16*2 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
have taken this species of moth on the LOth of May." It thus appears 
to be double- brooded iu the Gulf States. 
Larva.— Body very thick and fleshy, skin thin, segments short and convex, some- 
what swollen and augulatrd. The head large, rounded, full above and retractile in 
the prothoraeio segment, which is considerably wider than the head, but much nar- 
rower than tin* one succeeding. The head is pale rust-ivd, and rather hairy in front. 
The body is of a soft rich pea-green, much paler than the upper side of an oak leaf 
and even than the under side. The front edge, of the prothoracic segment is straw- 
yellow and on its anterior edge are four widely separated yellow warts, each bearing 
a black hair. Two dorsal rows on second (meso) to tenth segment behind the head 
of prominent spherical mammilla, bearing two to three pale yellowish hairs: those 
on the first four segments rich yellow, those behind tinged with orange-red and glis- 
tening with silver. Two lateral rows of similar tubercles in color and form, reddish 
behind the fourth segment. The two rows are very wide apart, the lower row next 
to bases of abdominal and thoracic feet. The spiracles are slightly nearer the lower 
than npper lateral row of .mammilla. They are bright brick-red. A faint straight 
oblique pale yellow baud connects the upper and lower tubercles on each segment, 
there being six such bands. 
Supra-anal plate forming almost an equilateral triangle, subacute, the edge thick- 
ened and broadly marked with a bright varnish brown, forming a distinct brown V» 
the hind edge of the broad anal legs also of the same hue of brown. Thoracic feet 
rust-red. Abdominal feet concolorous with the body. Along the lateral ridge are 
numerous short hairs. Length 65 mm ; thickness 13 mm. 
2*20. The buck moth or maia moth. 
Hemihuca maia (Drury). 
This fine insect feeds on the oak, as Harris says, in company when 
small, but dispersing when becoming larger; the caterpillar eats the 
leaves of various kinds of oaks and stiugs very sharply when handled. 
In the Xew England States the moth flies in July and early in August, 
but is usually rarely seen so far to the northeast. In Illinois and Mis- 
souri, according to Riley (fifth Missouri report), it is more abundant, and 
in Illinois is called the buck moth or deer moth, because seen flying 
late in autumn when the deer ruu. The species under its ordinary form 
ranges from Maine to Georgia and westward to Kansas : it has also.been 
rarely found west of the Rocky Mountains at Dayton, Xev., flying 
about willows in August (var. nevadensis Stretch). I possess a male 
from Colorado which has still wider white bands on both wings than 
figured by Stretch. It also inhabits California [califomioa Stretch). 
The Californian moth apparently agrees, as Riley states, with Dr. Lim- 
ner's variety bred in Xew York ; the fore wings having no pale mark- 
ings. It thus appears to range from 
Maine to California : southward through- 
out the Gulf State and to Nevada. 
Riley states that the leaves of our dif- 
Fio. 56. — II. mam. eggs natural size.— 
After mil y. erent oaks afford the usual food, and that 
"the black masses of the prickly larva 1 
are sometimes quite abundant on the young post, black, and red oaks 
along the Iron Mountain region." He has also found them abundantly 
