rae “ 2
Te
a
a
|
|
SS ER ee a CON
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation
http:/www.archive.org/details/asnatureshowsthe01 dentuoft
&
cS)
J07%
Ee Blue. [
ee UNIV, Tui
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES
OF THE UNITED STATES
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES OF THE UNITED STATES
East of the Rocky Mountains
By S. F. DENTON
A Limited Edition of 500 Copies, of which this is
Copy No. 4°.
As ‘Nature Shows Them
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES
OF THE
BWNITLED<S aires
EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
With over 400 Photographic Illustrations in the Text and Many Transfers of
Species from Life
By SHERMAN F. DENTON
Paw lo THE -MOTHS
BOSTON :
BRADLEE WHIDDEN
1900
SEEN BY
PRESERVATION
SERVICES
DATE... sy. 199
FEB 131064)
ere oF 0
88475 b4
Copyright, 1900,
= BY.
Brapirr Wuippen
PREFACE.
ScreNTIFIC works on butterflies are not rare in most libraries; but to the
enthusiast who loves these creatures for their beauty and variety there is
usually very little of interest in scientific details.
It is the aim of the present work to represent our native butterflies and
moths not as dried and mutilated specimens in a cabinet, with pins stuck
through them, nor as dissected fragments for scientific classification, but as
one sees them in our woods and fields, fresh and lovely.
From the standpoint of the artist and the decorator, the study of the de-
signs and color patterns on the wings of butterflies may be of valuable assist-
ance. Such combinations of pleasing tints are rarely found in the handiworks
of man. What better school could be found for the colorist than is within
the reach of the humblest aspirant for fame as artist or decorator? Think of
students copying the dingy works of the old masters year after year, when at
their own doors the grandest combinations of colors that Nature can produce
are passed by without a thought! We have close about us the best that
Nature is capable of producing, if we but use our eyes to see it.
The life histories of many of the lepidoptera are replete with interest, and
the knowledge of not a few is essential to man’s welfare. To the gardener or
the florist the study of entomology is a necessity, and the recognition of his
enemies and friends in the insect world is of first importance.
To those who have, or desire to have, a cabinet of specimens, this study
will be found of never-failing interest, as one may pursue his researches
through all seasons of the year. Improved methods of mounting and keeping
such specimens render their preservation and care a simple matter; and the
collections made in one’s childhood may be kept to delight one’s old age.
The practical hints on collecting and rearing specimens, the result of many
years’ experience, will be appreciated by beginners and the new methods of
illustration herein used will greatly help the student in identifying and naming
his specimens.
v1 PREFACE.
The colored plates, or Nature Prints, used in the work, are direct trans-
fers from the insects themselves ; that is to say, the scales of the wings of the
insects are transferred to the paper while the bodies are printed from engrav-
ings and afterward colored by hand. The making of such transfers is not
original with me, but it took a good deal of experimenting to so perfect the
process as to make the transfers, on account of their fidelity to detail and
their durability. fit for use as illustrations in such a work. And what mag-
nificent illustrations they are, embodying all the beauty and perfection of the
specimens themselves !
As T have had to make over fifty thousand of these transfers for the en-
tire edition, not being able to get any one to help me who would do the work
as I desired it done, andas more than half the specimens from which they were
made were collected by myself, I having made many trips to different parts of
the country for their capture, some idea of the labor in connection with prepar-
ing the material for the publication may be obtained.
I will say, however, that there never was laborer more in love with his
work, or one whose labors took him among pleasanter scenes. In collecting
such a large number of specimens, many new facts in regard to the habits of
these charming creatures have been observed, and to write interestingly of their
lives and to give a few examples of their marvellous beauty has been the aim
ot the author.
SHERMAN F. DENTON.
WELLESLEY, Mass., 1899.
LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS
Butterfly Scales
Antenne . c
Tongue of Sphinx . :
Development of a Butterfly .
Caterpillar of Butterfly .
Development of the Moth
Detail of Net Rim .
The Net Completed
Poison Box ‘
Shape for Collecting apers ‘
Part I (Morus).
The Folding of Collecting Papers
Bundle of Insects in their Envelopes
Oven for Drying Insects
Relaxing-Box .
Insect Spread on Setting Block
Forceps for Handling Insects
Various Forms of Plume Moths
Pterophorus pentadactylus
Alucita hexadactyla
Tinea flavifrontella
Tinea granella
Hyponomeuta mallenenctatells
Depressaria robiniella
Various Forms of Leaf-Rollers
Lozotenia cerasiovorana
Lozotenia rosaceana
Antithesia pruniana
Carpocapsa pomoneila .
Various Forms of Snout Moths
Galeria cereana
Crambus girandella
Larve of Geometrid Moths
Angerona crocataria
Brephos infans
Anisopteryx vernata
Anisopteryx autumnata
Zerene catenaria
-Amphidasis cognataria .
Rheumaptera hastata
vill LIST OF
Hybernia tiliaria
Petrophora diversilneata
Hematopis grataria
Geometra iridaria
Eutropela clematata
Endropia marginata
Therina seminudaria
Endropia hypochraria
Acidalia ennucleata :
Eutropela transversata .
Erebus odora .
Catocala relicta
Catocala concumbens
Catocala epione
Catocala fratercula
Catocala parta
Catocala cerogama
Catocala unijuga
Catocala subnata
Poaphila quadrifilaris
Drasteria erechtea.
Catocala innubens .
Catocala flebilis
Catocala desperata
Catocala paleogama
Euclidia cuspidea
Rhodophora florida
Larva of Hellophila unipuncta
Plusia simplex
Plusia putnami
Gortyna nitela
Cucullia speyeri.
Pyrophila pyramidoides
Mamestra picta.
Larva of Mamestra picta
Agrotis tassellata
Agrotis c-nigram
Agrotis normaniana
Agrotis herilis
Agrotis venerabilis
Calocampa nupera .
Catocala antinympha
Catocala amica
Aputela lobeliea —. , 2 :
Eucirreedia pampina
Parthenos nubilis
Plusia erea
Apatela americana
Gramatophora trisignata
Larva of Gramataphora irisignata
Xylutes robinix. Female
TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.
65
69
71
LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.
Xylutes robinie. Male
Sthenopis argentata
Clisiocampa americana .
Clisiocampa disstria
Tolype velleda
Tolype laricis .
Gastropacha americana.
Anisota senatoria
Anisota rubicunda.
Chrysalis of Anisota rubicunda
Citheronia regalis. Male
Larva of Eacles imperialis :
FEacles imperialis. Male and female obi :
Saturnia io. Female
Larva of Saturnia io ‘
Chrysalis and cocoon of Satan io
Saturnia maia. Male
Larva of Attacus cecropia
Section of cocoon of Attacus cecropia . 2 5
Swamp and upland forms of cocoons of Atiac ms cecropia
Larva of Attacus promethia .
Cocoon of Attacus promethia :
Attacus angulifera. Male and female moth
Larva of Telea polyphemus .
Cocoon of Telea polyphemus
Actias luna. Male
Porthesia chrysorrhea
Cerura borealis
Larva of Cerura borealis
Larva of Edema albifrons
Edema albifrons
Ceelodasys unicornis
Celodasys biguttata
Larva of Celodasys
Nerice bidentata
Larva of Gidemasia concinna
Pheosia rimosa
Apatelodes torrefacta
Larva of Datana
Datana ministra
Limacodes scapha .
Limacodes querceta
Parasa fraterna
Lagoa crispata
Case of the Evergreen Bag Worm
Halisidota carye
Halisidota tessellata
Larva of Orgyia leucostigma
Leucarctia acrea
Phragmatobia rubricosa
Larva of Pyrrharctia isabella
1 ow» He OS OS
Sew Ww WWW
Lo
I
x LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.
Pyrrharctia isabella
Cocoon and pupa of an Arctian
Arctia nais
Arctia arge
Arctia phalerata
Arctia virgo
Larva of cyenia egel
Callimorpha lecontei
Hypoprepia miniata
Ctenucha virginica
Lycomorpha pholus
Eudryas grata
Alypia octomaculata
Psychomorpha epimenis
Melittia cucurbite . : 5 :
JEgeria exitiosa. Male and female
/Egeria tipuliforme
JEgeria pyri
Larva of Sphinx Moth
Pupe of Sphinx Mo‘hs .
Hemaris thysbe
Hemaris diffinis
Deilephila chameenerii
Deilephila lineata .
Everyx myrcn
Pupa of Everyx myron .
Larva of Everyx myron
Sveryx cherilus
Philampelus pandorus
Larva of Philampelus pandorus
Philampelus achemon
Macrosila quinquemaculatus
Larva of Macrosila quinquemaculatus .
Macrosila carolina .
Larva of Ceratomia quadricornis .
Ceratomia quadricornis .
Daremma undulosa
Dolba hyleus .
Sphinx gordius
Sphinx chersis :
Sphinx drupiferarum
Chloerocampa tersa
Thyreus abbotii
Amphion nessus
Larva of Smerinthus
Smerinthus geminatus
Smerinthus excecatus. Male
Smerinthus myops .
Triptogon modesta : :
CONTENTS.
The Life History
Implements for Collecting
Preparations for a Cabinet .
How to make a Collection
Collecting Moths
Classification :
Heterocera. The Moths
Micro Lepidoptera
Pterophoride
Tineide
Tortricid
Pyralide .
Geometridae
Noctuidz
Bombycide .
Zygenide
Sphingide
LIST OF COLORED PLATES.
TRANSFERS FROM LIFE.
ATTACUS CYNTHIA. Upper side
-CATOCALA CARA
SATURNIA IO
ATTACUS CECROPIA .
-ATTACUS CYNTHIA. Under side
-ATTACUS PROMETHIA. Male
-ATTACUS PROMETHIA. Female
‘TELEA POLYPHEMUS. Upper side
TELEA POLYPHEMUS. Under side
-OCNERIA DISPAR
-UTETHEISIA BELLA .
DEILEPHILA LINEATA
.MACROSILA QUINQUEMACULATUS
FACING PAGE
Frontispiece
62
100
102
104
106
106
110
110
: . 116
132
142
148
HETEROCERA
THE MOTHS
.
“4 4
i: c :
»
Pant i
\ i
its
. ) :
, b ,
Lepidoptera; ov Scale=winged TMnsects.
THE name Lepidoptera was first
apphed by the naturalist Linnzus
to the order of insects known as
butterflies and moths.
The dust which covers the wings
and bodies of these insects, when placed
under a microscope of low power, is seen
to be composed of minute seales. These
vary in form from those elongated into hairs
to flat wide plates not unlike in appearance the scales of fishes.
The variety in shape and color of the scales of different specic s
of Lepidoptera is amazing, and a number sprinkled on a microscopic
slide will frequently display all the glitter and iridescence of a casket
of precious jewels. To these scales the beauty of coloring of this
order of insects is entirely due; for when they are removed, the
Butterfly Seales.
wings are seen to be composed of veins or ribs, with thin transparent
membranes extending between them. Many of the scales are striated
or corrugated and decompose the light in sucha way as to give to our
eyes those combinations of colors so pleasing to behold. They are
2 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
frequently arranged on the wings in regular order, as are the scales on
reptiles or fishes, and when removed leave a slight scar on the mem-
brane where they were attached.
In studying the structure of a butterfly, turn it underside upper-
most. It will then be seen to be composed of three distinet parts :
the head, which supports the antennz (popularly known as feelers),
the eyes, and the mouth parts; the thorax, to which are attached
two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs; and the abdomen.
The eyes of butterflies and moths are compound, and the facets
vary in different species from several hundred to many thousand.
The vision of some of the higher butterflies is exceedingly acute, as
one will often have reason to note when cautiously endeavoring to
approach some coveted prize near enough to use the net. Many
moths, on the contrary, seem to be simply able to distinguish
between ght and darkness, and are apparently more often guided
by the sense of smell than of sight.
The antenne have been supposed by some naturalists to be organs
of smell, and there is certainly good foundation for this supposi-
tion. They vary in shape from hair-like and feather-like in many
of the moths to rods with club-shaped ends in most of the butterflies.
Antenne,
By the antenne the beginner may most easily distinguish between
butterflies and moths. ‘The antennze of butterflies are nearly always
blunt or knobbed at the ends, while the same organs in moths are
generally pointed.
The mouth parts of the lepidoptera are constracted for sucking
the sweets from flowers or the juices from other substances ; and
while some of the moths have no way of taking nourishment in their
perfect state, most of the species of this order are provided with a
THE LIFE HISTORY. 3
long tongue which, when not in use, is coiled into a close spiral
between the palpi. This reaches its greatest development in some
Tongue of Sphinx.
of the sphinx moths, enabling them while on the wing to extract
the nectar from the deepest flowers.
While most of the lepidoptera have six well-developed legs, a
group of butterflies, the Mymphalide, have the first pair so small and
weak that they are probably of very little use to the insect. The
legs are used almost wholly for clinging to substances while the
insects are at rest, as very few of the lepidoptera walk or run to
any extent.
The butterflies are day flyers, and in the hot sunny hours they
sport through the woods and fields. The moths fly mostly by night,
and are frequently more hairy and larger bodied than the butterflies,
while their colors are usually softer and more blended.
The life history of one of the insects we are considering, from
the egg to the fly, is most interesting. The perfect insect lays its
egos, by a wonderful faculty, which for want of a better word we
eall instinct, upon or near the species of plants which are to furnish
the food for the future caterpillars.
These eggs, often very minute, are of various shapes and are
ornamented in a variety of ways. Some are oblong; others almost
perfect spheres; others again flattened above and below, while their
outlines are circular. With these shapes go smooth and sometimes
highly polished surfaces. Some resemble low vases with turned-over
and fluted edges, while they are adorned with raised patterns or
sharply cut grooves or circular pits, or in other examples studded
with nodules or even with spines. Others bear a general resem-
blance to a lady’s work-basket jn shape and reticulated ornamentation.
Some have a lid or cover, which is raised by the caterpillar when
about to emerge from the shell. They vary, too, in color as well as
in shape and ornamentation; some are white or of a pearly lustre,
some blue or gray, while a large number are green, and a few brown
+ MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
or black. An interesting collection may be made of these eggs
alone, and an entomologist can often tell from examining an egg the
species of butterfly to which it belongs.
When the larva emerges, so small and so unlike the mature
insect, no one would guess what it was to be. It crawls to the tips of
the tender young leaves and makes its first meal. It soon begins to
erow rapidly; and as it grows its skin becomes too small for its con-
stantly increasing bulk, and a new skin begins to form under the old
one, which after a short period of rest the caterpillar casts off. This
is done in the following manner: the insect first spins upon the
leaf or twig upon which it rests a mat of silk to which it can hold
firmly with its claws and claspers. It ceases to eat for a period and
remains perfectly quiet upon the mat. It becomes so dull and sickly
in appearance that one might suppose it was about to die. At
length it begins to twist its head from side to side vigorously, and
after a series of contortions in which the forward segments swell and
shrink alternately, the skin splits down the middle of the back and
the rent is further enlarged by the struggles of the insect until it
can draw its head and legs out of the opening, when by securing a
firm hold with its forward hooks it crawls out of its old skin look-
ing as bright as a gold coin fresh from the mint. It is feeble and
exhausted from its labors, while its skin and even its head and legs
are soft and tender, and it now remains quiet until the skin dries and
toughens by exposure, when it is ready once more to attack with
renewed energy the tender leaves of its food plant.
The cast-off skin sometimes retains the shape and colors of the
caterpillar to a surprising degree —a_ veritable ghost of the former
insect. Some caterpillars devour their outgrown garments as a first
meal after each moult; others leave them where they were cast;
and one species carries in front of its head on a tuft of hairs, during
its caterpillar life, the cast-off shells of its head which were shed
with each change of skin, thus keeping in sight a record of its out-
erown coverings frominfaney. When the caterpillars are gregarious
these cast-off skins in groups representing each moult of the colony
may frequently be seen on one plant. The moulting period is a crit-
ical time in the hfe of the larva, for it is not only helpless to resist
the attacks of enemies but it may die from exhaustion in the act of
shedding its skin.
The larva eats ravenously (sometimes devouring twice its weight
of food in twenty-four hours) after it resumes activity, with a
Development of a Butterfly.
fe ieee rere eo = ;
THE LIFE HISTORY. {(
corresponding rapid growth in size. In consequence its new coat
soon becomes too small, and the moulting process is repeated several
(sometimes five or six) times, with corresponding changes in the size
of the larva. In many instances there are marked changes in the
colors and the shape of the caterpillar after each moult. At length,
in the course of several weeks, the insect arrives at its full growth.
It now ceases to eat, and looks about for a suitable place in which to
pass its period of inactivity, known as the pupa or chrysalis state.
And here, before he spins his cocoon or changes to a pupa, we will
take a last good look at him.
The larva of a lepidopterous insect is jointed or segmented into
thirteen divisions. First comes the head, which is usually hard and
horny; the eyes, twelve in number, are very small, and are placed
near the mouth. They are simple eyes with very convex lenses, so
that the range of vision must be very short; in fact, so deficient is
the sight of caterpillars one may conclude that they are guided more
by the sense of feeling than by sight. Place a caterpillar on a twig
and watch it ascend, feeling its way and reaching out from side to
side before every advance movement. When it reaches the top, it
does not survey the scene below, but taking a firm hold with its last
two or three pairs of claspers, it stretches its body out to the utmost,
swinging first one side and then the other, in order to feel if there is
anything beyond on which it can lay hold.
The jaws of a caterpillar move horizontally and are powerful in-
struments, capable in the larger species of biting through the tough
ribs of leaves as the insect reaches them while feeding. Crawling
down the midrib of a leaf the caterpillar advances toward the edge,
and holding the leaf between one or more pairs of its horny front
legs, it brings its Jaws together on opposite sides, cutting out a small
piece with each bite, and continuing this down with regular order,
it soon cuts out a large semicircular space, taking ribs and all. A
smaller caterpillar will simply eat away the soft parts of the leaf be-
tween the small ribs, leaving a skeleton; while the very minute leaf
miners burrow in the substance of the leaf between the upper and
lower skin.
The noise made by a large colony of larvee while feeding has
been compared to that made by a heavy shower of rain on an attic
roof; and the quantity of food which they require is well-nigh appal-
ling to a novice who has started perhaps with several hundred tiny
creatures which could all make a meal on a handful of leaves, and
8 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
finds that they need bushels of fresh food daily when nearly ful
grown. Of course, in a state of nature the large larve are usually
widely scattered, so that their ravages are not so noticeable; but
when feeding a large number hatched from eggs one is liable to find
he has an elephant on his hands.
A little protuberance under the mouth of the larva is the silk-
spinning organ. ‘This is the external opening to the silk secreting
glands, which consist of two tubes or sacks, one on either side of the
body, containing the viscid fluid which, by exposure to the air, dries
and hardens into silk. This silk is used in a variety of ways by the
different species of caterpillars. Some colonies build nests for their
mutual protection; others attach a thin thread to the leaves and
branches of the plants as they crawl over them, so that they are with
difficulty shaken off, for they merely let themselves down on their
threads a short distance and then crawl up again when the danger is
past. Many species spin cocoons as silky coverings for themselves
when they are about to pupate; and a good many of the butterfly
larvee not only attach the posterior extremity of the abdomen to a
silken carpet but anchor themselves with a strong cable spun about
the body and attached to the substance from which they are sus-
pended.
If we examine a caterpillar, we shall notice that the first three
pairs of legs, attached to the second, third and fourth segments
fo)
Caterpillar of Butterfly.
