THE IXSECT WORLD. 



269 



female has no trace of them whatever. The wings of the male 

 are dusty gray in color, crossed by rather distinct, blackish lines, 

 and with a litde white spot near the outer lower angle, which 

 gives the insect its name, leiccostigma. The antennae are prom- 

 inentiy feathered or pectinated, and the forelegs are long, very 

 prettily tufted, and held when at rest projecting some distance 

 forward. The insect is not often seen during the day, and usu- 

 ally rests concealed until nightfall, when it seeks its mate. The 

 female can be distinguished in the pupal stage by its larger size 

 and the absence of wing pads. When it crawls out upon the 

 surface of its cocoon it is a grub-like creature with a very heavy 



Fig. 291. 



The vaporer moth, Sotolophus leucostigma.—a, wingless female on her egg-mass ; b, 

 young larva ; c, female, d, male pupa ; e, male moth. 



body, rather short legs, small head, and very short antennae. 

 Neither of the sexes are capable of feeding, and as soon as the 

 male has found the female, oviposition begins. The eggs are 

 deposited upon the cocoon from which the female emerged, and 

 as laid they are covered with a snow-white, frothy mass which 

 hardens almost immediately into a brittle material that serves as 

 a protection. The first brood of moths appears about midsum- 

 mer, and from the eggs then laid the little caterpillars hatch in a 

 few days ; these in turn become adult in fall, and eggs then laid 

 remain throughout the winter, the prominent white masses soon 

 turning gray and dirty, and hardly conspicuous on the trees or 

 other surroundings to which they are attached. In the more 

 northern States there is a single brood only. These insects when 

 troublesome to shade-trees are easily dealt with : if all the egg- 

 masses are removed and destroyed during the winter, the tree 

 will remain clean during the ensuing summer, provided caterpillars 



