PINE CATERPILLARS. 771 
indrical, tapering at the extremities, and without a caudal horu. Dorsally, a red- 
dish-brown line interrupted on the hinder portion of each segment by a square of 
green traversed by diagonal lines; a subdorsal yellow line borders the above ; lateral 
stripe yellow ; substigmatal stripe white, interrupted at the sutures by light green ; 
ventral stripe and prolegs rose-red. Feeds on the white pine, and matures about 
the middle of September, when it enters the ground and forms a cell, where it 
becomes a chrysalis. 
91. The imperial spiny caterpillar. 
Eacles imperialis (Drury). 
Order Lepidoptera ; family Bombycid^e. 
(Larva, Plate vi, figs, la, 1&.) 
Among the leaves of the white pine in the Northern States, late in August and 
through September, a large, thick, pale-green caterpillar between 3 and 4 inches 
long, with the head and legs pale orange, with six thorny, yellow knobs behind the 
head ; pupating in the ground and changing late in June to a large, handsome, yellow 
moth, speckled with brown, and with a very light purple-brown band across the 
outer margin of each wing. 
The transformations of this moth were first described by Harris, but 
the earlier stages have more recently been fully described by Mr. Lint- 
ner, in his Entomological Contributions, No, II. Though usually feed- 
ing on the white pine in the New England States, where we have seen 
it in the breeding-cages of entomological friends, it also feeds on the 
oak, button -wood, etc., and will eat the leaves of the chestnut. It is 
too rare to be of any economical importance, but will always attract 
the attention of lovers of fine, rare insects. The moth lays its eggs 
late in June, hatching in about a week or ten days ; the larva, accord- 
ing to Lintner, molting at least four, if not five times. 
Larva. — Three or 4 inches long and more than half an inch in diameter, and tor 
the most part of a green color, slightly tinged with red on the back, but many of 
them become more or less tanned or swarthy, and are sometimes found entirely 
brown. There are a few very short hairs thinly scattered over the body ; the head and 
the legs are pale orange-colored ; the oval spiracles are large and white, encircled 
with green ; on each of the rings, except the first, there are six thorny knobs or hard 
and pointed warts of a yellow color, covered with short black prickles; the two 
uppermost of these warts on the top of the second and of the third rings are a quar- 
ter of an inch or more in length, curved backwards like horns, and are of a deeper 
yellow color than the rest ; the three triangular pieces on the posterior extremity of 
the body are brown, with yellow margins, and are covered with raised orange-colored 
dots. (Harris.) 
Pupa. — Subterranean, not contained in a cocoon, about 2 inches long, of a dark 
chestnut-brown color, rough, with little elevated points, especially in front ; the end 
of the body with a long forked spine, and surrounded, on each ring, with a notched 
ridge, the little teeth of which point towards the tail. Three of the grooves or incis- 
ions between the rings are very deep, thus allowing a great extent of motion to the 
joints; and these, with the notched ridges and the long spine at the end of the body, 
enable the chrysalis to work its way upward in the earth, above the surface nf which 
it pushes the fore part of its body just before the moth makes its escape. (Harris.) 
Moth. — Ocher-yellow, spotted with purple-brown, with a large patch at the base, 
a small round spot near the middle, and a broad, wavy, light purple-brown band 
