6 



TOBACCO-WORM. THE MOTH. ITS LEGS. PKEIIMINARY nEJlARKS ON THE WIKOS. 



white spots along its upper side, and more deeply along its lower side by 

 a similar row of larger white spots; and on the middle of each of the five 

 first rings is a large round spot of a bright ochre yellow color— the hind 

 ones smaller. The under side is pale gray, with a row of round black 

 spots along the middle, from three to five in number— the second one being 

 the largest. 



The Legs are gray, paler on their undersides, the feet becoming brown 

 towards their tips, with white rings on the joints. The middle and hind 

 shanks have a pair of spurs at their tips on the underside, and the hind ones 

 have a second pair placed a short distance above the first. These spurs 

 arc gray, with naked brown shining thorn-like tips, one spur of each pair 

 being longer than its mate. The feet are five-jointed, the first joint being 

 much the longest, and the following ones successively shorter, with a pair 

 of sharp iiooks at the end. On their undersides arc rows of small black or 

 brown prickles, with a crown of larger ones at the apex of each joint, and 

 along the hindsidc of the forward feet and shanks is a series of much larger 



ones. 



Preliminary to our description of the wings of this moth the reader should 

 he apprised of some generalities respecting the markings of the wings in 

 the insects of this order. In the immensely numerous group which in com- 

 mon language we designate as millers or moths, and which are scientifi- 

 cally termed the Crepuscular and Nocturnal Lepidoptera, an almost endless 

 diversity in the spots and marks upon the fore wings is mot with. Upon 

 looking them over, one after another, no one will suspect there is any sys- 

 tem, any uniformity, to these spots and marks, except it may be here and 

 there among the individuals of a particular gcnns or tribe. And yet, when 

 we come to inspect them more particularly, we shall discover that the same 

 general designs arc repeated, the same pattern is copied, more or less com- 

 pletely and distinctly, all through this vast series of objects, it being vari- 

 ations only in ths minor details of Ihe figures, as to their particular form, 

 size, colors and distinctness, that make up the wonderful diversity which 

 exists. These markings, which are common to the wings of such numbers 

 of these moths, are situated' and designated as follows: First, between the 

 centre of the wings and its outer margin we observe sometimes one but more 

 commonly two small spots of a peculiar aspect. These are called the stigmas 

 or stigmata, this name stigma liaving been anciently given to a mark burned 

 with a hot iron upon the foreheads of slaves who had been convicted of 

 theft or other crime. Second, extending across the middle of the wing and 

 between the two stigmas is frequently a darker cloudiness, which has been 

 termed the median shade. Finally, the wing is also crossed by three bands, 

 bars or strig», as they are difl'erently termed by different writers; first, 

 the anterior, extra-basal or sub-basal, which is placed immediately forward 

 of the anterior stigma; second, the post-medial or elbowed band, immedi- 

 ately back of the posterior stigma; and third, the sub-terminal, sub-apical 

 or penultimate, which is usually more slender and distinct than either of 

 the others and is parallel with and a short space forward of the hind mar- 

 gin., la the moth which is now before us the spots and marks upon the 