(calling the head the first), are different from the fleshy legs or
claspers. These first six legs are hard and horny and provided with
claws or hooks at the ends. They are the true legs and correspond
to the legs of the perfect fly. The usual number of claspers is five
pairs, and these are piaced on the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and
THE LIFE HISTORY. 9
thirteenth segments —the fifth, sixth, eleventh and twelfth seg-
ments having none. A number of caterpillars, however, have but
four pairs of claspers (also called abdominal legs or prolegs), while a
few have but two pairs, and these situated at the extremity of the
body. The claspers are thick and fleshy, and may be extended or
contracted, while their ends are surrounded with a number of minute
hooks. These prolegs or claspers are absorbed into the abdomen of
the insect during its transformation into a pupa.
In walking, a caterpillar advances by an undulating motion,
extending and contracting its body. A few species (the geometrids)
advance by bending the body up into a loop and then extending it to
its full leneth. These are sometimes called inch-worms or measure-
worms, from their mode of progression.
Insects breathe through spiracles or air-tubes in their sides; and
the openings of these tubes are often plainly visible in caterpillars,
especially in smooth ones. They are located on the segments, one
on either side, and are often enclosed in a small circular or oval
patch of color.
The variety of the shapes and colors of caterpillars is well-nigh
endless, and often most wonderful, they being adapted in many
instances to so resemble the plants upon which they feed that their
enemies are baffled in their search for them.
Some look and act as if they were venomous, while others are by
their repulsive or even terrible appearance calculated to frighten
insect-devouring creatures. Some are smooth-skinned, some humped,
or covered with bunches, tubercles, warts, fleshy filaments, horns,
spikes, spines, bristles, hairs or down, and sometimes a combination
of several of these. A few sting like the nettle, while others shed
their sharp pointed hairs which work into the flesh if they are
roughly handled. Some secrete strong, disagreeable odors, while
some are perfumed like a dandy at a ball. Their colors are scarcely
less wonderful. Some bear large spots which look like great eyes
watching from the leaves. Some are striped or banded, or sprinkled
with dots. They are of every imaginable color or shade, but the
majority are green, and so nearly resemble the leaves among which
they feed that it is difficult to see them. Some look as if made of
bark and covered with lichens; others so closely resemble twigs with
their minute knots as to deceive even the expert. :
But with all these subterfuges for protection, the birds, toads and
ichneumon flies find most of them out; thus, in spite of the countless
10 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
millions which hatch from the eggs each season, their numbers are
mostly kept within bounds.
But to resume our history of the life of the caterpillar. As
before mentioned, some species make for themselves cocoons ; others
burrow down into the soil or hide among the fallen leaves at the
roots of trees; while still others have no covering, and suspend
themselves by silken webs in various localities. in preparing for the
pupa state a change takes place in the appearance of the caterpillar.
Its colors fade: it shortens and thickens; and at length, after move-
Development of the Moth.
ments similar to those which it uses in changing its skin in moulting,
a seam opens in the back, and the larval skin is worked backwards
and finally off.
It is now a pupa or chrysalis, looking neither like the caterpillar
Which it was nor the fly which it is to be. By close examination the
legs, wings, antennie, etc, may be clearly made out; but how com-
pactly they are placed together! Not a particle of room is wasted.
It seems most marvellous that from this inactive, fossil-like creature,
THE LIFE HISTORY. 11
a butterfly full of life and beauty shall emerge. Beneath this hard
and usually dull-colored exterior, what wonderful changes are tak-
ing place! Simple eyes give place to compound eyes; biting jaws
change to a sucking tube, with its palpi; antenne spring from its
head, wings from the sides of its body, and a delicate scale armor
covers the whole. What tale from “ The Arabian Nights” can equal
marvels in the life history of a common butterfly? At length after
weeks, in some cases months, of inactivity, through the shell of the
chrysalis may be dimly seen the colors of the developing insect. <A
slight split opens in the back of the shelly case, and as this widens
and opens the butterfly slowly crawls out, and, after finding a suit-
able place, hangs almost motionless. The creature is still very
unlike the butterfly with which we are so familiar. Its body is soft
and weak; its wings are no larger than one’s finger-nail, and it
looks wet and bedraggled. But watch it. Its wings begin to swell
with the fluid which is pumped into them from its body. It appears
to grow as we look, and in half an hour it is a glorious creature, a
living jewel. Oh, how perfect and beautiful it is—not a mar on its
velvety wings! We rarely see one in a wild state so fresh and flaw-
less. It is now at its best. It has reached this grand climax after
weeks of preparation, and we can but admire its wondrous beauty.
With the emerging and developing of the perfect insect, its growth
ceases, for a little butterfly never grows to be a big one. <A part
injured, a wing torn, is never mended; loosened scales are never
replaced; and its life from now on sees it less bright and beautiful
day after day. After depositing its eggs for the next generation it
soon becomes a tattered, helpless creature, and falls an easy prey to
one of its many enemies.
5 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING.
THE NET.
First of all and most important of all is the net. The lehtest,
most serviceable, and in every way the best net that I know of is
made with a vim of rattan. Procure a light piece of straight-grained
pine, two feet long and one inch thick. Plane it down for a net
handle a little smaller at one end, and make a grove with a gouge,
~~
on either side of the smaller end, four inches long. ~Now, take a
Detail of Net Rim.
piece of rattan sixty-six inches long, rather thicker than a lead-
pencil, and fasten the ends to the handle with two bands of copper
wire. ‘This will make a net about eighteen inches in diameter. By
now taking a short piece of rattan, twenty inches long, making a
long level at both ends, grooving them out a lttle and wiring it to
the rattan hoop, as shown in the following figure, you have a splendid
rim fora net, and one that will last for years. In order to be sure
IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING. ie
that the hoop will be symmetrical after it is completed, it is a good
plan to first fasten the small piece of rattan on with twine, and when
it is satisfactory in shape, wire the whole together in a substantial
manner. The rattan will bend better if soaked in hot water for an
hour. <A coat of paint or shellac over the handle and the bands of
wire is likely to make the whole more durable.
To make the net, about two yards of mosquito netting, one yard
wide, are necessary. Sew the netting on the rim with strong
thread (carpet thread will answer), button-hole stitch, selvage
next the rim, and when round, cut off the surplus and let the net
hang down. The net should be made rounded, not pointed, at the
The Net Completed.
bottom; and, in order to accomplish this nicely, pin the sides of
the netting together at intervals of two or three inches, cut off the
corners with scissors, and sew together with an over and over stitch.
The finished net should look like the annexed figure. The netting
used should be soft and fine and of some inconspicuous color, such
as brown or green. New netting generally contains some starch
which renders it stiff, but soaking in hot water for a few minutes
aftér the net is made will obviate this difficulty.
The netting will have to be renewed once or twice in a season if
much collecting is done. If rattan is not easily procurable, one may
14 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
use stout iron wire such as telegraph wire, but it makes the net
heavier and less flexible. A straight piece of willow, as large as
one’s little finger, will answer for a rim when nothing else can be
obtained. Some may find that a net smaller in diameter and with
a longer handle will answer their purpose better; but it is difficult
to manipulate a net with one hand if the handle is longer, and the
larger the net one can swing the more likely he is to capture
the large and rapid flying insects which may come his way.
Where insects fly very high, as they sometimes do, a net will
have to be fastened to the end of a pole. A jointed bamboo fish-
pole is a very good thing to use in this case, as the short handle of
the net may be fitted into the brass ferule of the rod at the second
joint. But it will rarely be necessary to use a net of this description
as most of our native butterflies may be easily taken with a short-
handled net.
COLLECTING BOX OR JAR.
A thin glass tumbler, with a tight-fitting cork stopper, will
answer for killing small specimens and an occasional large one ; but
it is almost too small for one who intends to doa large amount of
collecting. The tumbler is prepared as follows: Put into it one
Poison Box.
ounce of cyanide of potassium broken into fragments and cover with
an inch of sawdust well pressed down. Mix a small quantity of
plaster-of-Paris and water to the consistency of rich cream and pour
over the sawdust to the depth of half an inch. When the plaster
hardens the “bottle” is ready for use, killing in a few moments,
IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING. 15
without injury, all insects placed in it. Great care should be used
in handling the cyanide. Do not breathe the fumes of it as they are
deadly poison.
A more convenient and more useful article for killing insects can
be made in the following manner: Purchase at the drug store a
small box with a sliding cover and dovetailed corners, six inches
long, four inches wide and three inches deep. It may be difficult to
get a box as shallow as this, but if the other dimensions are right, it
may be cut down to the right height. This box should be taken to
a glazier, and have him fit into it one piece of glass for a sliding
cover and five pieces for bottom and sides. These latter pieces
should be fastened on with shellac, and thin glass should be used to
make the box as light as possible. When the shellac is dry, put in
the cyanide as with the tumbler. This box will hold a large number
of insects with papers between them, and will be found very useful
when one is doing much collecting. Occasionally the cyanide
becomes so dry in the collecting box or bottle that it fails to kill the
insects quickly. The addition of a few drops of water will gener-
ally restore it to full strength.
A small leather satchel suspended by a strap from the shoulder is
a first-class addition to the collector’s outfit. Into it may be put the
captured insects in their envelopes or collecting papers, with needles
and thread for mending the net or the clothing, insect forceps, etc.
A small light box with straps attached may be used in place of the
satchel.
Collecting papers or envelopes are made thus: Take smooth,
Shape for Collecting Papers.
strong paper (newspapers will answer if nothing better can be pro-
cured) and cut out an oblong piece as shown in the cut. Fold the
16 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
ends across at right angles to each other; after which fold one of
the ends over again, put the insect in head downward, being care-
The Folding of Collecting Papers,
ful that its wings be flat; fold the other end over, and the envelope is
finished. Some collectors fasten one end of the paper down with a
little gum or paste; but the dried insect is not so easily taken out of
such a paper. One collector whom I know uses coupon envelopes
for his butterflies. They are very cheap and convenient to handle,
being all one size.
Insects in their papers should be left exposed to the air for a
couple of days to partly dry; then they may be tied up in bundles,
Bundle of Insects in their Envelopes.
and are ready to store away in boxes or to be sent by mail or express
to their destination.
IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING. 17
LO.DEY INSECTS:
In very wet weather insects may have to be dried artificially, to
insure them against mildew. <A good article for this purpose is a
light tin or sheet-iron oven with detachable legs so made as to be set
Oven for Drying Insects.
over alamp. In this the insects are placed in their papers. This is
very useful in tropical countries where specimens may be taken at
the rate of several hundred a day; but ordinarily one can use the
kitchen oven for drying his specimens im wet weather. Lay them
loosely on the oven shelf, with the door slightly open and they will
dry nicely in an hour or two. Some very large-bodied insects take
a good while to dry; and if a slit is made in the under side of the
abdomen with a sharp knife, the contents taken out and the space
earefully filled with cotton gently crowded in, the body will look
better when dry.
Fhe bodies of many of the large moths, especially the males of
the silk-spinning species, are filled with a natural oil which is hable
to gradually ooze out and spread over the entire insect, ruining its
appearance and perhaps causing the poor collector many a sigh over
his lost treasure. This may be remedied by cleaning out the abdo-
mei of all such insects and stuffing with cotton. Another method
18 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
which I have used with success is to snip off the abdomen of such
an insect, cut it open on the under side, remove the contents and
soak it in gasolene for twenty-four hours, after which it can be
stuffed and replaced in its former position with shellac. This pro-
cess, of course, does away with all lability of the insect becoming
ereasy.
To restore the beauty of greasy specimens, place them in gasolene
in a shallow, covered pan, for twenty-four hours or longer, when they
will come out bright and clean. Downy or hairy specimens may need
a little blowing to restore their fluffy appearance.
The fumes of bisulphide of carbon will kill insect pests which
may have found their way among unmounted specimens. Pour an
ounce or two into a dish placed in the cabinet and close it up tight
for forty-eight hours. Care should be exercised in its use, as it is
very volatile and explosive.
PREPARATIONS FOR A CABINET. 19
PREPARATIONS FOR A CABINET.
There are several ways to prepare lepidopterous insects for the
cabinet. I need mention but two: one by the ordinary method of
‘spreading the wings and with a pin thrust through the thorax, well
known and used by most collectors the world over since man began
to collect and preserve the beautiful objects of nature ; and the other
by a new and improved method invented by the author in 1894.
After having accumulated a beautiful collection of butterflies
and moths from different parts of the world, only to see it finally
destroyed in spite of all the care I had bestowed upon it, and know-
ing my experience had been that of hundreds of other persons, the
necessity of some means by which specimens might be kept safe from
the many dangers which threaten them forced itself upon me. As
the result of a good deal of thought and many experiments, I
invented a simple, light, strong, glass-covered tablet which not only
renders the destruction of the specimens impossible, but puts them
in a shape at once more beautiful, and infinitely neater, than was pos-
sible by the antiquated method of impaling them on pins —a prey
to insects and a refuge for dust
a careless breath.
Some of the advantages of my invention over the old method of
pinning insects are these:
and liable to be broken even by
They are protected against breakage, dust and museum pests, and
specimens once so put up are good for hundreds of years.
A collection thus mounted needs no care whatever, neither is it
necessary to have tight boxes or cabinets ; and one may leave his col-
lection indefinitely without the least danger.
There is no odor from the specimens, neither is it necessary to
fumigate the cabinet at all, and the vile smells caused by the use of
tpl Aaline and bisulphide of carbon are entirely done away with.
There are no pins to obstruct a view of the specimens, or to make
them appear as if impaled alive. 3
There is no danger in showing the collection to any one, and the
most valuable specimens may be henicd around for a close inspection
of their beauties without the least danger of breakage.
20 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
A collection of this kind occupies but half the space of a collec-
tion mounted on pins, as the drawers of the cabinet need be but one
inch deep inside.
Lastly, the wings of specimens mounted in this way le perfectly
flat, as the glass rests directly on them, and they therefore cannot
lop down or warp up, as pinned insects are liable to do.
Many will be surprised to see how lovely are some of our most
common things mounted by this new method, making each specimen
a picture.
The tablets are made of many sizes, to accommodate every
variety of specimen. They are flat on the top, with a body cavity of
the size and shape to fit the body of the insect; are white with a
glass-like polish on the face; are hollow at the back, in order to be
as light as possible, and this hollow is covered with card-board when
the insects are mounted.
As my own method is in every way superior to the other, and is
already being adopted by the museums not only of this country but
of the world, I shall devote the most of this chapter to a detailed
description of how best to put up a collection as it should be to re-
main indefinitely, and to show to the best advantage. I am aware
that I shall encounter —in fact I have already encountered — the
opposition of many of those collectors who have spent years in put-
ting up their collections by the old methods. It is not reasonable to
suppose that entomologists will welcome with open arms an inven-
tion which makes the collections of a lifetime look poor and out of
date; but why, I ask, should not improvements be made in mount-
ing butterflies as well as in making shoes or in printing newspapers ?
This is an age of invention. Everything is being improved upon
where the ingenuity of man can suggest improvement, and we are no
longer satisfied with the moss-grown methods of our grandfathers.
Go into almost any of our museums or natural history rooms, and
look at the collections of butterflies. Did one ever see anywhere
else such a miserable display? Wings torn and worn, bodies
devoured by museum pests, and the whole so dusty that one can
scarcely identify the species. Why, any able-bodied collector can
make and put up in one season at very small expense a collection
that will put to shame any of the exhibition collections in the
museums of the country. Collections of insects can be made surpas-
singly beautiful and an ornament to the finest palace that man can
build. It is no discredit to a museum to have the best. It is a mis-
PREPARATIONS FOR A CABINET. 21
take to suppose that a collection need be slovenly in order to be
scientific. Science should be made attractive, and the beauty of
which Nature is so lavish should not all be driven from our mu-
seums. Old curiosity shops for the storage of objects of natural
history should give place to magnificent buildings devoted to the
display of the rarest and most beautiful which Nature produces.
I will make no further excuse, therefore, for introducing my inven-
tion to the reader’s notice, for, outside of my personal interest in the
matter, it is the only practical way known to me of mounting a col-
lection of lepidopterous insects.
Let us suppose, then, that the collector has been out with the net
and has brought in an assortment of butterflies for the beginning of
a collection. These may be spread either when fresh, or, which is
simpler, may be placed in collecting papers and allowed to dry, and
when a number are procured, softened in the relaxing-box and then
spread. This latter method is preferable in many ways, the most
important being that the specimens having once been dried will dry
again very quickly, twenty-four hours usually being sufficient to
render them rigid, while if the insects are spread in a fresh state they
may require from four days to two weeks to dry thoroughly.
THE RELAXING-BOX.
To make one, use a tight box, one foot square and five inches
deep, with a hinged cover; paint it inside and out with three coats
of house paint, and when thoroughly dry put into it two inches of
wet sawdust pressed down flat. Make a light wooden frame to fit
the inside of the box, stretch netting over it and secure it with two
or three brads an inch above the sawdust. When this is all ready
place the dried insects on the net, and in twenty-four hours they will
be soft enough to spread without breaking. The success of this
method depends on having a tight box. The net on the frame does
not allow the insects to come in direct contact with the wet sawdust,
but they absorb enough moisture to render them pliable and are not
hable to become too wet. Silk veiling makes an excellent article to
use on the frame in place of the net, as it is soft and fine. Water
should be added to the sawdust whenever it becomes too dry. A
small quantity of powdered alum put into the water will prevent the
sawdust from becoming mouldy.
22 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
A much simpler way, although to my thinking not so safe to use
with valuable specimens, is to have a plain wooden box filled with
wet sawdust in which deep grooves are made and the butterflies
placed body down in their papers in these grooves. One needs to be
careful not to have the sawdust too wet in this case as the insects are
liable to absorb too much water, which may injure their appearance.
After the insects have remained in the relaxing-box until pliable
(the folowing method may also be used for fresh specimens), they
should be spread underside uppermost on smooth pine blocks; these
may be from four to six inches square and covered with smooth paper
RAM AIL dL
=
Relaxing-Box.
pasted to the face. Pin the insect to be spread through the thorax
(stout insect pins will be found best for this purpose) on the block
wrong side ups spread the wings with fine needles ; lay strips of glass
on them; secure the legs and antenne in place with pins; and allow
the specimen to dry, after which it will be found very flat and in the
right condition for mounting. Insects may be kept in this state in a
tight box until the collector is ready to mount them in the tablets.
A good many insects, especially butterflies, show a marked differ-
ence between the upper and under side of the wings. When it is
desired to show the under side, the insect should be spread on the
i)
oo
PREPARATIONS FOR A CABINET.
block right side up and the glass strips placed on the wings not far
from their tips so as not to bend the wings too much. In spreading
a fresh insect the pin through the thorax must be removed at the
time of spreading, otherwise it will become so firmly attached that
the specimen may be broken in removing it. With an insect which
has once been dried this precaution is not necessary as the pin may
be removed at any time.
A smooth paper or palette knife will be found useful for opening
the wings of the insects to be spread. Take the specimen in the left
hand between the thumb and finger, and after inserting the knife
between the wings bend them down on each side. [Tf all the insects
Insect Spread on Setting Block.
in a collection are spread so that the lower margins of the upper wings
are at right angles to an imaginary line drawn lengthwise through
the centre of the body the whole will look uniform and the beauty
of the individual insects will be shown to the best advantage. The
setting needles may be made more convenient to use if the ends are
pushed into small wooden handles, match stubs for instance. If the
needles are too long, as is apt to be the case, break them in two and
use the points only. For mending broken insects and replacing
detached antennz and legs, use white shellac. The appearance of
a specimen whose wings are slightly injured may be very much
24 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
improved by fastening on the back with shellac a piece of another
butterfly which matches it in color.
