66 SPARROWS. 
The colours of the caterpillar are purplish brown, streaked length¬ 
wise with white lines above the white band which is shown passing 
in a sharp ly-curved course from head to tail, and below this white 
band the colours are chiefly greenish. When the head is withdrawn 
into the segment the part surrounding it is pink, with two black or 
dark spots somewhat at the sides. 
The moths are white and grey, with black markings, so that the 
figure gives a very fair idea of the tint as well as the shape. From 
their soft downy appearance they are known as Puss Moths. The 
female moth is considerably larger than the male figured. 
The moths infest Willows and Poplars, and lay their eggs on the 
leaves. When the caterpillars are full-grown they form an exceedingly 
tough cocoon of a kind of gluey matter. This may be made either in 
a hole gnawed in the bark a little above the root of their food-tree, 
with wood-dust and chips, or, if nothing else occurs, they will glue 
anything accessible together ; in captivity a bit of carpet in the corner 
of a deal-box suits them perfectly. In this cocoon the caterpillar 
changes to chrysalis, from which the moth comes out in May or June 
of the following year. 
From the great size of these caterpillars they may be readily got 
rid of by hand-picking on low trees in nurseries, as soon as the eye of 
the picker has got used to their appearance. They are not easy to 
detect at first, from the form and colour of the markings much 
resembling those of twigs and leaves: when first hatched the cater¬ 
pillars are stated to be black. Where attack has been prevalent 
examination should be made in autumn as to whether cocoons have 
been formed on or in the bark of the infested trees, and, if so, 
the cocoons should be destroyed. 
SPARROWS. 
House Sparrow; Corn Sparrow (German name). 
Passer clomesticus. 
The information of the past season concerning Sparrows continues 
to show the great need of lessening their numbers ; the possibility of 
doing this by common sense measures without the slightest infraction 
of the law, or raising a commotion ; and it also confirms the view of 
the benefit received by using these measures. 
The great length at which the subject was gone into in the previous 
season makes it unnecessary to go again over the points, home and 
colonial, showing the severe losses that are going forward; but the 
