THE LIME-TREE WINTER-MOTH. 
473 
measures about one inch and a quarter in length. It often 
rests with the middle of the body curved upwards a little, 
and sometimes even without the support of its fore legs. 
The leaves of the lime seem to be its natural and favorite 
food, for it may be found on this tree every year; but I 
have often seen it in considerable abundance, with common 
canker-worms, on other trees. It is hatched rather later, 
and does not leave the trees quite so soon as the latter. 
About or soon after the middle of June it spins down from 
the trees, goes into the ground, and changes to a chrysalis 
in a little cell five or six inches below the surface; and 
from this it comes out in the moth state towards the end 
of October or during the month of Xovember. More rarely 
its last transformation is retarded till the spring. 
The females are wingless and grub-like, with slender 
thread-shaped antennje. As soon as they leave the ground 
they creep up the trees, and lay their eggs in little clusters, 
here and there, on the branches. The males have laro;e 
and delicate wings, and their antennae have a narrow feath¬ 
ery edging on each side. They follow the females, and 
pair with them on the trees. This kind of moth closely 
resembles the lime-looper or umber moth QHyhernia defo- 
liaria) of Europe; but differs from it so much in the larva 
state, that I have not the sliMitest doubt of its beinor a 
distinct species, and ac¬ 
cordingly name it Hyher- 
nia Tlliaria (Fig. 23G), 
the lime-tree winter-moth, 
from T'dla^ the scientific 
name of its favorite tree. 
The fore win<TS of the 
o 
male are rusty buff or 
nankin-yellow, sprinkled 
with very fine brownish dots, and banded with two trans¬ 
verse wavy, brown lines, the band nearest the shoulders 
being often indistinct; in the space between the bands, and 
60 
Fig. 233. 