For handling insects, use smooth broad-tipped forceps. If these
eannot be purchased at a store where naturalists’ supplies are kept,
Forceps for Handling Insects.
a pair may be made by an expert out of hard rubber or tortoise-shell.
I have known a pair of tin candy tongs to answer for forceps after
the tips were made flat and smooth.
PREPARING LARVA AND PUP.
Collections where larvee and pupe are added are enhanced two-
fold in their value from the standpoint of the naturalist. The weird
and varied forms with the remarkable coloring of some of the spe-
cies makes them exceedingly interesting when taken in connec-
tion with the fully developed insect. When it is remembered that
the active life of a butterfly is but a very few days at the most, and
that by far the greater part of its existence is passed in the larval
state, the state when it is directly injurious to man’s interests, one
can readily appreciate the importance of studying the insects at this
stage. Larvee are not easily prepared to look well in the cabmet, and
to make them look at all natural requires painstaking labor.
One method, which has been used with considerable success, is to
inflate and dry the skin of the larva after the contents have been
squeezed out through the anal opening. This is done by first killing
the larva in the poison jar, then laying it on soft paper or cloth and,
beginning at the head, rolling it gently toward the posterior end,
under a round lead-pencil wound with soft canton-flannel or blotting-
paper. When the skin is quite empty, insert a straw into, the open-
ing and gently inflate the skin, at the same time turning it round over
PREPARATIONS FOR A CABINET. 2:
eR |
alighted lamp. <A small spring of steel fastened to the end of the
straw in such a way that it may-prevent the slipping of the larva
skin as it is inflated will prove useful, and a little sheet-iron oven to
slip over the lamp, having small openings above and below, will pre-
vent the burning of the specimens as they dry. Many larvie, espe-
cially the hairy ones, will look well if carefully prepared in this way.
A considerable number though look anything but like the natural
caterpillar.
I have tried another method with success, which, requiring little
more skill, is much more satisfactory in its results. Treat the cater-
pular the same as if it were to be inflated with air, but instead, inject
into it hot paraffine or beeswax, colored to resemble the contents of
the natural insect. This is done as follows: Procure at the drug
store a small collapsible rubber syringe (the ball and tubing connected
with an atomizer for perfume will answer as well), and into the open-
ing insert a piece of small brass tubing, having a small steel spring
attached to hold the larva. Purchase a quantity of paraffine or
white beeswax, put it in a tin with boiling water, and when melted
add the proper coloring by mixing with it oil colors from a collapsi-
ble tube, such as are made by Winsor & Newton and procurable at
any store where artist’s materials are sold. Now draw boiling water
up into the syringe a few times until it is thoroughly warmed, and
then quickly fill it with the hot paraffine and inject the skin of the
caterpillar (which should have been previously placed in warm water)
to its normal size. If the larva is now put into cold water it will
soon harden and will keep its shape. If the paraffine is of the right
color, the resemblance to the natural insect will be very striking.
Specimens treated in this way are hard but are not nearly so brittle
as those inflated and dried with hot air.
_ OF course. either method requires some careful manipulation ;
but with a little practice the results, especially with the paraffine, are
encouraging. The resemblance to the natural caterpillar will be still
nearer if the skin can be painted wherever warts and spots occur.
These-.are frequently red or blue, while the general surface is green.
But this belongs more to the professional, and skilful painting can
hardly be expected from the amateur. ~
The chrysalides and cocoons of different kinds are not difficult to
preserve and usually look pretty well if simply dried. Some of the
translucent chrysalides will be improved if the contents are taken out
at the back and the space filled with colored wax or paraftine.
bo
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
THE CABINET.
Cabinets may be made in a variety of ways with drawers large or
small, but they need not be more than one inch deep inside. Bass-
wood makes a nice cabinet as the wood is very light and does not
warp so badly as many other woods. The front of the drawers and
the front, top and sides of the case may be made of some hard wood,
such as oak or cherry, which will take a handsome polish. <A useful
cabinet, and one which looks well, too, may be made of the following
dimensions: Four feet six inches high, four feet wide, and two feet
six inches deep from front to back. Two doors in front and a double
row of drawers from top to bottom. However, the cabinet should
correspond with the owner’s taste and what it is intended to illus-
trate. One may have a very small: cabinet and yet with room to
spare which will contain the cream of the butterflies of the world.
A good many, in fact nearly all butterflies will fade perceptibly if
exposed to the ight for years, and some of the most delicately tinted
moths lose all their beauty if so exposed for a short time. Therefore
they must be protected from the heht.
Shallow wooden boxes answer nicely for storing the collection
temporarily. These may be made very inexpensive, and look well if
of uniform size. To own a handsome cabinet for his collection
should be the aim of every collector.
HOW TO MAKE A COLLECTION. Zt
HOW TO MAKE A COLLECTION.
COLLECTING BUTTERFLIES.
To make a successful collector of diurnal lepidoptera requires
agility and a practised eye. One soon learns to manipulate the net
so as to capture the specimens on the wing almost exclusively. This
is preferable as the net is less liable to be torn and the insects are
taken in more perfect condition than when captured while at rest.
After capturing a butterfly and retaining it in a fold of the net,
carefully place its wings together back to back, and give the thorax
a sharp pinch between the thumb and finger. This will in most
cases render the insect inactive and it may be turned out and into
the poison jar without injury. It is a good plan to put the speci-
mens in collecting papers before placing them in the poison jar if
they are large and fine, as this will protect them from injury by
rubbing together. Another scheme which answers admirably is to
place small pieces of tissue paper over the specimens as they are
put into the poison jar, so that fresh additions may not injure the
ones already captured. There will be little necessity to touch the
wings of specimens with the fingers when once accustomed to the
work ; and as more damage is likely to be done at the time of col-
lecting than at any other, care in handling will make a marked dit-
ference in the appearance of the collection as a whole. It will
rarely be necessary to run much for the insects one desires to capture,
for by watching favorable opportunities they may be swept into the
net with little more than a few quick steps and a rapid movement of
the hand in guiding the net. Some butterflies, however, fly long dis-
tances when once on the wing, and one will sometimes get a long run
and a glorious sweat in making such a capture. One soon learns to
distinguish, while the insects are flying, between fresh specimens and
those which are worn or torn; and this, it is scarcely necessary to
say, will save the collector many needless steps. Collecting with
the net may be commenced very early in the spring, as some species
make their appearance before the snow is all gone and from that time
on one may find new species coming out every few days.
Low, grassy meadows, with clumps of bushes, are generally favor-
ite haunts of many butterflies. The different species of Aryynnis,
bo
?
fe MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Phyciodes tharos, Melitea phaeton, Limenitis disippus, Satyrus alope,
Neonympha canthus, with two or three species of the genus Thecla
and many moths, are found in such localities. As the ground is
frequently very wet in such places, one must go prepared or else
put up with wet feet. The butterflies to be found in the upland
fields are among the most common we have, Pieris rape, Colias
philodice, Chrysophanus americana, Pyrameis huntera, Pyrameis
cardui, Pyrameis atalanta, Danais archippus, etc., being lovers of the
open fields. Fields of clover and patches of milkweeds and thistles
are particularly attractive to the species named. ;
I well remember a neglected pasture where thistles and milkweeds
erew in scattered clumps, where I have passed many an hour with
good success. Pyrameis huntera, P. cardui, P. atalanta, Danais archip-
pus, and several smaller butterflies flew from blossom to blossom, and
were sometimes so intent on extracting honey that I picked them off
the flowers with my fingers. The hours between ten in the morning
and three in the afternoon were the most favorable, and beautiful
fresh specimens were to be found there almost every day. Such a
locality, if known to a collector, will furnish him with a great many
splendid insects. Among such a number one need take only the
most beautiful and perfect, and the duplicates can be used in ex-
change with foreign collectors for their treasures.
Roadways and along brooks and rivers are sometimes excellent
localities for collecting. Butterflies seem to lke to fly along roads
and running streams, particularly the Papilios, Limenitis arthemies
and ZL. ursula. They will also sometimes congregate on the muddy
banks of rivers or about muddy pools in the road where a dozen
or more may be taken by one sweep of the net. Several spe-
cies are in the habit of visiting barnyards, and decaying sweet apples
and pears are an irresistible bait for Limenitis ursula, Grapta inter-
rogationis, Grapta j-album, Vanessa antiopa, Pyrameis atalanta and
Vanessa milberti.
In the town of Mentor, O., where I passed a portion of my child-
hood, there was an old cider-mill, and from the time the first sweet
apples arrived and were crushed until late in the fall, on every fine
day, clusters of butterflies could be seen resting on the heaps .of
refuse and eagerly sipping the half-fermented cider. What a place
that was for a boy with a net! I have seen twenty Limenitis ursula,
resting on one heap of “apple chankins,” opening and closing
their purple and black wings in the sunshine, while several other
HOW TO MAKE A COLLECTION. 29
species of handsome butterflies were no less numerous. At the
approach of any one they rose in a swarm, some resting on the
sides of the old mill, while others continued to fly until the danger
was past and then settled once more to the feast. It would be diffi-
cult to tell which occupied the greater part of my attention, the but-
terflies or the cider. Suffice it to say, that both I and my collecting-
jar went home pretty nearly full after a few hours passed at the old
cider-mill.
The tops of hills and low mountains are frequented by butterflies ;
and often when the sides of a hill are poor in both species and indi-
viduals, they will be found plentifully on the tops, especially if there
is a cleared space in the forest occupied with shrubs and bushes
where they may fly about. At such times they may be seen flying
in reyular circuits, and two or three will often chase each other up
into the air until they are almost lost to view.
I remember such a hill near Sonora in California. Starting with
a fellow-collector early in the morning of May 15th, we arrived
at the top of the hill about nine o’clock. We had seen few butter-
flies on the way up; but on reaching the top, we found them in
hundreds. The air was filled with them, they rested in dozens on
every bush. There were not a great many species, perhaps not more
than seven or eight kinds in all; but of these we could have taken
almost any number, and I caught two cigar boxes full of perfect
specimens — perhaps two hundred and fifty insects — before dinner
time. A large number were imperfect; and we found a good many
dead and dying ones on the rocks and ground. The lizards and ants
were making great havoc among the weak and sickly ones, and the
ground was littered with their wings. Why they had so congregated
I cannot imagine. The gentleman with whom I went informed me
that he had. found them in this place several years in succession, at
the same season of year.
The different species of Parnassius are mountain-inhabiting but-
terflies, and are usually found far up on the sides of high mountains.
We have several mountain butterflies which are to be found upon
the bare and inhospitable tops of the White Mountains in New
Hampshire. Mountain valleys are usually very rich in buttertlies ;
and on a road traversing such a valley the collector will sometimes
find a veritable paradise for his labors.
Some butterflies are very combative, and will give chase to every
flying object that comes in their neighborhood. ‘They will even fol-
30 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
low to near the earth anything which is thrown into the air; and
often I have captured insects which persisted in alighting far out of
the reach of iny net, by throwing my hat in the air and taking them
as they followed it down.
When collecting in the woods where butterflies are wild and fly
high, one may materially increase his captures by using a decoy, by
pinning a dead specimen with its wings spread, in a conspicuous
place, the top of a low bush with the leaves stripped off, for instance,
and, standing ready with the net, the butterflies may be taken as they
fly down and hover over the decoy. A live decoy may be used in the
same manner by tying a thread around the body of the insect between
the abdomen and the thorax and allowing it to flutter about where it
can be readily seen. This method I have used very successfully in
tropical countries to capture the superb but wild and high flying
Papilios and the gorgeous Ornithopteras. I have sometimes been
obliged to shoot with a shotgun the first specimen for a decoy. A
piece of cardboard painted to resemble a butterfly I have seen
answer for a decoy, and it has the advantage of durability.
Of some species of butterflies the males will be found to out-
number the females three to one or more in the specimens taken.
That there really are so many more males than females I very much
doubt, as in rearing specimens from the eggs or the larve the sexes
seem pretty evenly divided; but possibly, on account of the males
being more active and flying more in the open or being frequently
more showy, the collector will almost invariably take more males
than females of a given species. This discrepancy is shown in the
catalogues of those who have butterflies for sale, where the females
of some species are often two or three times the price of the males.
The females are usually much larger than the males, and are
sometimes, though rarely, richer in their coloring. The males of
some species may readily be distinguished from the females by not-
ing the claspers on the end of the abdomen of the former. The
females frequently have larger bodies than the males, their abdomens
being distended with eggs. There are a good many kinds, however,
where these distinctions are not readily seen and the sexes are diffi-
cult to separate. In some species the sexes very closely resemble
each other, while in others they differ so much as to look lke totally
different insects. Take Argynnis cybele and Vanessa antiopa as
examples of the former, and Saturnia io and Attacus promethia as
representatives of the latter.
HOW TO MAKE A COLLECTION. ail
For a collector to capture one hundred species of butterflies in a
day in some parts of Mexico, Columbia or Brazil is not an unheard-of
thing ; but here we have to be contented with a much smaller variety,
and to take ten or twelve kinds in good condition is a good day’s col-
lecting.
WHEN BUTTERFLIES ARE MOST ABUNDANT.
June, and the latter part of August and the first of September
are the best times of the year for collecting in the United States,
although many kinds are to be taken at other times.
Between the latter part of June and the first of August there
is generally a dearth of specimens, except of the different kinds of
Argynnis, which are most abundant about the middle of July. This
does not apply to the mountain districts, as excellent collecting may
be had in the vicinity of Mt. Washington, N. H., the Berkshire Hills,
Mass., the Adirondacks, N. Y., Blue Ridge, Va., and the Ozark
Mountains, Ark. in July, where a dozen species of butterflies will be
found in their prime at that season. The reason for this scarcity of
butterflies when one might expect to find them most numerous is
that the first brood has all hatched and gone, and the second is at
that time still growing in the larval state. A collector may go out
with his net at such a time and be well-nigh disgusted at the poverty
of a locality which at former seasons has yielded him a fair harvest
for his labors. How dull and uninteresting are the fields of grass
and clover where not even a common yellow Colias or a white Pieris
flits across the landscape to gladden his eyes. Plenty of moths may
be had at this season, but the butterflies are scarce.
I am often asked by persons interested, * How long does a butter-
fly live?” My answer is: “Some species only a few days, or a week
or two at the most; some hibernate and live in a dormant state sev-
eral months, but their life of activity is very short: a butterfly is at
its best only two or three days.”
bo
MOTHS AND: BUTTERFLIES.
ey)
COLLECTING MOTHS.
ASSEMBLING.
This name is given to a method of bringing together numbers
of the males of any species of insect by the aid of a virgin female of
the same or an allied species.
The different species of the family Bombyx may be readily assem-
bled, and a more interesting experience to an enthusiastic collector
can scarcely be imagined. Some of the species assembled with little
difficulty are among our largest and most handsome moths. Saturnia
io, Telea polyphemus, Actias luna, Attacus promethia, Saturnia
maid, etc., are all easily assembled, the method of procedure being
as follows: Take a virgin female a few hours after she has hatched
from the cocoon, and place her in a bag made of mosquito netting.
Hang the bag out of doors on the limb of a tree or other suitable
place, and have a light near enough so that you may see the males
when they arrive. A warm, dark night with a light breeze blowing
will be found most productive; and when the males begin to congre-
gate, the collector will be busy indeed if he manages to catch and
take care of half the specimens that come. Sometimes they make
their appearance early in the evening, at other times later, and one
must do his best when the dance begins.
An experiment which a friend of mine assured me he had _ tried
with excellent success was on a warm afternoon to take the captive
female with him on a ramble through the forests and fields, making a
circuit of two or three miles about his home, and on returning hang
the moth out of doors near his house as usual. He said he had very
good reason to think that the males in flying about in the evening
came across the scent left by the female as he carried her, and on fol-
lowing it up arrived at his house, where he was on the lookout for
them. His success leads me to recommend this method to the col-
lector, as my friend evidently puts a great deal of faith in it.
Attacus promethia and Saturnia maia ave day flyers, and usually
assemble best on warm afternoons, when they may sometimes be
taken by dozens. It frequently happens that the first night after
hatching a female will not attract the males at all, while they will
come in numbers the second night. A good deal seems to depend
COLLECTING MOTHS. 35
on the condition of the atmosphere; for on some nights the scent
does not seem to travel well, and on others it must go for miles, jude-
ing by the number of specimens that follow it up. It is a fine sight
and one worth losing half a night’s sleep, to see these great moths,
from two to a dozen at a time, circling about the trees or alighting
on the grass, all eager to pay homage to the gentle lady in the net.
She generally remains quiet or gives her wings a gentle tremulous
motion, presumably to attract her dilatory lover, whom she has good
reason to suspect has deserted her for some other fair virgin.
oO
gS
One particular evening when we were boys, my brother and I
stayed up nearly all night capturing the moths that came to one
captive female, Telea polyphemus. My mother came out about mid-
night to tell us that we must stop and go to bed; but she became so
interested that she not only gave her consent to our remaining at the
work, but actually got her net and joined in the excitement. We
took something over two hundred perfect specimens of the males
that night. It is a splendid way to capture large and fine specimens
for the cabinet, and also to get series showing variety of coloring.
To see Actias luna, that lovely pea-green gem of the night,
assemble in numbers, is an experience not soon forgotten. The
female of this species should be taken to the edge of a forest con-
taining walnut or birch trees and placed in position before dark.
One must keep a constant watch over the prisoner, as birds and bats
think of entomological specimens only as savory morsels for a meal,
and will not scruple to tear the net open to get at the prize, as I have
known them to do on several occasions much to my disgust.
But to go on with the methods for collecting: Take a lantern, a
net and a poison jar. with a box or a small satchel and plenty of
papers. If the night is favorable and the female in the right condi-
tion to give off the scent, a very interesting time may be expected.
The moths are so light colored that they look almost white in the
light of the lantern, and as they flutter down from the trees to
where the female is held captive one will almost hold his breath for
fear of frightening them. They are not wild, however, and do not
seem to notice the collector and his net and lantern.
Cats and skunks take advantage of such chances of procuring a
meal, and I remember once having left out all night a female moth
in a net, and looking out in the morning to see my lawn strewn with
the wings of hundreds of moths which the cats had killed and eaten.
34 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
COLLECTING WITH A LAMP.
On warm, moonless nights, especially if cloudy, moths are
attracted toward a bright light, and many insects rarely seen at
other times may be taken in this way. A second-story window over-
looking lawns and cultivated fields, not far from forest trees, makes
a good place to try. The lamp should be one which gives a large
and brilliant light and be placed on the window-sill with the window
wide open, so that the moths may come into the room, where they
may be taken with a small net or captured in the poison jar as they
rest on the walls or the ceiling. <A piazza or balcony with a lamp
on a table will sometimes be found to answer the purpose well. In
that case place the table and lamp against the side of the house, so
that the moths as they fly about will ahght on the clapboards near
the lamp, where they may be easily captured. The side of the house
away from the wind will be found most favorable for this mode of
collecting.
The good nights for taking moths in this way are not numerous,
and one must make the most of them when they come. Collecting
in this manner may be carried on from early May till late in October
if the weather is favorable, different species making their appear-
ance at different times. The variety thus to be collected is almost
endless, and comprises moths from the minute micro-lepidoptera up to
the giants of the race, six or seven inches in expanse of wings. One
soon learns to recognize the different species by their modes of flight,
as they bump their heads on the ceiling of the room in their strange
bewilderment. When some much-prized moth enters, close the
window, as I have known many a fine specimen to change his mind
about adorning one’s cabinet with his precious body and fly out of
the open window much faster than he came in. To lose a rare and
beautiful moth is a keen disappointment to an enthusiastic collector,
and such a mishap may often be ayoided if this simple precaution be
taken.
