184 
Journal New York Entomological Society. 
LVoi. vi. 
It might be rash to assume these seemingly adaptive changes of 
habits and colors in the larval state to be a protective measure. The 
insect, on account of its early appearance, hardly needs much protection 
from enemies. Birds are rather scarce at this time, especially in hem¬ 
lock groves and probably would detect it in any case. Ichneumon flies 
and other parasitic hymenoptera are almost out of the question. A 
small Carabid beetle which ascends the trees at night and a rather large 
green hemipteron lurking often on the bark in day time probably never 
will infest the lofty habitat of the Feralia larvae. Even the colors of 
the imago resembling the green and white mottled lichens on the bark 
are to all appearance of not much protective value, as some mutilated 
moths found near the trunks had apparently been killed by Carabids 
while resting on the bark. Probably the larva simply follows the gen¬ 
eral law of markings (Eimer, Artbildung bei den Schmetterlingen; 
Orthogenesis, etc.), gradually converting the primitive pattern of longi¬ 
tudinal stripes into spots. In this case these changes apparently coin¬ 
cide with the different surroundings which are conditioned by the alter¬ 
ing food habits. 
Egg .—Rather large, of the typical noctuid form; semiglobular, 
much flattened at base, depressed on top; pale honey yellow with 
faint greenish tint, extremely thin shelled and soft; closely ribbed when 
magnified, the ribs appear as blunt ridges with many irregular indenta¬ 
tions, these ridges widening toward base, do not all commence from the 
vertex, nor do they all reach the base. 
Eggs laid April 7th commenced to hatch April 21st. The young 
larvae do not eat their egg shells, but making an opening side ways, they 
leave the delicate, colorless, transparent membrane in shape. 
First stage .—Larvae slender, almost pellucid, of a pale green¬ 
ish yellow color. Skin not smooth but irregularly folded. Head 
rather large, sparsely hairy, mouth-parts and ocelli pale yellowish- 
brown. On 1st, 2d and 3d segments dorsally shield-like plates indi¬ 
cated, those on 2d and 3d are omitted after moulting. Eleventh seg¬ 
ment humped slanting to anus, this hump before first moult has a raised 
shield-like plate covering the entire dorsal and subdorsal region. Seg¬ 
ments, except thoracic and last, with five minute black dots each bearing 
a short slender hair arranged in the usual noctuid way (Dyar, Classifi¬ 
cation of Lepidopterous Larvae); the three first segments have a few more 
delicate hairs and above cremaster a transverse bow of about 24 minute 
hairs. The young larvae have during their earlier stages a looper-like gait 
and habits, holding with the after legs to a sprig and stretching the body 
