132 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
181. Nola ovilla Grote. 
(Larva. Plate xxxv. Fig. 2.) 
One of the most interesting tonus whose life-history we have made 
out is that of a species of Nola. The position of the genus Nola has 
long been an uncertain one. By some of the older authors, notably 
Hiibner, the species were placed among the Pyralidaj, and Stainton in 
his Manual of British Butterflies and Moths regards the genus as form- 
ing " Family IX, Nolidai " under the Pyralites, though he says : " One 
little group, the Nolidre, is by many recent authors, and perhaps with 
reason, referred to the Bombycina, being placed with family Litbosidae." 
The genus is now generally placed among the Lithosiaus. In our 
Synopsis of Bombycidae we omitted to mention it, partly on account of 
want of specimens and partly perhaps from supposing it not to be a 
true Bombycid. Mr. Grote was the first American author to enumerate 
it in his New Check List of North American Moths, 1884, and to in- 
clude it among the Litbosise. 
Having reared Nola ovilla, my attention has again been drawn to its 
systematic position, which seems without much doubt to be properly 
among the Lithosiae and near Clemensia. 
I have fouud the larva frequently on the oak in September both in 
Maine and Rhode Island. Its habit is unmistakably Lithosian; it dif- 
fers, however, from Arctian and Lithosian lame in having one less pair 
of abdominal legs, having but four pairs, whereas the caterpillars of 
the Lithosiae and Arctians have, like most caterpillars, an additional 
pair, i. e., ten abdominal legs in all. 
When I first discovered the larva of Nola ovilla I supposed it to be 
near Orocota. It was fouud to be common on the leaves of the oak in 
Maine, September 6. 
September 14 to 16 the caterpillars made singular boat-shaped, flat- 
tened, oval-cylindrical cocoons closely attached to the surface of the 
leaves; they were spun with silk, but covered closely on the inside 
with bits of oak leaves. The pupa appeared as soon as the cocoon was 
completed, September 15. The moths appeared May 31 and June 1 of 
the following year. 
Larva. — The body is broad and much flattened, rather short, with four pairs of well 
developed abdominal feet, the first pair being situated on the fourth abdomiual seg- 
ment. The head is not very large, three-fourths as wide as the body : black, with a 
few paler irregular Hues. The body is dirty-whitish, with a dark linear dorsal line, 
a dark dorsal discoloration behiud the head, auother in the middle of the body, and 
a third near the end. 
The body is hairy, though not densely so ; ou each segment are four dorsal tubercles 
from which radiate short dusky hairs; on the side is a larger and longer tubercle 
from which arise lateral very long hairs, being as long as the body is broad ; some 
black hairs are mixed with the dirty-whitish ones. The larger and most of the 
shorter hairs are simple, not barbed, but theshortest, smallest hairs are finely though 