One may sometimes make grand captures about electric lghts,
even in cities, by visiting them on warm summer evenings with the
net and poison jar. Sphinx moths, which rarely come to a lamp,
will often be seen flying in wide circles about the electric are lights ;
they are then not very shy and may be easily taken.
COLLECTING MOTHS. 390
While employed in Washington, D. C., I made a splendid collec-
tion of the moths of that region simply by going the rounds of a
number of electric lights every evening. The lamps about the
Treasury Building were sometimes very productive of fine specimens
and the broad stone steps and pillars were frequently littered with
moths, May flies, beetles, etc., where one could stand and pick out
his desiderata with little difficulty. I captured several of the Regal
Walnut moths (Citheronia regalis) and a number of our largest and
handsomest sphinxes. Besides making the acquaintance of a num-
ber of insects new to me, I met several entomologists who, like my-
self, had been attracted to the lights by the abundance of specimens.
SUGARING.
A favorite manner with many collectors of taking specimens is
by sugaring or smearing trees, posts, etc., with a strong mixture of
tum and molasses, and taking the half-intoxicated moths with the
poison jar. This method may be successfully practised during the sum-
mer and autumn and will add many new species to the collection.
The mode of proceeding is as follows: Get a pint of strong, dark
molasses and boil it down until it is as thick or thicker than ordinary
house-paint or gruel. To this add a quantity of rum, whiskey or
other strong alcoholic liquor. Care should be taken, however, not to
put in enough to make the mixture too thin or watery. After tying
a rag on the end of a stick, by way of a brush, the collector is ready
to sally forth. Select a locality not far from the woods, and before
dark smear the trunks of trees, fence-posts, etc., with the mixture.
At dusk the moths will begin to arrive, and the collector, pro-
vided with a lantern and a poison bottle, should go the rounds.
If the locality is a good one and the night favorable, numbers of
moths in all stages of intoxication, from ‘* mildly hilarious ” to * com-
fortably drunk,” or even blissfully ignorant of everything about
them, and too far gone to be able to wind up their extended tongues
will be found about the bait. They are at these times easily taken,
simply by placing the poison bottle under them and knocking them
into it. ;
Many Noctuide and Phalenide come to such bait, and I know
of no better manner of procuring the different species of the
large and handsome Catocala. Most species of this genus may be
3 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
taken in this manner from the middle of August until cold weather.
It is useless to try this bait where flowers are abundant, and moths
will not come on cool or windy nights. The same trees may be
smeared night after night with good results. A small box contain-
ing sheets of cotton batting cut to fit it is very useful for this mode
of collecting. After a number of moths are captured in the poison
jar, they may be turned out into the box and carried safely home
between the sheets of cotton. It is best not to allow the moths to
remain too long in the poison jar, as they are apt to rub their scales
off, very much injuring their appearance.
COLLECTING ABOUT WILLOW BLOSSOMS AND GARDEN
FLOWERS.
When the catkins of the willows are in bloom they attract a great
many moths; and the collector provided with a bull’s-eye ight and a
poison jar may reap a rich harvest in rare Moctuide on warm spring
evenings. So intent on the repast are many of the moths that the
net will seldom be needed. I have in mind one near-by locality
where, after a warm day in spring, the moths may be collected by
dozens on the willow catkins.
Many species of both butterflies and moths are attracted by
fragrant flowers. The lilac, phlox, petunia, syringa, pink and many
other common garden flowers are resorted to by butterflies and day-
flying sphinx moths in the daytime, and by moths of many kinds at
dusk and late into the night. A bull’s-eye lantern and a net are
needed for their capture after dark. Some of our largest and hand-
somest insects may be captured in this way, as they remain poised on
the wing, tongue extended, extracting the nectar from the flowers.
Some of the sphinx moths are very shy, and are hable to leave if the
rays of the lantern are turned directly on them. They are apt to
flutter a great deal after being captured in the net, so that they
should be taken out and quieted as soon as possible, else they may
ruin their appearance endeavoring to escape.
I have taken in this manner in a single evening over forty sphinx
moths, representing eight species, near one bed of phlox. In some
localities I have no doubt that this number can be exceeded, or
even doubled, by one who understands the capture of these fine
insects.
COLLECTING MOTHS. 37
COLLECTING CATOCALA.
‘Catocala are sometimes found in numbers in the forest on the
trunks of trees; and when a collector is fortunate enough to run
across such an assemblage he should make the most of the opportun-
ity, as it is not likely to occur very often in one’s experience. The dif-
ferent species of catocala so closely resemble in color and markings
the bark of certain trees, that it is next to impossible to see them,
Oak groves seem to be their favorite haunt, and the tree trunks for
the space of an acre or two are sometimes well peopled with them.
They are so shy that one must use the greatest caution in their cap-
ture. They are best taken by placing the mouth of the poison jar
over them as they lie with folded wings feeling secure in their strik-
ing adaptability in coler to the moss-covered bark. Many species may
sometimes be taken in one locality; but they are all wild and very
rapid flyers, so that it is difficult to capture them on the wing. It is
best not to undertake their capture with the net for another reason :
I refer to their liability of injuring themselves in their desperate
efforts to escape. A poor specimen is little better than none at all
for exhibition purposes; in fact, I regard one really beautiful, per-
fect specimen nicely mounted, of more value than one dozen worn
and mutilated ones. To view a collection of fifty fine and pertect
insects will give a naturalist more pleasure than to lock over a whole
eabinet full of rubbish collected with no care and mounted in a slov-
enly manner.
The greatest care is necessary in handling the catocala as their
scales come off with a touch, leaving bare and unsightly patches.
Catocala cara and C. concumbens are often found under bridges over
rivers and brooks, hanging back downwards from the boards or
stones. One bridge a mile from my home has furnished me with
many excellent specimens of the two species named; and I rarely go
there in the season but I find from ten to thirty of these insects. It
is useless to look for them in such localities before the middle of
August. The same species may also be found on the underside of
tree trunks which overhang the water. :
The catocala often frequent rocky ledges and stone walls where
the gray color of the upper wings of some species harmonize with
their surroundings.
1S)
CO
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
GATHERING CHRYSALIDES AND COCOONS.
The larvee of many moths go into the ground to pupate, where
they remain (many of them) during the winter. At the approach
of warm weather they work their way to near the surface where the
perfect insect can easily find its way out. At such times they are
easily found by raking over the fallen leaves under the trees in close
proximity to their trunks. Scattered groves of large trees are likely
localities in which to hunt for chrysalides in this manner; and pines,
oaks, poplars, willows, elms, etc., are reasonably sure to furnish treas-
ure for the searching.
A stout, forked stick makes a good tool with which to work, and
a box containing leaf mould answers well for a depository for the
specimens, in which they may be left until the flies emerge. The
cocoons of a variety of moths may be found attached to the twigs of
the trees on which the larve feed, after the leaves have fallen in the
autumn. Wild cherry and sassafras will sometimes be found with a
number of cocoons attached, while oaks, elders, birches, maples, and
numerous other trees and shrubs will each yield their reward for dil-
igent search. The naked chrysalides of butterflies are often attached
to fences, walls and houses besides the stems of the food plants of the
larva. The chrysalides of many butterflies are exceedingly difficult to
find, and with some species it is only by most diligent search that
success ay be attained. If one wants to make a trial, let him begin
with one of our most common butterflies, Colias philodice, which
abounds everywhere in fields and meadows in summer. See how
many hours of patient exploration are necessary to find the first
chrysalis; while to locate in the pupa state Argynnis idalia, Meli-
tea photon, Limenitis ursula, Papilio turnus and others of our well-
known butterflies may require many days of study and careful search.
TO REAR SPECIMENS FROM THE. EGG OR THE LARVA.
Many species of lepidopterous insects are easily reared from the
egg or the larva.
One may procure the eggs of some butterflies and moths simply
by enclosing in mosquito netting a fertilized female with a branch of
the plant upon which the larvee feed. Some insects, however, cannot
)
5
COLLECTING MOTHS.
.
~
be induced to lay their eggs in this manner; and sometimes it is
only by watching the female at liberty depositing her eggs that they
may be had at all. Many of the eggs are smaller than the head of a
doll’s pin, and are frequently attached to the underside of the leaves
of the food plant, so that diligent and careful search is necessary to
find them. Most of them are covered when first laid with a gum or
varnish which when dry securely fastens them to the objects upon
which they are deposited.
The number of eggs laid by a single female varies from one hun-
dred to five or six hundred or more, according to the species. They
are often laid singly, especially by the butterflies; but a large num-
ber of the moths deposit their eggs in a compact patch and in regular
rows so close together that they touch each other on all sides.
The eggs deposited during the warm days of summer soon hatch,
while those of autumn remain unchanged until the following spring.
The heat of summer and the cold of winter seems to have no
injurious effect upon the eges of butterflies and moths; and if it
were not for the army of creatures whose life work it is to keep these
hosts in check, every green thing in the way of vegetation on the face
of the earth would be devoured.
Just before hatching, an egg frequently assumes a leaden hue,
and the young larva eats his way out of his prison and escapes, often
devouring before he goes the egg-shell which has sheltered him. At
this stage the larva is frequently very unlike the mature caterpillar.
He should now be placed in a glass jar with an inch or two of moist
loam at the bottom, with young and tender leaves of the food plant.
He will have a sufficiency of air if the cover is kept on, and the
leaves will be kept fresh longer. Care should be taken not to place
the jar where the direct rays of the sun will shine on it, as the tem-
perature may become too great. One may introduce into the jar a
small botile of water, holding the leaves if this is desired; but the
mouth should be plugged with cotton or the larva may fall into it
and be drowned. The caterpillar will grow rapidly, and will require
a good deal of fresh food. For this reason it is best when it is one-
third grown to place it on a branch of its food plant and enclose the
whole in mosquito netting.
In rearing quantities of larvee a barrel without either head may
be placed over a bush and all the branches brought up through the
top. Then after enclosing the branches which protrude in mos-
quito netting and introducing the larve to be reared, fasten the
40) MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
netting securely round the top of the barrel. This simplifies the
rearing of larvee and gives them conditions almost exactly the same
as they enjoy in a free state. A great many specimens may be reared
at one time in this simple manner.
If the insects are earth-loving species and desire to complete their
transformations in the ground, they must have an opportunity to do
so, and should be placed in a box with loam when fully grown.
Many will spin cocoons, others will attach their naked chrysalides
to the twigs of the food plant. Great care must be taken with the
larvee to protect them from their natural enemies, the ichneumon flies,
which are constantly on the watch for an opportunity to deposit their
egos in or on them. For this reason they should not be exposed out
of doors unless covered with fine-meshed netting.
The cocoons may be kept in a wooden box in the cellar during
the winter months. The naked pupa, including those which have
transformed in the soil, may be placed in tin cans (ordinary fruit
cans will answer) without any soil or loam and kept in the cellar
also. These should have the covers put on to prevent the pup
becoming too dry, as they are almost sure to do if not covered tight.
In this way their preservation is a simple matter, and their loss by
drying or mould is completely done away with. In the spring the
cocoons may be tied on strings and hung in the attic, where they will
hatch without trouble.
The naked pupz may also be removed to the attic and allowed to
remain in the tin cans until a short time before the fly should emerge,
when the pup may be placed in a good-sized wooden box, on (not
in) damp earth, with a few leaves covering them, and allowed to
hatch. The box may be covered with netting to prevent the escape
of the perfect insects. A few twigs placed among the chrysalides
will enable the newly hatched flies to suspend themselves so that
their wings will develop in the normal manner.
CLASSIFICATION.
CLASSIFICATION.
4]
Tue following order of classification, adopted mostly from that of Mr.
Henry Edwards, will be used in this work.
ORDER
Susp-ORDER HETEROCERA.
LEPIDOPTERA.
Moths and Butterflies.
The Moths.
Micro-LepiporrerRa,
PTEROPHORIDA
TINEIDZE
TORTRICIDA
PYRALID AL
Plume Moths.
True Moths.
Leaf Rollers.
Snout Moths.
Macro-LEPiIporprerRa.
GEOMETRIDAE
NOCTUIDAE
BOMBY CIDA
LY GALNIDA
AEGERIDA
SPHIN GID
Susp-ORDER RHOPALOCERA.
HESPERIDAZ
LY CAINIDA
SAT Y RIDA
NYMPHALIDAL
PAPIEIONIDA
The
Loopers or Spanners.
Owlets or Moth Millers.
Spinners.
Zy ganids.
Glass-wings.
Dusk-flyers.
Butterflies.
Skippers.
Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks.
Wood Nymphs, Browns.
Angle Wings, Silver Spots.
Whitelings, Yellows, Swallowtails.
42 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
HETEROCERA. The Moths.
In this group of insects the antenne are of various shapes, gener-
ally terminating in a point, while the wings are usually folded roof
shape over the abdomen when the insects are at rest.
Many of the species have a bristle attached to the upper edge of
the hind wing near the body which fits into a loop in the lower edge
of the upper wing for the purpose of holding the wings together dur-
ing flight. By turning the insect upside down and spreading its
wings the bristle and loop may be readily seen.
Many of the species are extremely minute, the aid of a micro-
scope being necessary to study them, while a few are gigantic in
comparison, being among the largest and grandest insects known.
Many are plain in color or their coloring is soft and blended,
while a few rival the gayest and richest butterflies. Most of the
species fly by night, a few love the hottest sunshine, while others
prefer the dusk of morning and evening.
Their geographical range is very great. They abound in the
tropics in countless myriads while species of this group have been
seen in the cold and barren wastes of the most northern polar lands.
They are found in every land and under all conditions of climate,
either as the perfect insect or as the egg, larva or chrysalis.
Some species make cocoons in which to pupate; many burrow in
the ground or hide under leaves in the forest.
Most of the caterpillars of moths feed on the leaves of plants,
some in the stems and trunks of trees, while some devour fruits.
The small kinds, probably best known to the thrifty housewife, de-
your woollens, feathers and furs.
The moths outnumber the butterflies many times and between
five and six thousand species are natives of America north of Mexico.
These insects are nearly all, except the silk producers, directly
injurious to man’s interests; the parasites and insectiverous birds
and mammals keeping these vast hosts in check.
MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA. 43
MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA.
A- few only of the innumerable species belonging to the four
groups representing the micro-lepidoptera will be mentioned and _ fig-
ured in this work. The detailed study of these minute creatures
belongs to the specialist, and even he can only hope to become well
acquainted with the species of a few genera.
PTEROPHORIDA.
The Pterophoride, or plume moths, have the wings divided into
plumes or feathers. Their bodies and legs are slim, and the creat-
ures are so delicate as to be difficult to capture and preserve with-
out injury. Most of these insects are night flyers and may be met
with from early in the spring till late in the fall.
Various Forms of Plume Moths.
The caterpillars are hairy and spin no cocoon, changing to a
naked chrysalis suspended from the end of the abdomen. The
chrysalides of some species of these moths are also hairy.
Pteropborus peutadactylus.
The white plume moth (Pterophorus pentadactylus) is not a com-
mon insect in the East, but I have taken it on a few occasions with a
lamp in June and July, and have seen it often in Northern Ohio and
Virginia in those months. It flies slowly and is so exceedingly
A4 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
fragile that the greatest care is necessary in handling it. The larva
is said to feed on the tender leaves of the convolvulus; but I have
never seen it and know nothing of its habits. The moth has an ex-
panse of wing of about seven-eighths of an inch in a good-sized speci-
men, but is often smaller. The upper wings are two-lobed or
plumed, and the hind wings three. The insect is often a pure
silvery white. Sometimes, however, its wings are sprinkled with a
few gray scales. The legs of the moth are so long, and it stands so
high when at rest, that it bears a slight resemblance to a crane fly,
and would hardly be thought to be a moth at all by the novice.
We have a number of species belonging to this family but this is
one of the largest and most easily recognized.
Alucita hexadactyla.
The six-plumed moth (Alucita hexadactyla) is a common Amer-
ican species, being also found in Europe. Its expanse of wing is
about half an inch, and each wing is six-plumed, being yellowish-
eray in color with brown markings, and a black dot at the end of
each feather or lobe. The caterpillar feeds on the flowers of the
honeysuckle, is of a reddish-salmon color, and, unlike most of the
other species of this group, spins a silken cocoon. The moth is said
to hibernate during the winter.
TINEID.
The Tineide are mostly very small moths, and the number_of
species belonging to the group is very large. Many of these insects
are gayly, some magnificently, colored: but a microscope is needed
to see their beauty. Their wings are narrow and pointed, and are
fringed with long delicate hairs. The larve of these moths are
minute creatures; and many of them are leaf miners, so called
because they burrow in the leaves just below the surface, and make
long and crooked passages widening as they advance. Some species
bore in plant stems, some attack grain stored in houses, some mine in
the roots of plants, some few produce galls, and some make sad
havoc in cur houses among woollen goods or feathers, if left where
they can procure access to them.
MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA. 45
Tinea flavifrontella,—the common clothes moth, is found in our
houses in summer, and may frequently be seen flying about our apart-
ments at night. It is of a light yellowish color and has a silky
appearance.
‘Tinea flavifrontella.
The larva is whitish and does great damage to woollens, using the
material on which it feeds to make its pupa case.
Numerous moth destroyers are used to exterminate this pest.
Camphor, naphthaline, benzine, snuff and corrosive sublimate may be
all used with effect ; but common kerosene oil is perhaps the simplest,
cheapest and most effective. When woollens are to be put away for
the summer, sprinkle kerosene oil profusely in the bottom of the trunk
or box in which they are to be packed and after it is filled lay over the
goods a paper saturated with it and close the whole up tight. When
it is desired to use the clothes once more, a few hours’ exposure to the
air and sunshine will remove all smell of the kerosene.
Tinea granella.
Tinea granella is a creamy-white moth with brown markings on
the upper wings one-half an inch in exposure, and the larve live in
our granaries, where they entail great loss if left undisturbed.
The female moth lays its eggs upon the grains of wheat, and the
worms eat their way into the grains, reducing them to shells and
binding masses of them together with their webs. The larva, accord_
ing to Curtis, makes a cocoon composed of web and wood-pulp in
which it hibernates during the winter, changing to a chrysalis in the
spring and soon after emerging a moth.
Hyponomeuta millepunctatella.
In Hyponomeuta millepunctatella the larve are gregarious and
spin cocoons. The moth is three-fourths of an inch across the
40 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
expanded wings, the fore wings being white with black dots, the
hind wings dark gray.
a
Sj
>
Sy
S>
Depressaria robiniella.
Depressaria robiniella. This moth expands three-fourths of an
inch. ‘The head and fore wings are reddish-brown spotted with yel-
low. The hind wings and body are gray. The green larvee live on
the leaves of the locust and spin their webs among the leaves drawing
them together. They are very active creatures and in searching for
them by pulling their webs apart they are very hable to wriggle away.
The larvee are said by Packard to pupate among fallen leaves on the
ground,
The genus Nepticula contains many very minute and yet many
very beautiful species. To this genus belong the smallest of all
known lepidopterous insects, many of them less than an eighth of
an inch in expanse of wing. The larve of these minute insects
mine in the leaves of different species of trees.
TORTRICIDZ:.
