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south or north. The ground color of the wings is a “grizzled dusky 
brown” with the outer margins clay yellow; a wavy dull red band, 
edged inside with white, crosses each wing beyond the center, nearly 
parallel with the outer margin. Near the center of each ring is a 
white kidney-shaped spot, shaded on the outside with red and edged 
with black; near the apex of each fore ring is an eye-like spot sim¬ 
ilar to that of the preceding species, and a whitish arcuated band 
edged without with black near the base, with more or less of dull red 
between the band and the body. Inside the apical zigzag, white line, 
is a space that has a distinct shade of lilac ; the thorax dull red, ab¬ 
domen banded with dull red, white and narrow black bands. The sexes 
differ only in the larger abdomen and less broadly pectinate antennae * 
of the female. 
The fall grown caterpillar measures three or more inches in length 
and is of a clear light green color, “on the top of the second ring are 
two large globular coral red warts, beset with about fourteen very 
short black bristles; the two warts on the top of the third ring are 
like those on the second but rather larger; on the top of the seven 
following rings there are two very long egg-shaped yellow warts, 
bristled at the end, and a single wart of larger size on the eleventh 
ring ; on each side of the body there are two longitudinal rows of 
long light blue warts, bristled at the end, and an additional short row, 
below them, along the first five rings.”—Harris. 
The cocoon is attached longitudinally to the side of a twig or other 
substance. They are on an average three inches long by about an 
inch wide in the widest part, pointed on both ends. The cocoon in 
this species is double, the outer portion resembling stout brown paper 
from which the inner is separated by loose silk. 
Where these worms are numerous the great amount ot vegetable 
matter that is required to keep them through the gnawing period 
makes them destructive to the trees upon which they feed. Like 
the other species the Cecropia is a very general feeder, but is found 
more frequently, perhaps, on the apple and maple trees, which, if 
small, a brood of them may entirely denude of their foliage. A few 
small trees may easily be protected from such wholesale denudation 
by hand-picking. It is not usual, however, that any remedy other 
than those provided by nature need be resorted to, for there are sev¬ 
eral parasites that prey upon this and the other species mentioned, so 
that, though common insects in species, in individuals they are 
usually rare. One of these parasites, Prof. Riley names the Long¬ 
tailed Ophion (Ophion macrurum, Linn.), a yellowish brown, Ichneu¬ 
mon fly, about an inch long, Out of several cocoons recently found, 
only one was apparently free from this parasite. 
Samia cynthia, Hub.—The Ailanthus Silk-Worm Moth. 
As this species, originally from China, has been introduced into 
some portions of Illinois, and as the Ailanthus tree upon which it feeds 
is hardy and becoming somewhat a favorite ornamental tree through 
the State, a mention of this species here may be justified. 
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