THE TENT-CATERPILLAR. 
375 
dried mullein head and its stalk fastened to a pole, will be 
useful to remove the nests, with the caterpillers contained 
therein, from those branches which are too high to be reached 
by hand. Instead of the brush, we may use, with nearly 
equal success, a small mop or sponge, dipped as often as 
necessary into a pailful of refuse soapsuds, strong whitewash, 
or cheap oil. The mop should be thrust into the nest and 
turqed round a little, so as to wet the caterpillars with the 
liquid, which will kill every one that it touches. These 
means, to be effectual, should be employed during the proper 
hours, that is, early in the morning, at midday, or at night, 
and as soon in the spring as the caterpillars begin to make 
their nests ; and they should be repeated as often, at least, 
as once a week, till the insects leave the trees. Early 
attention and perseverance in the use of these remedies will, 
in time, save the farmer hundreds of dollars, and abundance 
of mortification and disappointment, besides rewarding him 
with the grateful sight of the verdant foliage, snowy blos¬ 
soms, and rich fruits of his orchard in their proper seasons. 
Another caterpillar, whose habits are similar to those of 
the preceding, is now and then met with in Massachusetts, 
upon oak and walnut trees, and more rarely still upon apple- 
trees and cherry-trees. According to Mr. Abbot, “it is 
sometimes so plentiful in Virginia as to strip the oak-trees 
bare ” ; and I may add, that it occasionally proves very in¬ 
jurious to orchards in Maine. It may be called Clisiocampa 
silvatica^ the tent-caterpillar of the forest (Plate VII. Fig. 
19). With us it comes to its full size from the 10th to 
the 20th of June, and then measures about two inches in 
length. There are a few short yellow hairs scattered over 
its body, particularly on the sides, where they are thickest. 
The general color of the whole body is light blue, clear on 
the back, and greenish at the sides ; the head is blue, and 
without spots ; there are two yellow spots, and four black 
dots on the top of the first ring; along the top of the back 
is a row of eleven oval white spots, beginning on the second 
