266 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
its sides ; their coloring enables them to imitate the twig so closely as often to 
escape detection. It destroys for food the leaves of fruit and shade trees. 
The Noctuidae turn night into day. The erebus odora is the largest 
American species. It is of a dark brown, speckled with gray, and its out¬ 
spread wings measure six inches. 
The Cotton-Worm Moth (Aletia argillacea ), though found throughout the 
United States, is destructive especially in the cotton-belt country. _ In spite of 
its gorgeous coloring (light brown, variedly olive and claret), it is a constant 
enemy, and does at least thirty million dollars’ worth of damage in the y ears 
when its ravages are greatest. 
The Single-dotted Sunlover (.Heliophila unipuncta ) is another army-worm 
whose devastations are formidable. 
The Io Moth is a large, showy insect; the 
males are distinguished by 
two purplish lines crossing, 
wave-like, a deep yellow; 
the hind wings are purple 
next to the body and at 
their extremities. The 
females have wings of pur¬ 
plish brown less distinctly 
marked by lines. The to¬ 
bacco-worm moth has gray 
hind wings, black-spotted 
at the base, and with two 
black bands in the middle 
and a grayish-black mar¬ 
gin ; the front wings are 
white spotted and gray, 
lined in black. The va- 
nessa io is a European 
moth admirable for its rich 
and varied coloring. Its 
reddish wings have eye- 
spots of mingled yellow, 
white, black, lilac and rose—combinations which produce a very beautiful effect, 
scarcely imitable by the painter’s brush. 
SILK WORM (NAT. SIZE), COCOON, BUTTERFLY AND PERFECT CATERPILLAR. 
ANTS AND BEES. 
The highest species of insect life is found in the order which embraces ants, 
wasps and bees, and with them we find those marvellous instincts which seem 
to be only unconscious reason. They have been used to point the advice of 
the moralist, and to inspire the song of the poet; they have multiplied the 
pleasures and occupations of mankind ; they attract by their commonness, interest 
by their intelligence, and illustrate with exceptional power the wisdom and 
providence of the Creator. To the students of evolution they offer, unusual 
opportunities ; to the lover of color, form, and to ingenious mechanism they furnish 
ever-fresh pleasure ; to the superstitious they have been the source of many a 
legend, and to the husbandman and man of commence they are an object of 
concern and of interest. 
