THE INSECT WORLD. 



257 



except for the species already mentioned, nature herself keeps 

 down the insects to a reasonable number. 



Another series of this same family is more brightly colored, 

 with the wings angulate, dentate, or only a little sinuate at the 

 outer margin, and of these we have several species that attack 

 the vine. The caterpillars are rather more clumsy than those of 

 the preceding series, and the head is often retracted into the 

 enlarged thoracic segments. The horn is frequently wanting and 

 replaced by a shining, usually blackish, eye-spot. These are 

 known as * ' hog-caterpillars, ' ' and often appear in numbers 

 sufficient to cause more or less injury in vineyards. The adults 

 are brightly colored, either greenish with darker, blotchy mark- 

 ings, or reddish with brown markings, or a combination of olive 

 green and rusty brown and gray. The figures herewith given 

 illustrate the more common species, and as their habits are much 

 the same, no special description of each is needed. 



On the elm-tree we sometimes find a green caterpillar, the skin 

 a little roughened, with the typical sphinx anal horn and, in addi- 

 tion, four little horns on the anterior segments. This is the larva 

 of Ceratomia amyntor^ or, as Dr. Harris called it, much more 

 appropriately, quadricornis, which means four-horned. The 

 moths produced by this caterpillar may often be found in mid- 

 summer on the trunks, and are dirty yellowish gray, streaked 

 with blackish, and with white discal spots. 



Sometimes we find, flying around flowers in bright sunlight, 

 exceedingly active little creatures that at first sight resemble 

 humming-birds, and are frequently considered such. If they be 

 captured, however, we see that they are brilliantly colored moths, 

 which have received the common name "humming-bird hawk- 

 moths. ' ' They usually have the fore-wings quite sparsely clothed, 

 sometimes nearly transparent, while the body is covered by rich 

 coppery or other metallic-colored scales. 



The caterpillars in this family are all external feeders, and 

 usually so large and prominent that they can easily be seen. In 

 most cases, therefore, the simplest remedy is hand-picking, but 

 when this is done no caterpillar should be destroyed which is 

 covered with little, white, egg-like bodies, for these are the 

 cocoons of parasites which do much to keep the insects in check. 

 Where the larvae are abundant enough to make hand-picking 



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