80 MOTHS 



it creeps into a chink in the bark, spins a tough 

 silken cocoon, and changes into a chrysalis, from 

 which the moth appears in the following May. 



PLATE XLH 



THE LOBSTER (i and 2) 



This seems a very odd name for a moth, doesn't 

 it ? And if you were to see the moth you would 

 be quite sure to wonder why such a title should 

 ever have been given to it, for it is not in the 

 very least like a lobster. But the fact is that 

 it has a most singular-looking caterpillar, with 

 very long legs, five pairs of large humps on its 

 back, and the end of its body swollen out to a 

 huge size, with two curved horns on the top. 

 Really it does look not unlike a lobster with a 

 very big claw, and a great many people would 

 be quite afraid to touch it. However, it is per- 

 fectly harmless, so that if ever you meet with it 

 you may pick it up without the least fear of 

 being bitten, or pinched, or stung. 



This very odd caterpillar feeds on the leaves 

 of oak, birch, and beech trees in August and 

 September. When it has finished growing it 

 spins two or three leaves together by means of 

 a few silken threads, and turns into a chrysalis 

 between them, from which the moth hatches out 

 in the following May or June. 



