as to give 

 them the appearance of a shock-dog; and Madam Merian 

 has figured a similar one, which she could not bring to the 

 perfect state b . The hairs of many Bombycidce, known 

 commonly by the name of hairy caterpillars, as Arctia er- 

 minea, &c. are stiffer, resembling bristles ; sometimes, as 

 in Arctia chrysorhea, mixed with shorter ones. The 

 hairs either spring immediately from the skin (Noctua 

 Aceris, lepmina), or, as is more general, proceed only 

 from certain tubercular elevations, usually subhemisphe- 

 rical, but sometimes conical ; of which a number varying 

 from four to twelve are found on each segment of diffe- 

 rent species. They seem to issue from these tubercles, 

 as little diverging streams from the rose of a watering-pot. 

 In both cases, they form a coating usually so dense as 

 to conceal the body, but sometimes more thinly set, and 

 admittins; the skin to be seen more or less between them. 

 In a caterpillar of the beautiful Arctia ocidaria, the hairs 

 are set upon tubercles alternately nearer the anterior and 

 posterior margin of each segment, so as to form a dense 



a Lyonnet 69 — . h Surinam, t. Ivii. right-hand figure. 