The leaf-rollers, so called because the larve of most of the
species of this group of moths form the ends of leaves into rolls for
their protection, are a numerous family, represented by many species
in this country.
The fore wings of these moths are broad and are often brilliantly
colored, while the hind wings are usually sombre.
Some of the larger species are gregarious in the larval state,
uniting a number of leaves by webs, among which they feed and
Various Forms of Leaf-rollers,
finally pupate, leaving the empty shells of their chrysalides protrud-
ing from the webs.
MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA. 47
Lozotenia cerasiovorana is about one inch across the expanded
wings, which are of an ochre-yellow color crossed by brownish
markings.
The larvee of these insects are gregarious and live on the leaves
of the choke-cherry, their unsightly nests with the yellowish-brown
shells of their chrysalides attached to the outside of the webs by their
posterior ends may frequently be seen by the roadside. The moths
often remain about or upon the nests several days after hatching.
Lozotenia cerasiovorana. Lozotenia rosaceana,
Lozotenia rosaceana expands nearly an inch in a fine specimen.
The fore wings are light brown crossed by bands of reddish-brown
and the hind wings are light yellowish brown. The larva is said by
Packard to bind together the leaves of the rose, apple and straw-
berry with a few silken threads. The insect is double brooded, one
appearing in June and another in August.
Antithesia pruniana.
Antithesia pruniana is five-eighths of an inch in expanse, and the
fore wings are marbled with black and lilac with white on the outer
portion. The larva lives on the plum, and is a native of Europe as
well as this country, doing considerable damage.
Carpoeapsa pomonella.
Carpocapsa pomonella is the famous coddling moth, the larve of
which often does so much damage to the apple and pear crop, living
in the interior of the fruits and causing them to drop to the ground
when only partly grown. The moth is half an inch in expanse and
is dark brown in color.
48 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
PYRALIDE.
The Pyralida, or snout moths, may be recognized by the long
fore wings, their long legs and elongated bodies. Many of them
also have the palpi very much elongated, from which they derive
their common name. Some species are day flyers, others fly at dusk
and still others fly at night and are purely nocturnal. Some of them
are white and silvery in appearance, while their wings are bordered
S lp { 4 r)
SD
Various Forms of Snout Moths.
or streaked with bands of gold, others are gray or brown, often of a
silky lustre, while some are black with white spots. While at rest
many species fold their wings close to and partly around the body,
giving them a tubular form. Many of the laryze feed upon grass
and clover, while some devour the leaves of the grape, and one inter-
esting but very destructive species infests the comb of the honey-bee
often ruining all the comb in a hive.
Galeria cereana
This species, Galeria cereana, is gray and purplish-brown in
color, and the larvee pupates among the honey-combs, where it has
constructed its silken galleries. This insect is double brooded.
Crambus girandella,.
Crambus girandella is satin white with a broad gold band on the
fore wings. The larva is whitish or gray, of a silky appearance and
feeds upon grass or clover. This insect is sometimes very abundant,
and I have seen the whole front of a house where a bright light was
kept burning during the night so covered with this species as to look
silvery white at a distance of a few feet. !
GEOMETRIDS. 49
GEOMETRIDZE.
Loopers or Spanners.
The insects belonging to this group are easily distinguished by
their slim bodies and broad thin wings, which, when the insects are
at rest, are spread out flat, scarcely overlapping at the edges. The
coloring is usually soft and delicate in tone, being often brown, gray-
green or buff, crossed by darker wavy lines. The antennz are often
feathery (pectinated) and the legs usually slim and long.
The larvee, from which the group derives the name of Geomet-
ride, or “earth measures,” are readily distinguished from the larve
of all other moths by their peculiar mode of progression, which
is by bending the body into loops, thus giving the appearance of
measuring the ground over which they travel.
Larvze of geometrid moths.
From four to six of the abdominal legs possessed by the larvee of
most lepidoptera are wanting in this group, in consequence of which
the larve of geometrids may be recognized at a glance. Many of
these larvee spin silken threads wherever they go and are ready to
quit their hold and drop from the leaves on which they may be feed-
ing whenever danger threatens, mounting their threads and resuming
operations again when it is past. Some of the caterpillars spin slight
cocoons beneath leaves at the trunks of trees, while others burrow
into the ground and there undergo their transformations.
The insects of this group are numerous both in species and indi-
viduals, and specimens may be taken from the first warm days in
spring till late into the fall.
50 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Angerona crocataria is a yellow moth with light brown markings,
and expands from an inch and a half to two inches. The larva feeds
Angerona crocataria,
on the currant and strawberry and is yellowish or light green, with
brown dots and markings. The perfect fly may be found among low
bushes near cultivated fields during June, and, like many other moths
of this class, it flies a good deal in the daytime.
Brephos infans.
Brephos infans is one of the first moths to appear in the spring
and is a northern species, being found throughout New England and
north into Labrador. It is a day flyer, and may be taken in the latter
part of March or the early part of April before the snow has left the
ground. It prefers low, bushy districts, where alders and willows
abound, and in favorable localities may be seen in some abundance
though generally shy. It is a pretty moth, about one and a quar-
ter inches in expanse, the fore wings being brown with light gray
markings, while the lower wings are red with brown margins. The
eaterpillar is unknown to me.
Auisopteryx vernata. Anisopteryx autumnata,
Anisopteryx vernata and Anisopteryx autumnata, the spring and
fall canker-worm moths, have in the larval state long been a seri-
GEOMETRIDS. 51
ous pest in different parts of the country, as they frequently
appear in such numbers as to completely strip the foliage from
apple, elm and other trees, leaving them as if devastated by a
conflagration. These moths are about one and a quarter inches in
expanse of wing.
As the females of these two species of moths are wingless grub-
like creatures, and can only deposit their eggs on the trees which form
the food of the larve by climbing their trunks, it would seem that
their destruction is a simple matter. Still one sees whole districts
wherein fruit and shade trees have been stripped of their foliage, in
spite of the precaution of encircling the trunks with bands of tar
paper smeared with tar or printer’s ink. The spring canker-worm
moth makes its appearance early in April, and the males may then be
seen in numbers fluttering against the windows of a well-lighted
room. By going out with a lantern the females may be found
ascending the trees to lay their eggs, the males hovering about.
The moth of the fall canker-worm emerges from its cocoon, which
is spun beneath the ground, late in October. The spring canker-
worm makes no cocoon, but hollows out an oval cavity in the soil
in which it passes the winter as a chrysalis. These two species
resemble one another closely, both in the larval state and as the
perfect fly, the fully developed insects being light gray and brown
with light lower wings.
Zerene catenaria.
Zerene catenaria, beautifully white, with black markings and
dots, is not uncommon in our fields and among low shrubs in
September and October. It is feeble in flight, and is often quite
local. In expanse it will measure about one and a half inches.
I have never seen the larvee, but have found the thin, transparent
cocoons attached to low shrubs, and have hatched the moths.
52 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
The larva of Amphidasis cognataria feeds on the maple and cur-
rant, and, like the full-grown moth, is thick-bodied for a geometrid.
Amphidasis cognataria.
The moth is dark gray, speckled and marked with black, and about
two inches in expanse.
Rheumaptera hastata.
Rheumaptera hastata is a black-and-white moth, little more than
an inch in expanse, easily recognized from the other species of this
class. It may be found in June along roads in the woods, where
it flies in the daytime, much like a butterfly. This insect is said
to be widely distributed, being found in Europe and Asia, as well
as America. The caterpillar, which is dark brown, feeds on the
leaves of the birch, where it lives in colonies.
Hybernia tiliaria.
This moth, Hybernia tiliaria, about two inches in expanse, resem-
bles the canker-worm moth, in that the female is wingless and that it
is in the larval state destructive to fruit and shade trees. The larvee
are yellow, with black lines on the back and sides, and are sometimes
so plentiful as to completely denude trees of their foliage. When
GROMETRIDS. 38)
fully grown the larvee descend into the ground, where they trans-
form to pup a few inches below the surface. The perfect insect
makes its appearance in October. It is light buff-yellow with orange
spots, while the hind wings are nearly white.
Petrophora diversilneata.
Petrophora diversilneata is a very pretty moth, which often makes
its way into our rooms at night. It is yellowish, with a slightly
red or pink shade on the outer half of the fore wings; which are
crossed by a number of reddish-brown lines. The lower wings
are lighter near the body with a few brown lines near the lower
edge. It is about an inch and a half in expanse of wings. The
larva lives on the leaves of the grape, but rarely in such numbers as
to do much damage.
Heematopis grataria.
During August the pretty little moth, Haematopis grataria, may
be found in meadows, especially near streams, where it is sometimes
quite abundant. It has a wide range, as I have taken it in Iowa,
Ohio, Virginia, and the New England States. The moth is about
one inch in expanse. It flies a good deal in the daytime, soon
alighting after it has been flushed from the grass. Its colors are
yellowish-red crossed by bands of pink. The larva is said to feed on
chickweed.
Geometra iridaria.
An exceedingly beautiful little moth is Geometra cridaria.
About one and a quarter inches in expanse of wings, it is of a rich
o4 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
shade of green, the wings being crossed by white lines edged with
purple. There are a number of green moths belonging to this
group which resemble one another closely, but this is the most
attractive in coloring, and were it as large would rival the beautiful
Actias luna. I know nothing of the life history of this moth, but
have often been charmed with its beauty as it flew in at the open
window to my lamp. |
Among the many geometrids to be found in our country I may
mention the following species, as shown in the illustration.
Endropia marginata, having all wings yellowish-buff, bordered
with a broad band of light brown. Expanse one and three-quarters
inches. This moth may be taken with a lamp early in September.
A smaller moth, Hndropia hypochraria, has brownish-gray wings
with brown markings. It expands about one and a half inches.
In Lutrapela clematata we have a moth with brownish-gray wings
the inner part darker crossed by brown and light gray lines. It ex-
pands one and three-quarters inches. Hutrapela transversata is light
brownish-yellow, with distinct lines and markings of brown, Ex-
panse nearly two inches.
Acidalia ennucleata is creamy-white with brown markings near
outer edge of wings. Expands one and a quarter inches.
A finely marked moth, Therina seminudaria is light gray with
wings crossed by yellowish-brown and yellow lines. Expands one
and three-quarters inches.
Before leaving this interesting class of insects, having figured and
described only a small number of the more common species, a few
words in regard to the wonderful protective coloring, shapes and hab-
its of some of these moths and their larvee may prove interesting to
the student of entomology. The thin, flat wings of these moths
enable them to conceal themselves, not by folding the wings up
close to the body as so many other species do, but by spreading them
out flat on the objects on which they rest, hugging so closely to their
support as to appear to be a part of it. Some of the species closely
resemble patches of lichens when flattened against the trunks of
trees, the lines and bits of color on their wings helping out the
resemblance to such an extent that when discovered, one is some-
times half in doubt where the insect leaves off and the bark begins.
The green species, many of them, extend their wings on the green
leaves, lying so close to the surface as to be scarcely distinguishable.
Therina seminudaria.
Endropia marginata.
Eutrapela clematata,
Eutrapela transversata. |
Endropia hypochraria. Acidalia ennucleata,
GEOMETRID MOTHS.
fond
NOCTUIDS. 57
Some yellow and brown species have the habit of resting with wings
extended on the upper sides of leaves so as to almost exactly resem-
ble the brown and withered patches on half-dead foliage. One or
two kinds when at rest throw their bodies into curious attitudes, at
the same time bending their wings into such shapes that when seen
one can hardly believe they are anything but dead fragments of
leaves adhering to stems.
The larvee of this group of insects are many of them protected
both by their shape and coloring, and even by their habits in a
remarkable degree. A large number closely resemble twigs, and
will remain standing out straight at an angle of forty-five degrees
from a branch, holding on by their posterior claspers for hours at a
time. So closely do these caterpillars resemble the small stems of
plants with their minute knots that one may have to pick them from
the branch to be sure he is not mistaken.
One does not need to go far from home to come across examples
of protective mimicry as striking and as useful to contemplate as any
the world affords, and a study of the geometrids in both their larval
and mature state will point as clearly to the law by which every
animal is just adapted to its surroundings and protected in a degree
from its enemies as any so charmingly used by the great naturalists
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace to illustrate the law of natural
selection.
NOCTUIDE.
Ouwlets, or Moth Millers.
The moths belonging to this large group are stout-bodied and
rapid-flying insects, and are, as their name implies, seldom seen on the
Wing except at night. When at rest they fold their wings over the
body, roof-shaped, in such a way that the lower wings are entirely
concealed. Their antenne are long and tapering, and their wings
are always fastened together by the loop and spur already mentioned
in another chapter. Most of these insects are sombre in coloring,
browns and grays being the predominating colors. Many of them
are thickly covered with long hair-like scales, which are easily loos-
ened. The thorax is frequently tufted; and the legs covered with
long scales are sometimes provided with spines at the joints. Most
of our native species are of small or moderate size, but some of the
58 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
exotic species are gigantic, specimens of Hrebus strex from Brazil
sometimes measuring twelve inches from tip to tip of the expanded
wings.
Great difficulty is experienced in identifying many of the small
and plain-colored insects belonging to this group, as they are fre-
quently very much alike both in shape and markings, and puzzling
varieties in colors are Common.
The larvee are usually smooth, though some are hairy, and a few
possess tubercles and warts. They are generally provided with six-
teen legs. Some make cocoons in which to transform to the chrysa-
lis state; the majority burrow into the ground and form smooth,
naked chrysalides. Many of the caterpillars feed exclusively by
night, hiding by day, and a number of species are among the prin-
cipal insect pests with which the gardener and farmer have to deal.
Our first example is the splendid moth Erebus edora, which
expands six or seven inches and is occasionally taken as far north as
Canada. It is a rare visitor, and one may consider himself exceed-
ingly fortunate who captures a good specimen, for it is said not to
live in the United States except as a wanderer from Mexico. |
have never taken a specimen, but know of several instances where
they have been captured in New England and the Western States.
The insect is not rare in Mexico; and one rarely sees a collection
from that country which does not contain one or more specimens of
this fine moth.
The predominating color is dark brown; but in certain lights,
pink and metallic purple and blue are reflected from the wings.
There is frequently a good deal of variation in this species, some-
times the wavy lines running across the wings being almost white
and again obscure gray or yellowish brown. This insect is a very
strong flyer, as specimens are said to have been taken on board a
ship, one hundred and twenty-five miles from the nearest land. I
know nothing of the larva or of the life history of the insect.
In Parthenos nubilis, the insect looks very much like the Catocala
and has much the same habits. The upper wings are dark brown,
black, gray and creamy-white. Thorax and body light brown.
Lower wings blackish-brown with four wavy and somewhat indis-
tinct bands of yellowish-orange. Expanse of wings two and one-halt
inches. I have spécimens of this insect from New England and the
Middle and Western States. It may be taken in the company of
Catocala and seems to have a wide range.
‘RIOPO SIGINT
a
ord,
_—
s
NOCTUIDS. 61
The genus Catocala is very well represented in this country, and
is of more interest to the collector than any other class of the
Noctuide, both on account of the large size of many of the species
and also for their great beauty. These insects frequently measure
three inches or more across the expanded wings. The upper wings
are usually brown or gray with numerous zigzag lines running ACLOss
them, while the lower wings are frequently crossed with broad black
bars, alternating with bands of red, yellow or white. The lower
wings are hidden from view when the moths are at rest. The larvee
feed on various forest trees, oak and hickory being their most com-
mon food plant. Both the larvee and the perfect moths are protected
by their resemblance in color to the bark of trees, and only careful
and dilligent search will enable one to find them. There are eighty
or more species of this genus native to this country, and a large
number of varieties which have been given separate names. The
identification of some of the species is difficult, both on account of
their variation and the obscurity of their markings.
Catocala cara is one of the most common moths of this genus as
well as one of the largest and finest.
It loves to fly along water-courses at night, particularly where
they are bordered on either side with forests, and on this account
may often be found in the daytime hiding on the underside of the
boards and beams of bridges, and I have myself taken thirty-seven
specimens of this fine moth under one bridge in less than an hour.
If one knows of such a place, he may visit it every day from the
middle of August to the last of September and be tolerably certain
of finding specimens of this and sometimes one or two other species.
Where trees overhang the water, too, one may look for this insect
with good chances of success in finding it.
The larva of this insect lives on willow and may sometimes be
found descending the trunk of a tree preparatory to burrowing under
the leaves to undergo its transformations. The scales of all these
moths seem to be very loosely attached, and the greatest care is nec-
essary in handling them. I make it a rule never to touch one with
my fingers for fear of injuring it. When a moth of this kind is
seen on the trunk of a tree do not try to use the net for its capture
but place the open end of the poison jar over it and when it flies
into the trap put on the cover and the insect is safe. Each specimen
should be taken out and placed in an envelope or collecting paper
before another one is put into the jar. Although many of the Cato-
62 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
cala may be enticed into one’s room on warm evenings in August,
by placing a light in the window, I have never yet taken Catocala
cara in this manner; nor does it seem to be attracted by sugaring,
and if one had to depend on this mode of capture he would conclude
that it was a rare insect.
Catoeala relicta.
This is one of the finest and rarest of the Catocala. The upper
wings of the male insect are creamy-white, crossed by several indis-
tinet bands of gray; the lower wings are black, with a white curved
bar crossing just below the middle and a creamy-white fringe at the
margin. The head is light ; but the thorax and abdomen are dark
eray, almost black. The upper wings of the female are much darker,
although specimens may be found ranging from almost pure white to
dark gray. A fine specimen of this rare moth will measure nearly
four inches across its expanded wings, and it is enough to make one’s
heart jump with excitement to see one of these strikingly marked
insects quietly sipping the intoxicating liquid where one has smeared
a tree-trunk with rum and molasses.
Like many other species of the genus Catocala, this insect is
local, and may sometimes be found in some abundance. One collec-
tor with whom I am acquainted has taken a dozen perfect specimens
in a season, but this must be considered very unusual. I have
always found it a very scarce insect. It 1s widely distributed, as I
NOCTUIDS. 63
have had specimens from New England, Ohio, Illinois, Arkansas and
Virginia.
Catocala concumbens.
Although common, Catocala concumbens is a very attractive insect,
Its forward wings being a soft gray, while two bars of black and two
of pink adorn the lower wings. This moth may be taken by sugar-
ing, and it will also come to a lght, and is a pretty creature for one
to see coming in at his window fluttering its wings of black and
pink just in front of his face. This inseet is probably found over a
large part of this country, as I have specimens from many localities.
Stone walls or heaps of rocks in the woods seem to be favorite
haunts of this moth; and as the bright pink lower wings are covered
by the gray upper ones when at rest, it is not easily discovered.
Two and three-quarters inches is the expanse of wing of a good-
sized specimen. ‘The caterpillar lives on willow.
Catocala epione,
A number of the Catocala have no bands of bright color on the
lower wings, but these members are simply black or dark brown
with a white fringe, while the upper wings are very like those
insects I have been describing. The present species is one of this
class, and there are a large number so closely related that their
separation into species is not an easy matter.
64 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
These moths inhabit oak woods, generally in company with other
kinds, and are most often to be found in the daytime hugging closely
to the trunks of the trees where their gray wings marbled with dark
brown and black render them difficult to see. When once alarmed
they readily take to flight and are strong and rapid on the wing.
This species may be taken by sugaring but rarely comes to a leght.
The larva lives on oak.
Catoeala fratercula.
