STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
783 
TOBACCO-WORM. THE MOTH. ITS LEDS. PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE WINOS. 
whito spots along its upper side, and more deeply along its lower side by 
a similar row of larger white spots; and on the middle of each of the five 
first rings is a large round spot of a bright ochre yellow color—the hind 
ones smaller. The under side is pale gray, with a row of round black 
spots along the middle, from three to five in number—the second one being 
the largest. . 
The Legs are gray, paler on their undersides, the feet becoming brown 
towards their tips, with white rings on the joints. The middle and hind 
shanks have a pair of spurs at their tips on the underside, and the hind Ones 
have a second pair placed a short distance above the first. These spurs 
are gray, with naked brown shining thorn-like tips, one spur of each pair 
being longer than its mate. The feet are five-jointed, the first joint being 
much the longest and the following ones successively shorter, with a pair 
of sharp hooks at the end. On their undersides arc rows of small black or 
brown prickles, with a crown of larger ones at the apex of each joint; and 
along the hind side of the forward feet and shanks is a series of much larger 
ones. 
Preliminary to our description of the wings of this moth the reader should 
be apprised of some generalities respecting the markings of the wings in 
the insects cf this order. In the immensely numerous group which in com¬ 
mon language wo designate as millers or moths, and which are scientifi¬ 
cally termed the Crepuscular and Nocturnal Lepidoptera, an almost endless 
diversity in the spots and marks upon the fore wings is met with. Upon 
looking them over, one after another, no one will suspect there is any sys¬ 
tem, any uniformity, to these spots and marks, except it may be here and 
there among the individuals of a particular genus or tribe. And yet, when 
we come to inspect them more particularly, we shall discover that the same 
general designs are repeated, the same pattern is copied, more or less com¬ 
pletely and distinctly, all through this vast series of objects, it being vari¬ 
ations only in the minor details of the figures, as to their particular form, 
size, colors and distinctness, that make up the wonderful diversity which 
exists. These markings, which are'eommon to the wings of such numbers 
of these moths, are situated and designated as follows: First, between the 
centre of the wing and its outer margin we observe sometimes one but more 
commonly two small spots of a peculiar aspect. Theseare called the stigmas 
or stigmata, this name, stigma, having been anciently given to a mark burned 
with a hot iron upon the foreheads of slaves who had been convicted of 
theft or other crime. Second, extending across the middle of the wing and 
between the two stigmas is frequently a darker cloudiness, which has been 
termed the median shade. Finally, the wing is also crossed by three bands, 
bars or strigre, as they are differently termed by different writers; first, 
the anterior, extra-basal or sub-basal, which is placed immediately forward 
of the anterior stigma; second, the post-medial or elbowed band, immedi¬ 
ately back of the posterior stigma; and third, the sub-terminal, sub-apical 
or penultimate, which is usually more slender and distinct than either of 
the others and is parallel witli and a short space forward of the hind mar. 
S'n. In the moth which is now before us the spots and marks upon the 
