310 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
tinged with reddish-brown, and with the head giving off faint metallic colors; palpi 
blaokisb on the outside. Fore wings rather broad; just within the basal third a 
straight line of raised scales, extending from the iuuer edge and stopping short of 
the subcostal vein, conspicuously black externally with bright vermilion (some- 
times wanting), which usually reaches the costal edge. Base of wing slightly paler 
than middle of tln> wing. A light, triangular, paler shade in the costal region of the 
middle of the wing, inclosing two small, conspicuous twin black dots. A submar- 
ginal faint, pale, narrow line curving outward in the middle, and with four or five 
acute scallops. Fringe coucolorous with the rest of the wing. Hind wings pale, 
glistening, cinereous. Beneath, fore-wings quite dusky, with no markings; hind 
wings much paler, growing darker toward the costa. Legs dark ash, paler at the 
ends of the joints, especially the hind tiba>, which have a whitish band around them ; 
hind legs whitish within. Length of body, male, .40; female, .40 inch; of fore- 
wings, male, .38 to .40; female, .40 inch. Orouo, Me., and Providence, R. I. 
This species is at once recognized by the broad bright-red transverse 
stripe just within the middle of the wing. This stripe varies much, 
being sometimes not present, at others not reachiug the costal edge. 
In one additional specimen from Maine the fore-wing has scattered 
reddish scales at base and beyoud the middle, while the dark trans- 
verse stripe is wanting, and the red portion forms a broad transverse 
bright-red band. The. larva lives in Juue and early in July between 
the leaves of the alder, where it makes a horn-shaped case of black 
cylindrical pellets of excrement, arranged regularly in circles, the 
additions being made around the mouth of the case. The case is about 
an inch and a half long, its mouth a quarter of an inch in diameter. 
Within it is densely lined with white silk. The pupa is of the usual 
color, mahogany brown ; the end of the abdomen rounded, with six 
hairs projecting from a transverse supra-anal projecting ridge. On 
each abdominal segment is a dorsal dusky transverse stripe, widest on 
the basal segment. The pupa state lasts about two weeks, the moth 
which I reared in Maine appearing July 24, the larva having been found 
July 6. 
The Museum of the Peabody Academy of Science also contains {en 
specimens of this moth, reared by Mr. J. H. Emerton. The larvoe were 
found feeding on the sweet fern (Comptonia aspenifolia Ait.), July 7, 
1866, at Hamilton, Mass., the moth appearing July 20. The case is 
quite different in form from that previously described, being regularly 
oval cylindrical, .55 inch long and .35 inch in diameter. It is con- 
structed in the same manner as those found on the alder. This striking 
difference in the form of the case may possibly be due to the difference 
in the form of the leaves of the food plaut, the large, broad leaves of 
the alder inducing the larva to build a hornlike, much elongated case, 
while the narrow, smaller leaves of the sweet fern may have led to the 
formation of a short oval case. These differences are such as we would 
ordinarily regard as specific, but neither do the pupre nor adults reared 
from the two plants differ appreciably. 
From the foregoing descriptions and remarks it will be seen that this 
is a variable moth both in its coloration as well as in the habits of the 