The little Catocala fratercula, which much resembles some of
the larger kinds, is often abundant in oak woods in August, where
it may be found in company with the larger species. Its fore wings
are light gray, with creamy-white and brown patches and markings,
and its lower wings are orange banded with black. One will often
find this moth on fences and stone walls as well as_ tree-trunks.
Half-a-dozen or more species of the same size may easily be mistaken
for this and the beginner will encounter many difficulties in separat-
ing the species of Catocala. ‘The larva lives on oak.
The moth Catocala cerogama las upper wings gray and brown,
with black markings. Thorax gray. Body brown. Lower wings
brown near the body, the rest being black crossed by a single narrow
band of dull orange, edged with yellowish-gray. This insect ex-
pands a trifle over three inches. I have not found it-a common
specie, but have specimens from Arkansas, Ohio, Massachusetts and
Ontario, Canada.
In Catocala parta the upper wings are gray, light brown and
black. Thorax gray and black, body light brownish-buff. Lower
wings orange-red with one narrow and one broad black band, the
outer margin yellowish-gray. The insect expands three inches and a
half in a fine specimen. This is not a rare insect, and I have taken
it in Massachusetts, Southern Ohio and Ilinois, and have specimens
from Ontario, Canada.
Catocala subnata. Upper wings gray and light brown. Thorax
light gray, body yellowish-brown. Lower wings ochreous-yellow
‘SHLOW GIN000N
"BVVUQUS B[VOOIVO ‘Bsnliun BlBo0yRD
‘eqaed vpRooIe
"BULBSOLIO BL/ROOIRD Bqied BlBooyegO
-I
NOCTUIDS. 6
crossed by two bands of black. Expanse nearly three and one-half
inches. I have never taken this insect, but have specimens collected
in Southern Ohio.”
Catocala unijuga. Upper wings dark gray and black with light
gray wavy lines, Thorax dark gray. Body brown. Lower wings
bright orange-red, edged with white and crossed by two intensely
black bands. Expanse of wings three inches. This is a common
insect in the northeastern part of the country, and I have a number
of specimens from Canada.
The species, Catocala innubens, is a very variable one. The
upper wings are usually dark brown, light brown and black. Thorax
and body heht brown. Lower wings reddish-orange edged with
yellow and crossed by two bands of black. This insect expands two
and one-half inches and is sometimes found in numbers on oak-trees.
I have specimens from Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts and Ontario.
Catocala flebilis. Upper wings dark gray and_ sooty black.
Thorax dark gray. Body sooty brown. Lower wings black, edged
with yellowish-white. Expanse two anda quarter inches. A com-
mon insect in oak woods in September and October.
Catocala desperata. Upper wings light gray and light brown and
crossed by black lines. Thorax light gray. Body sooty brown.
Lower wings blackish-brown, lighter near the body and edged with
yellowish-white. Expanse two and three-quarters inches. Not a
rare insect in New England and the Middle and Western States.
Catocala palwogama. Upper wings gray with black markings.
Thorax gray. Body light brown. Lower wings orange crossed by
two black bands. Expands two and one-half inches. I have speci-
mens of this insect from Southern Ohio, but have never taken it in
Massachusetts.
Catocala amica. Upper wings gray and black with a greenish
shade. Thorax gray. Body yellowish-brown. Lower wings orange
with a large brownish-black patch: Expanse of wings one and three-
quarters inches. This insect is sometimes very common in autumn,
and may frequently be taken in numbers on the trunks of poplar-
trees. I have also found it abundantly when collecting other Cato-
cala in oak forests. :
Catocala antinympha. Upper wings blackish-brown, with black
and brown marks. Thorax and body dark. Lower wings orange,
with two black bands. Expanse, two inches. I have specimens of
this insect from Ohio and Massachusetts.
68 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Poaphila quadrifilaris is a little moth which expands about an
inch. It is very dark brown, or almost black, lighter toward the
Poaphila quadrifilaris.
edges of the wings. ‘The fore wings are crossed by two white stripes,
the inner one being the narrower, while the lower wings are plain
dark brown. This httle insect inhabits marshy meadows and when
disturbed flies so rapidly that it is difficult to follow it with the eye.
Its flight is short, and it alights suddenly on a grass blade, keeping
an eye on the intruder and holding itself ready for another flight. I
have taken this moth rarely with a lighted lamp in Massachusetts.
Zs Gi ff HWW \
Bigg! Mlb, Wp al \\\ \
Chit) 7 Vs SAY
Drasteria erechtea.
Drasteria erechtea is a very common insect frequenting open
grassy fields and meadows. It flies rapidly when disturbed, but
only for a short distance. This moth is one of the first to make its
appearance in the spring, and may also be found abundantly in the
late summer and autumn. In expanse about an inch and a half, it is
one of the commonest visitors to the collector’s lamp, sometimes
becoming a great nuisance, fluttering about the lamp and even into
the chimney, extinguishing the flame.
The larvee of this moth feeds on clover and is of a reddish-brown
color with darker stripes and two light gray lines on the back. The
caterpillar might: easily be mistaken for a Geometrid as it has but
three pairs of abdominal legs and moves with a looping motion.
The mature insect is grayish-brown with dark brown bands and
markings disposed as shown in the illustration. The male is more
Catoeala innubens. Catoeala flebilis.
Catocala desperata, Catocala palzeogama,
NOCTUID MOTHS.
NOCTUIDS. rat
strongly marked than the female. This insect is found over a large
part of the American continent.
Euelidia cuspidea.
A pretty species related to the preceding is Huclhdia cuspidea.
Of the same size, its wings are brown crossed by bands of light
yellowish and reddish-brown and having on the upper wings several
patches of very dark velvety brown or black. This insect may occa-
sionally be seen among low bushes and shrubs, particularly about
patches of sweet fern. When disturbed it flies rapidly for a short
distance and drops suddenly among the low bushes and conceals
itself. The larva is unknown to me.
Rhodophora florida.
One of our most beautiful Noctuids is Rhodophora florida. Its
expanse of wing is about an inch and a quarter. The fore wings are
mottled with rich pink on a yellow ground for two-thirds of their
length, the outer margin being yellow, while the lower wings are
very light yellow or almost white. This insect may often be seen
about the evening primrose, which is the food plant of the caterpillar,
and it has the habit of concealing itself among the flower petals in
the daytime, the tips of the wings alone being visible. This little
moth has a wide range, and I have taken it in California, Nevada,
Arkansas, Virginia, Ohio and in Massachusetts, and have specimens
which were taken in Canada and Florida. The larva is probably a
a2 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
nocturnal feeder, as it may be found hiding in the daytime among
the young leaves of the primrose. It is greenish-yellow in color.
The cotton worm, Aletia agillacea, and the army worm, Hellophila
unipuncta, both belong to this group of insects, and are well known
where they occur in numbers on account of their destructiveness.
The former lives on the leaves of the cotton plant, as its common
name implies, and is the greatest enemy the cotton-growing industry
has in the South. This caterpillar is nearly two inches long when
fully grown, and is green in color with black stripes and black and
yellow spots. The moth, which is very plain, expands an inch and a
half, and is brownish-gray, the fore wings being crossed by faint
wavy lines of a darker color. This insect is found mostly in the
cotton-growing States, but has been taken in the North, where its
occurrence is said to be from southern migration.
The army worm has a wider distribution than the cotton worm,
being found over the whole of the eastern half of the country as well
as in Europe and Australia. The moth is plain in color, being
yellowish-gray and brown with a white dot in the centre of each fore
wing. These caterpillars feed on grasses, and are sometimes so
Larva of Hellophila unipuncta,
abundant as to devour almost every vegetable growth within their
reach. At such times they commence their march for “ pastures
new,” and are often seen in great numbers and all marching in one
direction, which gives them their common name. The caterpillar is
striped with dark gray or dark brown on a greenish-yellow or gray-
ish-yellow ground, and is an inch and a half long when fully grown.
The pupa state is passed in the ground.
A genus of Noctuide having many American representatives,
among which are some very beautiful species, is Plusia. The fore
wings rather pointed, usually of different shades of brown, are fre-
quently ornamented with a silvery or golden comma-shaped spot Gin
some species several spots and patches), while the thorax and upper
part of the abdomen is adorned with tufts of hair-like scales. The
larvee, generally greenish in color, sometimes striped, are some of
them injurious to garden vegetables, and spin their thin cocoons,
through which the pups can be seen, among the leaves.
ee ee Gee ee ee ee ee
NOCTUIDS. 73
These moths frequent flowers in the evening, one of their fayor-
ites being the phlox, upon the blossoms of which they alight. It is
amusing to watch one of these moths standing almost upon its head
Plusia simplex.
as it thrusts its tongue into the flowers in its eagerness to procure
the sweets. Plusia simplex is a common and well-known insect, ex-
panding an inch and a quarter or more. The fore wings are brown,
in some specimens pinkish-brown, darker near the centre, where
there is a silvery spot whose shape can be seen in the illustration.
The lower wings are dull yellow and margined with a broad band of
brown. This insect is probably double-brooded, as I have taken
it in June and again in September.
Plusia putnami.
A very pleasingly colored species is Plusta putnami. The head,
forward part of the thorax, antenne and legs are reddish-pink, the
tuft of hairs on the thorax being pinkish-brown. The abdomen is
yellow with tufts of pink hairs on the sides. The fore wings are
reddish-brown, deeper toward the outer margins, and adorned with
patches of silver and golden colored scales. The lower wings are
yellowish with a grayish band near the margins, and edged with
pink, the whole making one of our most beautiful little moths. I
have never found this species common, but have taker it with a
74 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
lamp in Ohio and Massachusetts in August. Some species of Plusia
have no metallic spots but are rich in their reddish-brown shadings.
In Plusia wrea the upper wings are purplish-brown. Head and
forward part of thorax yellowish, dark gray above. Body yellowish-
gray. Lower wings dark brown, lighter next to body. Expanse one
and one-half inches.
Eucirredia pampina has upper wings and thorax reddish-orange
with brown markings. Lower wings and body pinkish-gray. Ex-
panse of wings one and one-half inches. This is a common little
moth in autumn, and is often taken while sugaring for Catocala.
In the species of the genus Gortyna the larve are stalk-borers,
living in the stalks of both wild and cultivated plants, and some-
times doing considerable damage to the potato, tomato, Indian corn,
ete., causing the plants to wither and die.
Gortyna nitela.
In Gortyna nitela the fore wings are purplish-gray stippled with
yellow, a light line running across them. The lower wings are light
brown. The larva is pinkish-brown, darker toward the head and is
marked with light yellowish-white stripes. This species is fre-
quently destructive to the dahla and aster, passing its larval state
within the stems of these plants and devouring their substance.
The insect pupates just below the surface of the ground, where it
constructs a sight cocoon. The moth appears in September.
Cucullia speyeri.
Cucullia speyert is a gray moth with slender pointed upper wings
marked with brown, the lower wings being white, margined with
i
4
Ot
NOCTUIDS.
eray-brown.. This insect has a crest on the forward part of the
thorax, and from this fact is called the hooded owlet. The cater-
pillar feeds on golden rod.
Pyrophila pyramidoides.
Pyrophila pyramidoides is a common moth with brown fore wings
crossed by wavy lines of dark brown and black, while the hind wings
are copper colored and brown. The whole upper surface of the
insect is very glossy. In September this insect may be found on
fences and tree-trunks and I have sometimes dislodged a number of
them when stripping the loosened bark from dead tree-trunks in
search of beetles. The food plants of the larva are the grape and
Virginia creeper.
A very interesting species in the larval state is Bellura gortynides,
which lives in the leaf stems of the pond lily, having a communica-
tion with the air through a hole in the leaf. When feeding it
descends below the surface of the water to a distance, according to
Comstock, of two feet or more. The perfect insect is brownish, and
expands an ineh and a half.
- Mamestra picta.
A beautifully marked insect in the caterpillar state is Mamestra
picta and the larva goes by the appropriate name of the zebra worm.
76 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
This insect is frequently to be seen in the autumn on the leaves of
the parsnip, carrot and cabbage, although I have never seen it abun-
dant enough to do much harm. The smooth, naked caterpillar is
Larva of Mamestra picta.
striped longitudinally with yellow and black in conspicuous bands,
these stripes being crossed with numerous fine white lines on the
sides of the insect. The larva burrows into the ground and passes
the winter in the pupa state, whence it emerges in the spring a moth
with dark chestnut-brown fore wings and yellowish-white hind
wings. The moth expands an inch and a half.
In the genus Agrotis the larvee are known by the appropriate
name of cut-worms. ‘The ravages of these pests are well known to
farmers, gardeners and florists. What an aggravation it is after pur-
chasing and carefully planting a few choice pansies or sowing and
diligently caring for a bed of sweet peas to see the young plants
toppling over and withering in the morning sun, their stems cut off
just above the roots. The eggs of the moths are laid in the ground
during July and August and the infant caterpillars soon make their
appearance, but are so minute while their food (the roots of suceu-
lent plants) is so abundant that their depredations are not noticed.
As cold weather advances they burrow deep into the ground, where
they pass the winter in smooth oval cavities in the earth in a curled
position. When warm weather again awakens them to life they
work their way to the surface and are then most destructive to
young plants, often cutting off in a single night numbers of eab-
bages, beans or peas, and hiding just below the surface of the ground
during the daytime, ready to renew their depredations the next
night. When the larvee arrive at maturity they again descend into
the ground, where they pupate. The moths emerge in July and
August. The larvee are stout-bodied creatures, dingy in color, often
striped from head to tail with light gray and brown or black. They
are naked, with a horny plate on the upper part of the body near the
head, and the different species so closely resemble each other as to be
scarcely distinguishable. These insects are very destructive to many
flowering plants as well as garden vegetables, and one or two species
have been known to ascend apple and pear trees and grape vines in
aie al
ae
NOCTUIDS. 77
the night and devour the fruit buds, greatly diminishing their pro-
duction.
Many experiments have been tried to destroy these pests, but
perhaps the most effectual is to carefully remove the soil from about
the infected young plants and kill the caterpillars as they lie curled
up near the roots an inch or less below the surface of the ground.
Small tin basins or cups placed in the ground near the plants in such
a manner that their tops are on a level with the surface will be
found to be excellent traps for these annoying marauders. The
caterpillars in their nightly wanderings in search of food fall into the
receptacles and one may wreak vengeance on them in the morning as
they will be unable to climb up the smooth sides of the tin. Re-
venge is indeed sweet when one has seen his finest flowers and vege-
tables cut off in early youth by these destructive ** worms.” The
perfect insects are mostly nocturnal in their habits, coming into our
houses at night and secreting themselves behind picture frames or
among clothing in our closets in the daytime. Some species are,
however, day-flyers and may be seen during the sunny hours about
the blossoms of the milkweed and golden-rod busily sipping their
sweets.
Most of these moths are very dull in color, though a few are
marked with pleasing tints of brown, gray and buff.
The following illustrations of a few typically marked species of
Agrotis will give an idea of their general appearance.
Agrotis tassellata. Agrotis ¢-nigram. Agrotis normaniana.
Agrotis tassellata is a small moth. The color of its fore wings is
dark gray with two light spots and two black spots on each. ‘The
lower wings are light brownish-gray, darker at their edges. This
moth expands one inch and a quarter.
Agrotis c-nigram is a rather dark species, the fore wings being
dark brown, gray and black, with a few lighter spots and markings,
while the hind wings are light brown. — It is one of the larger species,
expanding an inch and three-quarters.
78 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Agrotis normaniana is a prettily marked species, its fore wings
being marked with gray, buff and black, with the hind wings buff
and brown. The insect expands an inch and a half.
Agrotis herilis. Agrotis venerabilis.
An exceedingly abundant species during August is Agrotis herilis.
The fore wings are gray and black, with cream-colored marks and
spots, while the hind wings are light brown. Expands about an
inch and a half.
Agrotis venerabilis is a reddish-brown moth, whose hind wings are
erayish-brown. Expands an inch and three-eighths.
Calocampa nupera.
A rather rare moth, and at the same time a prettily marked in-
sect, is Calocampa nupera. ‘This insect expands two inches and a
half, and is marked as follows: the upper half of the fore wings is
gray, darker toward the tips, light ash-gray nearest the body; an
interrupted black line runs longitudinally through the middle of the
wing, on which is situated a black spot; the lower half of the fore
wing is chestnut-brown; the lower wings are reddish-brown, with a
glossy surface; the thorax is dark brownish-purple and the abdomen
reddish-brown. I have taken this insect occasionally in autumn
while sugaring trees for Catocala. The larva of this moth is unknown
to me.
-> = A Sites
Catoeala antinympha. Catocala amica. Aputela lobelix,
Kucirroedia pampina. Parthenos nubilis. Plusia rea, ‘
NOCTUID MOTHS,
NOCTUIDS. 81
Apatela americana is «a gray moth, with a scalloped, light gray
line near the outer margin of the fore wings edged externally with
black and brown, and with a row of black dots along the outer
Apatela americana.
margin. The lower wings are yellowish-gray, and the insect ex-
pands two inches and a half. The hairy caterpillar feeds on the
leaves of the maple, elm and chestnut, and is usually seen partially
curled sidewise when not feeding. Its head, belly and legs are black,
and its back is dull green. The hairs covering its body are yellow,
with two pairs of tufts of long black hairs on the forward part of the
body and a single tuft near the posterior extremity. In autumn the
inseet spins a cocoon composed externally of silk and hairs from its
body, inside of which is another covering, composed of silk and bits
of bark or chips of wood. ‘This cocoon is usually hidden under the
loosened bark of a tree and in it the pupa passes the winter.
In Apatela lobeliv the upper wings are gray with light gray lines
and black marks. Thorax gray. Abdomen. brown. Lower wings
light brown. Expanse two inches.
Gramatophora trisignata.
Gramatophora trisignata is a pretty species, being of a mouldy-
green color on the fore wings, marked with lines and mottlings of
black, with three round reddish-brown spots on each wing, the lower
wings being light yellowish-brown.
This moth I have taken on one or two occasions with a lamp in
Ohio and Massachusetts. I have also received one specimen from
82 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Toronto, Ont. It expands an inch and a half. The larva is one
of those strange, weird forms in which Nature seems occasionally
to delight, suggesting that she must have been in a ‘wondrous
merry mood” in evolving a being so grotesque. The extreme of the
Larva of Gramatophora trisignata.
fantastic and the ridiculous seems to have been reached in shaping
this creature. Of beauty it has none, and is withal a most venomous
looking animal, for when disturbed it swings its head from side to
side in a menacing manner. The tuft of hairs just back of the head
usually have attached the hard black shells of the insect’s head
which were shed in the earlier moults of the larva, and these add a
good deal to its uncanny appearance, giving one the impression that
it has several heads of different sizes. The caterpillar is dark brown,
with a lighter brown patch occupying several of the segments. The
six front legs, head and warts from which the hairs spring are
shining black. The food plant of the caterpillar is lilac.
BOMBYCIDZ.
Spinne rs.
The family of Bombyx is one of great importance, as it not only
includes many of the largest and finest insects in the world, but also
those of greatest importance to man from an economic standpoint, as
in this family belong all the principal silk-producing insects from
whose cocoons such a varicty of beautiful and useful fabrics are
manufactured. The moths belonging to this family are mostly stout,
thick-bodied insects, frequently very hairy or woolly. They have
small, sunken heads, and the antenne are often feathered, particu-
larly in the males. The mouth parts are either rudimentary or
wholly wanting, many of the species not being able to appropriate
food of any kind in the perfect state. Their wings are usually broad,
BOMBYCIDS. 83
and in many of the species are covered with a dense armor of scales
arranged in colored patterns, frequently very gay, while in others the
clothing is of more subdued tints, soft and blended. The remark-
able power by which the virgin females attract the males, often from
long distances (referred to in a former chapter), is, to the best of my
knowledge, confined exclusively to this family of moths.
