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considered in the study of economic entomology. Among those that 
are seriously injurious are the various species of cut-worms, stalk 
borers, etc. The beautiful moths of the genus Catocala find a large 
place in collectors’ cabinets while the injury their larvse may do to 
trees is but little thought of. 
Acronycta (Apatela) Americana, Harris.—-The American Maple 
Moth. 
In Harris ‘Tnsects Injurious to Vegetation,” this species is described 
under the above name and the caterpillar is stated to feed on maple, 
hut occasionally on elm, linden and chestnut. The editors of the 
American Entomologist, in answer to a correspondent from Burling¬ 
ton, Iowa, state in the first volume that it was commonl} 7- found on 
both the cottonwood and poplar. Like many other caterpillars they 
are subject to the attack of parasites so that they do but little damage. 
Spec. Char. Larva.— Greenish brown or nearly black; head sub¬ 
quadrate, bifid above, chestnut brown ; each segment above with a 
transverse, oval, greenish yellow spot, having a transverse, depressed 
line in the middle ; about four elevated black dots on each side of 
each ring ; and the body beset with a few long black bristles dilated 
at the end; feet black. The segments have deep incisions between 
them; the long black spear-headed hairs grow from the skin and from 
warts; there are two longer than the rest on each side of the yellow 
spot on the first ring, and one on each side of the spots on the fourth 
to the ninth rings inclusive, and the same on the eleventh and 
twelfth rings; but there are none on the second, third and tenth 
rings. The spiracles are black.—Harris. 
Moth. Expands two inches and a half; fore wings light gray, with 
the basal transverse anterior, or t, a, and transverse posterior or t, p 
lines rather plain, the last very much angulated, double with the in¬ 
cluded space white, crossed by a black line near the hind angle form¬ 
ing the psi character so common in this group; fringe gray with 
black points; hind wings of the male brownish gray, the female 
darker. 
Note. —In describing the fore wings of owlet moths there are a 
few characters, very convenient to use in designating locality of 
marking on the wings, that may be so much of a scientific character 
as to need explanation for the common reader. There are four trans¬ 
verse lines, a transverse shade, and two spots arranged as follows: 
Beginning at the base of the wing the basal line, or basal half line, as 
it reaches only half-way across; second, the transverse anterior , or, as it 
is often abbreviated, the t. a. line, about a third of the distance from 
the body; third, the orbicular or round spot; fourth, the transverse 
shade, not always present, but about in the middle of the wing ; fifth, 
the reniform or kidnev-shaped spot; sixth, the transverse posterior , or i. 
p. line, about two-thirds the distance from the body; seventh, the 
subterminal line, near the outer margin wing. 