The caterpillars are stout-bodied creatures, many of them densely
clothed with hairs or spines, while others are fleshy and are adorned
with rows of tubercles. A few are naked and smooth.
Xyleutes robinie. One may find in the trunks of poplar, oak and
locust trees, protruding from large circular holes, the empty shells
of this moth. Xyleutes (the carpenter) is a very appropriate name
for this genus of moths, as their larvee mine in the solid wood of
Xyleutes robiniz. Female.
trees, excavating long tunnels, increasing in diameter as the cater-
pillars grow. Their larvee have true legs and prolegs, but are grub-
like looking creatures. The present species is flesh color above and
light beneath, with the head and the forward part of the body above
covered with a hard shelly substance, brown in color. When fully
grown the caterpillars are two or three inches long. They seem to
prefer large trees and sometimes do considerable damage, riddling
the trunks and carrying their tunnels out through the bark before
changing to pup. They are said to require three years to reach
maturity and make their thin silken cocoons in the burrows some
distance from the opening, usually lining the tunnel with silk both
c
front and back of their cocoons.
84 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
The pupa is yellowish-brown, and, by means of rows of short
spines on the abdominal segments, works its way to the mouth of its
burrow, when the moth is about to break the shell. The moth comes
forth in July, and is a night-flyer. The insect is very plain. Its
wings are parchment-like, resembling in some respects the coddis
flies. The female is light gray, with a net-work pattern of dark
brown on the fore wings. The head and thorax are gray, and the
abdomen and lower wings are brownish-gray. The insect expands
three inches. The male is much smaller than the female. Its
Xyleutes robinize. Male.
forward wings are of a greenish-gray and dark brown, its head and
thorax gray, abdomen black, and its lower wings orange and_ black.
Although not a rare insect, on account of its habits it is seldom seen.
Zeuzera pyrina. The leopard moth is a European species which
has been introduced into this country. The wings are white, partly
transparent, and marked with a number of dark spots and rings, from
which it has derived its popular name. The caterpillar bores tunnels
in the wood of various trees (elm, ash, maple, pear, apple, etc.), and
is capable of doing a good deal of damage should it become very
numerous. It is yellowish, with numerous black spots on the sides
and back, and has a horny plate on the segment next the head. The
moth may occasionally be taken about electric lights in the neighbor-
hood where it has been introduced.
To the genus Sthenopis belong some rare and interesting moths.
I have made the acquaintance of but two species of this genus in this
country, Sthenopis argentomaculatus and S. argentata. ‘These insects
are much alike, the former being the larger, and measuring three and
a half inches or more in expanse, while of the latter species, the only
BOMBYCIDS. 85
specimen I ever took is two and a half inches across. Their colors
are ashen gray, the fore wings being crossed by bands and rows of
spots of darker gray. On the fore wings are two small silvery spots.
Sthenopis argeutata.
A remarkable characteristic of these moths is their exceedingly short
antenne. I have never seen the larva, and the life history of these
moths is not known to me. Professor Comstock states that “the
larva are nearly naked and grub-like in appearance, although fur-
nished with sixteen legs. They feed upon wood and are found at
the roots or within the stems of plants. They transform either in
their burrows or in the case of those that feed outside of roots within
loose cocoons.” S. argentomaculata 1 have taken in northern Ohio,
while collecting with a lamp. As it cireled about the room, it
looked, with its long wings, a good deal like a large dragon-fly. I
also found a specimen of the same species in the same locality in the
daytime clinging to the under side of a blackberry leaf. S. argentata
(the species figured) I took at dusk in Julyin South Sudbury, Mass.
It was flying slowly along the road in a wooded district, and I easily
caught up with it and knocked it down with my hat. I have seen
species of this genus from Mexico and Brazil: and a very large
coarse-looking insect of the same genus was lately sent me from
Cooktown, in Queensland, Australia.
The Lasiocampians include the tent caterpillars and the lappet
eaterpiNars. The moths belonging to this group are downy or
woolly and thick-bodied, and are distinguished by the lack of the
loop and bristle which holds the upper and lower wings together
during flight in other moths. The caterpillars are soft-bodied creat-
ures, almost velvety to the touch, and are clothed with short soft
hairs, thickest on the sides, which do not arise from warts or tuber-
cles. The antennze of these moths are feathered more broadly in the
86 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
males than in the females. When at rest the wings are folded in
such a way that they slant both sides of the abdomen like a roof, and
the lower wings project on the sides, not being wholly covered by the
upper wings. The moths are night-flyers. Some of the larve are
eregarious, living in colonies, frequently in immense numbers.
Some species feed on cultivated trees, and on account of their vast
numbers sometimes do immense damage. The pupa state is passed
in a cocoon composed mostly of silken threads.
A numerous and most destructive species belonging to this group
in the East is Clistocampa americana, the tent caterpillar, whose un-
sightly webs of large dimensions are to be seen almost everywhere
in neglected apple orchards and by the roadside on wild cherry-trees.
The eggs of the female moth are deposited in a compact mass or
bunch near the end of a twig, of its chosen food plant, partly or
wholly encireling it. They are cylindrical in shape and are placed
on end close together often three or four hundred in a bunch and
covered with a shining brown water-proof varnish which protects
them from the weather. In this state they remain during the fall
and winter, and hatch about the time that the leaf-buds are ready to
burst in May. The young caterpillars construct in the fork of a
branch a small triangular web or tent of fine silken webs in which
they remain through the night and during cold or stormy weather,
sallying forth in long lines, usually in single file, each caterpillar
spinning its web, presumably to enable it to retrace its steps as it
advances to the ends of the twigs to feed upon the opening foliage.
In time these lines of silk extend to the tips of all the immediate
branches about the nest, which is added to as the individuals com-
posing the colony grow im size. As they remain in this tent at
all times when not engaged in feeding or in wandering to and from
their feeding grounds, it is a veritable home, and in time~ becomes
large and strong, capable of resisting the attacks of most birds and of
all parasitic insects. When the caterpillars reach maturity they are
about two inches long, sparsely clothed with soft hairs thicker on the
sides, with black heads, and are striped lengthwise with white,
yellow and black, with a blue spot in the middle of each segment
on each side. When -about to pupate they abandon their tent
and separately wander off in search of a suitable locality in which
to spin their cocoons.
These are spun in crevices in the bark of trees, about fences and
stone walls, frequently on buildings on the clapboards or under the
BOMBYCIDS. 87
eaves. They are oval in form, light colored and thin, and intermixed
with the threads is a yellowish-white substance which seems to give
stiffness to the cocoon. About two weeks after the cocoon is finished
the moth makes its escape through a hole in one end which it moist-
ens, it is said, with a secretion from its mouth, enabling the insect to
push the loosened threads aside. The moth expands from an inch
Clisiocampa americana,
to an inch and a half or over, the male being smaller than the female.
The body of the insect is woolly, and is of a rusty brown color, its
fore wings being crossed by a lighter band edged on either side by a
narrow grayish-yellow line. The male is somewhat darker than the
female.
This insect in its caterpillar state is so injurious to apple orchards
that its destruction becomes a necessity to keep the trees in bearing
condition. It is not a difficult insect to combat, as its clusters of
egos are easily seen during the fall and winter, and can be picked off
by hand and burned. When the young larvee first begin their opera-
tions in the spring their nests may easily be taken from the trees and
each colony destroyed in its infancy. ‘To insure success in this work
the tents should be removed either early in the morning or late in
the afternoon, or else on stormy days when the whole colony is at
home. A piece of coarse burlap wound around the end of a pole and
saturated with kerosene oil will be found well fitted for the work, as
the oil will destroy the caterpillars which it touches even if they are
not removed with the tent. To keep one’s orchard cleared of these
pests the nests should be destroyed not only on the orchard trees but
also on all neglected trees in the neighborhood infested by them,
especially the wild cherry-tree, which seems to be the favorite food
plant of the species. Two or three neglected trees will breed moths
enough to stock several orchards with the pest the following spring.
The parasites probably do more to hold these imsects in check
than all other agents (man included) put together. If one will
(oe)
oe)
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
closely watch a colony of the tent caterpillars when out of their nest
or a large number of larvee of any other kind, he may see a small
swarm of ichneumon flies constantly hovering about and over them.
These are on the watch for a chance to deposit their eggs in or on the
bodies of the caterpillars ; and when one considers their numbers and
persistency, one wonders that a sufficient number of the larvee escape
to propagate the species. Here is an instance which gives some idea
of their ravages. One of my brothers had one hundred caterpillars
of a large species he wished to raise which he placed on a young tree
and enclosed the whole in mosquito netting. Under this net they
remained until nearly full grown, when one day a small rent was dis-
covered in one corner of the net presumably made by a bird; and
when the larvee were taken out and examined, of the entire number
but three had escaped the ichneuman flies which had found their
way into the net and laid their eggs on the caterpillars.
While a species is comparatively scarce, its chances of escape
from birds and parasitic insects are fairly good; and if it is a prolific
Clisiocampa disstria.
species well adapted to its surroundings and has plenty of food, it
will increase until its posterity may be reckoned by millions. It now
begins to attract attention, both from the birds and the parasites, as
a large amount of food going to waste. The parasites attack it, and
having an abundance of food begin to increase at a rapid rate; and
the birds finding an easily obtained food-supply neglect other foods
and apply themselves to this. The consequence is that the demand
soon equals and finally exceeds the supply, and an entire region
previously infested with an injurious insect may be so depopulated
in one or two seasons that a careless observer might conclude that the
species was extinct or had migrated to other parts. This, in my
opinion, is the explanation of the sudden disappearance of many an
BOMBYCIDS. 89
insect pest which may have at one time threatened the destruction
of the plants upon which it subsisted.
The forest tent caterpillar, Clisiocampa disstria, resembles the pre-
ceding species both in its habits and in the general appearance of the
caterpillar and moth. The larva is more bluish than the common
tent caterpillar, has a row of spots along the back instead of lines, is
greenish on the sides and has a blue head. It lives in large colonies
of three or four hundred individuals on oaks and walnuts, and makes
a large tent beneath which it remains except when feeding. This
insect I have seen very abundant in the White Mountain region of
New Hampshire, where it not only devoured the leaves of the oak
and walnut, but also apple, cherry, and when hard pressed even birch,
alder and elm. ‘The insects were nearly full grown by the middle of
June. The moth is about the same size as the preceding, but is of
amore reddish-tan color, and the fore wings are crossed by a broad
band of a darker shade. It is an inhabitant of all the New England
and Middle States.
Tolype velleda.
The lappet moth, Tolype velleda, is a pretty and interesting species.
The larva is very much flattened beneath, and along its sides are a
number of flat projections or lappets from which spring numerous
hairs making a fringe around the body. When the insect is not
feeding it hugs closely to the bark of the tree, the hairs on it sides
he flat against its support; and as its colors are dull greenish-gray, it
looks like nothing on earth so much as a swelling on the bark. One
may even gaze directly upon it without realizing that it is anything
alive. The larva is orange, sometimes red beneath and has an in-
tensely black band between two of the segments on the upper side on
the forward part of the body. This band does not show when the
insect is at rest. It feeds upon the apple, poplar and willow, and
reaches full size during July, when it is two inches or more in length.
It spins a thick gray-brown cocoon, oval in shape, convex above, flat
and very thin on the under side, and spreading out on the edges like
90 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
thin paper, attached to the trunk or a limb of the tree upon which
the larva fed. The chrysalis is dark brown and very smooth. The
moth makes its appearance early in September and is a night-flyer,
occasionally attracted to lighted lamps. Its colors are soft and
blended, being white shaded with blue-gray, and its wings crossed
by two broad bands of dark gray. The female moth expands two
and one-half inches, but the male is smaller, expanding but one and
one-half inches.
Another species, closely related to the preceding but smaller, is
Tolype laricis, which lives on the larch. Its larva is brownish-gray
in color and about an inch and a half long. Its habits are much like
Tolype laricis.
T. velleda, and it makes a similar though smaller cocoon. The moth
emerges early in September and lays its eggs, which do not hatch
till the folowing spring. The female moth resembles 7. velleda in
color, except that it is hghter near the body, and the outer gray band
on the forward wings is darker and narrower. The male, which is
here figured, is dark gray with clouded wings. The abdomen is
sooty black. According to my experience this is a rare moth.
Gastropacha americana.
Gastropacha americana is a reddish-brown moth with a lighter
band crossing the wings, edged with wavy dark brown lines and
having the edges of the wings scalloped. There is a good deal of
discrepancy in size between the male and female, a good-sized speci-
men of the latter spreading two inches. The larva feeds on apple,
birch, maple and ash. It is flattened beneath and fringed with hairs
BOMBYCIDS. 91
on the sides, like 7’. velleda. It is gray above, with irregular white
spots, and striped with sooty black, having two scarlet bands crossing
the forward part of the body, on each of which are three black spots.
The under side is orange.
The caterpillar measures over two inches in length when fully
grown, and makes a gray-brown cocoon on the tree upon which it
feeds. The moth emerges in June or early in July.
To the genus Anisota belong several pretty native insects. They
are not large, the largest spreading less than three inches. The
sexes differ so much in coloring, size and shape as to scarcely be
recognized as the same species. The antenne of the females are
narrow, while in the males they are pectinated tor two-thirds of their
length. The larve feed on various forest trees and are sometimes so
abundant as to completely strip the trees of their leaves. These in-
sects pupate in the ground.
Anisota senatoria,
Anisota senatoria is a common species in the eastern United States
and Canada, and may be taken the latter part of June about electric
lights at night or found in the daytime clinging to egrass-stalks under
oak-trees, where they have rested to expand their wings after leaving
the chrysalis shell. The female moth deposits her eggs in clusters
on the under side of the leaves of oak-trees, and the larvae may some-
times be seen in immense numbers.
They are apparently gregarious during their entire caterpillar
state and in casting their skins they congregate on the ends of the
twigs leaving their wrinkled cast-off coverings where they often re-
main after the larvee are full grown and have departed. When
young they eat only the small and tender leaves, devouring the
92 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
larger and tougher ones as they grow in size and strength, often
stripping whole acres of forests of their leaves. When not feeding,
the caterpillars congregate in immense clusters, bending down. the
smaller twigs with their weight. They are dark brown or black in
color, with dark ochreous yellow stripes on their sides and back, and
are armed with short spines on each segment, and’ two horns on the
segment next the head. They are stiff, hard and rough when fully
grown, and during the early part of September crawl down the trees
and burrow five or six inches into the ground, where they remain in
the pupa state during the winter. The chrysalis is hard and spiny ;
and when the moth is about to break the shell it works its way to
the surface, where the empty case may be found protruding from the
ground after the insect has flown. The female moth expands two
and a half inches, and is of an ochreous yellow color, with a reddish
east, tinged slightly with purple along the outer margin of the fore
wines. The upper wings are stippled with faint brown spots and
have a small white dot near the centre. The male is much smaller
than the female. Its wings look small in proportion to its body and
are purplish-brown, darker toward the tips of the fore wings, which
have a white spot in the centre.
Anisota stigma is not nearly so common an insect as the preceding
species, and I have never seen it abundant. The habits of the cater-
pillar are similar to those of A. senatoria ; but it is much lighter in
color, being a tawny orange with dark stripes on its sides and back.
Its spines are also longer. The female moth very much resembles
A. senatoria, but is richer and more reddish in coloring, with larger
spots of dark brown or black on its wings. The male is more lke
the female in color than is the male of the other species, and has a
large white spot in the centre of the fore wings. ‘The wings are also
spotted with dark brown. This insect varies a good deal in the in-
tensity of its coloring. Especially is this the case with the male,
which is sometimes almost red. The male expands an inch and
three-quarters and the female nearly three inches.
In Anisota virginiensis the scales are thinly scattered over the
wings, so that they appear almost transparent. The female is more
purple than the other two species, and lacks the sprinkle of brown
spots. The male is small and purple-brown in color, with a scaleless,
transparent patch in the middle of each of the wings. This insect |
have never found abundant. The female moth is about the size of
A. senatoria, but the male is smaller than the male of that species.
BOMBYCIDS. 93
The larva of this insect, like the two preceding, lives on the oak. It
is of a dull grayish-green color, with indistinct stripes of pinkish, and
is stippled with white dots. It is armed with short spines and horns,
and, like the other species of the genus, is rough and hard.
Anisota rubiecunda.
Anisota rubicunda is very variable in its abundance or searcity,
and is sometimes to be taken in numbers where, during the next sea-
son, it may be rare. The species is usually very abundant in Wash-
ington, D. C., where the larva lives on the maple-trees, frequently
doing much damage. The trees in the Smithsonian grounds are in-
fested with the caterpillars, and the perfect insects just out of their
chrysalids may be taken by the dozen in June clinging to the grass
stalks under the trees. One may even gather the live chrysalides as
Chrysalis of Anisota rubieunda,
they protrude from their burrows and have the pleasure of watching
the imprisoned moth emerge in one’s own room. It is a beautiful
insect. The fore wings are a delicate pink with a wide yellow band
crossing them diagonally, while the lower wings are yellow with the
lower margin pink. The body is yellow, and very soft and downy.
The males are much smaller than their mates, and their coloring is
usually much stronger. The insect spreads from one and a half to
two and a half inches. The larva is two inches long, is light green
striped longitudinally with dark green, and is horned in front, spiny
along its back and sides, and is firm and rough to the touch. It
94 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
seems to be more plentiful in the South than the North, and is, I be-
heve, a rare insect in New England.
We now come to the two genera Citheronia and Hacles, the royal
moths, both represented by large species. ‘They are very stout-bodied
moths and hairy or woolly. The antennz of the males are broadly
pectinated for two-thirds of their length, the same organs of the
females being simple. Their wings are strong, but they fly only by
night. The larvee are armed with horns on the forward part of their
bodies and are also somewhat hairy. They spin no cocoons, but pass
the winter in the pupa state under ground. The chrysalis is spiny
on the abdominal segments, doubtless to enable it to push itself up
to the surface when the moth is about to break the shell.
Citheronia regalis. Male.
Citheronia regalis is a large and strikingly marked insect, and is
not rare in the South and West, where the caterpillar feeds on the
leaves of the walnut, hickory, butternut and persimmon. ‘The sexes
frequently differ very much in size, although similarly marked. A
good-sized male will measure four inches across its expanded wings,
and a female six or more. I have a grand female specimen of this
insect from Gainesville, Va., which is nearly seven inches across.
BOMBYCIDS. 95
The body is reddish-orange, with yellow spots and lines on the thorax.
The upper wings are olive streaked with broad reddish lines which
follow the veins, and a number of large yellow spots are distributed
over the wings as shown in the illustration. The lower wings are
reddish-orange, with a few vague olive markings between the veins,
a large spot and a defused band of yellow near the upper margin,
which is usually covered with the upper wings. I have taken this
fine moth about the electric ights in Washington, D. C., where it is
not rare, have found specimens in I1linois and Arkansas, and have no
doubt but that it inhabits all the Southern and Western States as
far west as Kansas; but it must be considered a rare insect in north-
ern New England.
An insect very closely allied to this I have seen in collections
from Mexico, also from Colombia and Brazil, South America.
A friend living in Norwich, Conn., has succeeded in finding the
larva of this moth there for several consecutive years, feeding on the
leaves of the sumac, and has reared the perfect insects, of which he
has sent me specimens.
The caterpillar is one of our largest, if not the very largest,
being four or five inches in length, thick in proportion and very for-
midable in appearance, owing to a number of large curved spines
with which it is armed on the forward part of the body. It is green
in color, banded across the rings with blue. The head, legs, and
large spines near the head are orange and the shorter spines black.
Although a formidable-looking creature, it is perfectly harmless.
When ready to pupate in September, the insect burrows into the
ground, where it transforms into a stout brown chrysalis. This chrys-
alis works its way to the surface of the ground the latter part of
the following June, and the fly emerging crawls to a neighboring
bush, and there hangs suspended until its wings have developed and
are rigid enough to support it in flight. It is a sluggish insect, and
when found may be carried home on the twig to which it is attached
without danger of its taking flight.
Eacles imperialis resembles the preceding, both in the larval and
perfect state. Although not differing greatly in size, the males
being slightly smaller than their mates, there is a marked difference
in the coloring of the sexes. The ground color of both male and
female is a rich yellowish-buff. In the male the forward wings are
brownish-purple on the inner half, connected with a broad band of
the same color extending along the outer margin. The lower wings
96 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
have an irregular wavy line of the same color crossing them with a
round spot and a vague patch above. Both upper and lower wings,
particularly the former, are stippled with blended spots of dark brown
or black. The thorax and abdomen are mottled with yellowish-buft
and brownish-purple. The female is lghter than her mate, all four
wings being crossed with a band of brownish-purple, with an irregu-
lar clouded patch of the same color at the base of each wing near the
body. The body is mottled and the wings stippled much the same
as with the male. A good-sized specimen of this fine insect will
measure five and a half inches across its expanded wings. It 1s not
rare throughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada,
and two or three closely allied species or varieties of the same species
(one of them considerably larger than our own) occur throughout
Mexico and temperate and tropical South America.
The eggs are deposited singly on the button-wood, oak, and the
different species of pine, and the caterpillars may be found full grown
in September. They are usually dark green in color, although occa-
sionally brown or even black, three or four inches long when full
grown, and are rather hairy. Each segment is armed with short
rough spines, with four larger ones on the forward part of the body.
Larva of Eacles imperialis.
The spiricles are very distinctly marked on the sides. The larva
burrows into the ground, where it transforms into a chrysalis, remain-
ing in this state during the winter. The chrysalis, which is much
like that of C. regalis, makes its way to the surface of the ground,
where it emerges a moth in June, and the empty pupa case may be
found partly protruding from its burrow after the moth has flown.
As the larva of this insect is a large and stout creature, it might
be supposed that it would be readily seen; but as it is frequently
located on the high branches of large trees and is usually of the same
color as the leaves, it is not an easy insect to find. Where pine or
sycamore trees overhang a road or a well-worn path the huge pellets
Male Moth.
Female Moth.
EACLES IMPERIALI
BOMBYCIDS. 9
of excrement dropped by the caterpillar will enable one to search out
its whereabouts. When found it is not an easy thing to dislodge
him, as he has a tenacious grasp of the twig to which he clings.
The moth is sluggish in its movements, but flies well when once
on the wing, and may occasionally be taken about electric lights.
Saturnia io is a familiar insect to most persons haying a shght
acquaintance with our native lepidopteria, and like several other
native insects belonging to this family of Bombycide is a very lovely
creature. The predominating color of the male, which expands three
Saturnia io. Female,
inches, is a yellowish-buff, deeper on the lower wings, the fore wings
having a purple-brown spot a little above the centre of the wing,
with two wavy lines near the outer margin, and one near the base of
the wing, of the same color. In the middle of the lower wing isa
large bluish spot witha white centre, having a broad ring of black
encircling it. Outside of this is a sharp black line and then a red-
dish-purple ne which broadens out into a wide band on the inner
margin. The body is yellow, and the antenne, which are red, are
broad and pectinated. The female is considerably larger than the
male. The upper wings are a deep brownish-purple crossed by
darker bands edged with fine wavy lines of yellow. The lower
wings are much like those of the male except that the bluish spot is
larger in proportion and the colors generally darker. The thorax is
purpte-brown and the abdomen reddish-brown. The antenne are
narrow and slightly pectinated.
The eggs of the female are laid on the leaves of a variety of trees
—oak, willow, locust, poplar, apple, etc.,— and are deposited in a
100 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
compact patch of from thirty to eighty, or more, on the under side
of a leaf. When the caterpillars hatch they are reddish-brown in
color and covered with minute spines. ‘They are gregarious in their
habits during the earlier part of their existence, feeding, resting and
moving from place to place in regular order. When half-grown they
separate, and during the remainder of the caterpillar state shift for
themselves. The mature larva is two and a half inches long, of a
Larva of Saturnia io.
light green color, with a white stripe edged with reddish-purple
extending along the sides. It is profusely covered with branching
spines which are very sharp, and when carelessly touched sting like
the nettle, causing the part affected to swell into whitish pimples,
smarting painfully for an hour or two. When about to pupate the
larva descends to the ground, where it draws together a few dead
Chrysalis and cocoon of Saturnia io.
leaves and spins among them a thin, irregular, brown cocoon, in
which it passes the winter, coming out as a moth late the following
June. This insect is readily attracted with a bright light, and the
males may be assembled in numbers With a captive female.
Saturnia maia. When the leaves of the oak are unfolding in the
spring colonies of small, dark brown, spiny larvee may be found on
them by diligent search. These are the young of the maia moth, and
they may be easily reared by enclosing a small scrub-oak in mosquito
netting and allowing the larve to feed. As the larvee mature they
BOMBYCIDS. 101
become solitary in their habits, and when fully grown are three inches
long, and, like the preceding, are covered with sharp branching
spies which sting, but in a less degree than Saturnia io, if the in-
sect is handled carelessly. The larva is brown in color, with reddish-
brown head and legs, the tubercles at the base of the spines being
also reddish-brown. When about to pupate the caterpillar crawls to
the ground and, drawing a collection of leaves and sticks together,
spins a loose, thin cocoon among them.
Saturnia maia. Male.
The moth emerges late in the fall, usually about the middle of
October, and is one of the last of our lepidoptera which the collector
may take on the wing. The maia moth is a day-flier, and may be
seen on mild autumn days when the woods and fields are brown,
hovering over the shrubby oaks.
The males are easily assembled with a captive female. The sexes
are readily distinguished from each other. The male has a broad
feather-like antenna (while that of the female is narrow) and the end
of the abdomen is adorned with a tuft of red hairs which the female
does not have. The wings seem to be thinly covered with scales,
and on that account are partly transparent.
This moth is often very local, and may be abundant in one local-
ity while scarce in another, apparently as favorable to its habita-
tion. It may be readily taken on the wing with the net, and when
fresh and perfect is an exceedingly pretty insect, its colors of soft
blackish-brown, creamy-white, and bright red harmonizing in a pleas-
ing manner. The female may sometimes be found by watching the
102 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
movements of the males, who seem to scent them out, fluttering near
the spot where the female rests concealed on a scrub-oak.
Next in order comes the group of moths called Attac7, which
includes many of the largest silk-producing species.
Attacus cecropia is our largest native silk-spinning insect, and
easily holds its place among the giant lepidoptera of the world.
Specimens are occasionally taken six and one-half or even seven
inches from tip to tip of their extended wings; and were it not so
common, it would be much higher prized by collectors. When fresh
from the cocoon, its wings (still soft, but fully expanded) have the
appearance of being a part of some rich and heavy fabric, and a gentle-
man with whom I am acquainted having interests in a woollen mill,
remarked, on seeing one of these grand moths for the first time,
“Now if I could manufacture a piece of goods like that, I think it
would sell.” The subdued colors and the delicately traced patterns
of many of the moths would, if imitated in fabrics, give greater
variety and more artistic effects to the materials used for our adorn-
ment and comfort. The female cecropia moth, the bulk of whose
enormous body is composed almost wholly of eggs (two or three
hundred in number), lays them singly or at the most two or three
together on the under side of the leaves of the food plant. These
egos are circular in shape, slightly flattened above and below, and
55
Larva of Attacus cecropia,
are creamy-white in color. The young caterpillars make their appear-
ance in ten or twelve days and are at first dark brown or black,
covered with minute tubercles and stout black spines. At each
moult they change in color, and when three-quarters of an inch long
are orange or deep yellow studded with black tubercles and spines.
The insect assumes a greenish and finally a beautiful bluish-green
color as it matures, eventually reaching a length of three or four
inches and a thickness of one’s thumb. It is then an imposing-look-
BOMBYCIDS. 103
ing creature with large coral-red tubercles on the forward part of its
body, yellow ones on its back, and smaller blue ones on its sides and
about its head, all covered with short black bristles. It clasps the
bough or twig on which it rests with a wonderful tenacity, and if
placed on one’s finger the grasp of its fleshy feet with their minute
hooks is very noticeable. It has a peculiar odor, both in the larva
and the moth state, which may be of some protection to the animal.
Toward the end of September the caterpillar constructs its coarse,
brown, elongated cocoon, which is usually attached on one side to a
twig or branch. This cocoon is composed of two parts, consisting of
a loose, wrinkled outer covering and a well-shaped and dense inner
pod, with fine floss silk separating the two, which are both loosely
to}
Section of cocoon of Attacus ceecropia.
spun at one end to enable the moth to make its escape. There is
frequently a marked difference between the cocoons found on trees
and shrubs on high ground and those taken from low bushes and
shrubs in swampy districts. The latter are frequently two or three
times as large externally as the upland variety, and have a large
amount of the floss silk between the outer and inner coverings.
This variation I cannot explain, and have noticed no difference in
the moths emerging from the two varieties of cocoons other than
that the swamp-inhabiting specimens appear larger and richer in
coloring than their upland relations. Sometimes the cocoons of these
species are to be found in large numbers. In the suburbs of Chicago
they may be seen on the shade trees in dozens and sometimes in hun-
dreds ; and I have known two men to collect a bushel of them in
104 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
this locality in half a day. The moth emerges about the 20th oi
June, usually in the morning; and by evening its wings are rigid
and it is ready to take flight. As these moths take no nourishment
their lives are very short after reaching maturity. Resting hidden
5
Swamp and upland forms of cocoons of Attacus ceeropia.
by day among the leaves, the males sally forth at evening in search of
their mates guided by their keen sense of smell, and having insured
the continuance of the species for another year, they soon perish.
This insect inhabits a large part of the continent east of the
Rocky Mountains. In Colorado, Utah, California and the far West
generally its place is occupied by closely allied forms, very large and
heavy-bodied insects, in which red and dark brown colors predomi-
nate. Two or three species of Attacus from Mexico are interesting,
from having a transparent almond-shaped spot in the centre of each
wing. One of these, Attacus splendens, is a lovely creature, on
whose wings pink, brown, purple, black and white are mingled,
making a very pleasing combination. There is frequently great
variation in the coloring of these moths.
Attacus cynthia is a species which has been introduced into this
country and Europe from China, and may now be found in a wild
BOMBYCIDS. 105
state in the vicinity of New York City, Philadelphia and other
places where its food plant, the alanthus, has been cultivated as a
shade tree. It became so common in Philadelphia and Washington,
D. C., at one time as to be a pest, and threatened the destruction of
the trees; but the parasites and birds seem now able to cope with
it and hold it in check.
_ This insect is reared in Asiatic countries for its silk, which is
said to be strong and very durable, but lacks the beauty of that
produced by Bombyx mori. It was probably for its silk that it was
introduced into this country, but that it has ever been successfully
utilized here for the manufacture of fabrics I have yet to learn.
The female lays two hundred to three hundred cream-colored eggs,
and the young caterpillars are yellowish profusely adorned with
black spots and tubercles. The mature caterpillar is three inches
long, of a clear bluish-green color adorned with blue tubercles. The
cocoon is similar in shape to that produced by the next species de-
scribed, Attacus promethia, and is a little larger.
In some parts of the country the insect is double-brooded, the
second brood remaining in its cocoons during the winter months,
coming out late in June. The moth is a fine large insect, expand-
ing, in large specimens, four or five inches. The females are usually
a good deal larger, with broader wings than their mates.
Attacus promethia is a very abundant species throughout a large
part of the United States and Canada, and is one of the first of the
family with whose life history the amateur collector is likely to
become acquainted. The female moth deposits her eggs in July on
the twigs of the wild cherry, sassafras and button-bush, sometimes
five or six together and at others twenty or thirty or more in a
Larya of Attacus promethia.
cluster; and toward the end of that month the minute caterpillars
make their way out and mount to the top of the tree or bush, where
they may be found feeding on the tender young leaves. When fully
grown the caterpillar is one of the handsomest, being two inches
long, half an inch thick, very smooth and plump, and of a lght
bluish-green color. There are four cylindrical coral-red tubercles on
106 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
the upper part of the body just back of the head and a large yellow
one near the tail end. Numerous small blue warts occur in regular
order on the back and sides. The head, legs and posterior part of
the body are yellow. While feeding these caterpillars usually re-
main among the tender leaves on the new growth, and several are
generally found in close proximity. On reaching maturity the
caterpillar descends to the lower part of the bush and begins spin-
ning its cocoon. After selecting a leaf suitable for its purpose, it
commences by spinning a quantity of silk along the branch and
down the stem of the leaf in order to make it secure for the winter.
Cocoon of Attacus promethia.
It then draws the sides of the leaf together with silk, and therein
spins its tough, brownish cocoon. The silk is very strong, and the
cocoons are attached so firmly to the twigs by their slender cord that
they ride secure for the winter. In fact, one may often find cocoons
which have weathered the blasts of several seasons still firmly at-
tached. The upper end of the cocoon, which is double like Attacus
cecropia, is so loosely spun that the moth has little difficulty in fore-
ing its way out. This silk could probably be made useful in the
arts, as it is very strong and durable and the caterpillars could be
reared in the open air in countless thousands with little difficulty.
The moths emerge from the cocoons the latter part of June and
the first of July, the females differing so much from the males as
easily to be mistaken for different species. The male is a very oily
Male Moth.
a Female Moth.
ATTACUS ANGULIFERA.
BOMBYCIDS. 109
insect, and in preparing specimens for the cabinet the abdomen
should be opened from the under side and its contents removed, the
space being filled with cotton. <Attacus promethia is a day-flyer :
but although such a common insect, it is seldom seen on the wing un-
less one is assembling the males with a captive female. When
following up the scent, the insects do not seem to know fear, and
one may gather by hand the specimens hovering about a captive
female, almost as readily as he may pick roses in a garden.
One of my brothers had an amusing experience on one of his
collecting tours through the country where he carried a live female,
Attacus promethia, fastened in a net to the frame of his bicycle.
In wheeling along the road he could watch the train of eager suitors
as they followed his tracks, crossing where he crossed and stopping
and circling about where he stopped. Coming to a farmhouse, he
went in for a drink of water leaning his wheel against a tree. As
the good lady brought out the drink of water he innocently asked
her if she ever saw any butterflies in that neighborhood. “ No,”
said she, “ they are pretty scarce about here; I don’t know when I
have seen one.” By this time the train of moths began to arrive
and flutter about the lawn. ‘“ Why,” said the old lady, “there is
one now, a big one; and there is another and another. I haven’t
seen so many butterflies before this summer. Why /ook at them.
Did you ever see the like? I never saw so many butterflies before
in all my hfe.” Having thanked her for the water, my brother
mounted his wheel and rode away, followed by the flock of * butter-
flies,” ieaving the old lady standing on the lawn and looking after
him in open-mouthed wonder.
Attacus angulifera is a moth closely related to the preceding. It
is a rare insect in the Northern and Eastern States, but is plentiful
in some parts of the South, where the lava feeds on the leaves of the
buttonwood. The cocoons spun by this caterpillar, which closely
resembles A. promethia, also resemble those of that insect, and are
attached to the stems in the same manner. They are, however,
larger and less firm. The moths hatch in June, and are day-flying
insects. The female is a rich tan color, witha black wavy line ex-
tending across all the wings and the eye-spot near the tip of the fore
wing, similar to A. promethia. The male somewhat resembles the
female of A. promethia in the color pattern of its wings, but is of a
dark yellowish and ochreous-yellow stippled with dark brown or
black.
LO MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
The large and fine moth, Telea polyphemus, is a native of the
eastern half of the United States, and is a familiar object to every
one who has made a collection of native lepidoptera. The eggs of
the moth, two or three hundred in number, are usually laid singly
on the leaves of a vaniety of trees, oak being its favorite food plant,
while maple, elm, birch, cherry, linden and other trees frequently
furnish its fleshy heht green larva with sustenance. The larva may
easily be distinguished from the larva of Actias luna, which it closely
resembles, by the seven oblique yellow lines on each side of its ab-
dominal segments, while the larva of A. wna has a lateral yellow
stripe. It is a large and handsome caterpillar, when fully grown
Larva of Telea polyphemus.
measuring three or four inches in length and thicker than one’s
thumb, while each of the segments is adorned with pearl-colored
tubercles from which spring silvery hairs. The caterpillar spins its
whitish oval cocoon in September, and passes the winter in the pupa
Cocoon of Telea polyphemus.
state. The cocoon is usually spun among the leaves still on the
tree, and generally falls to the ground with the leaves. The silk is
strong, nearly white and of a silvery lustre, and as it is spun in a
continuous thread, it may with care be unwound after soaking in
warm water in which has been dissolved a little baking seda. This
BOMBYCIDsS. 111
sik has been used for manufacturing into fabrics, and although it
has not the fineness of the silk of Bombyx mori, it is exceedingly
durable and beautiful, and a garment made from it would probably
last a life-time. .
Many experiments have been tried from time to time with the
view of making this insect of commercial value as a silk producey,,
but thus far, I believe, without success. The greatest difficulty
seems to be to unwind the silk from the cocoons rapidly enough and
in a sufficiently large quantity to make the operation financially sue-
cessful. It seems as if here was a fair field for the. inventor. What
clothing we might have if the silk from the cocoon of Telea poly-
phemus could be unwound, spun and woven into cloth inexpensively.
Just think of the undergarments, socks, gloves, etc., we might wear,
not to mention the curtains, portiéres, rugs and carpets that might
adorn and bring comfort to our homes. I believe this will be
achieved at no distant day. As the food plants of this insect abound
almost everywhere where there are forests, the food supply is unlim-
ited. The caterpillars are hardy and could be reared out of doors
in innumerable millions with the simplest contrivances; and with
sunple and efficient methods of manutacture, silk goods should be as
cheap as cotton.
It is interesting to watch one of these large caterpillars spin its
cocoon. The spinneret is located just below the jaws, and as he
moves his head backward and forward the silken thread is drawn
out. It takes about three days continuous labor to complete the
cocoon, and when it is nearly finished the caterpillar gives the whole
interior a coating of waterproof varnish, which when dry makes the
cocoon feel hard and firm.
When the moth is about to emerge, a liquid is discharged from a
gland located where the mouth should be, if it had one, which dis-
solves the substance which binds the threads together, when they are
pushed aside and the insect escapes from a large round hole in the
end of the cocoon.
There is considerable variation in the color of the moths. Some
are yellowish, some buff, while others have a decided reddish or pink-
ish tint. These latter are frequently very large and beautiful speci-
mens. Telea polyphemus is a night-flyer and on this account although
a common insect is rarely seen unless one knows just where and
when to look for it. The males are easily assembled with a caged
female, and when the cocoons are hatching in one’s attic the males
rg MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
outside will sometimes keep up such a flutterme against the win-
dows of the house in their mad desire to get in, that sleep is out of
the question.
The surpassingly beautiful ‘Actias luna, with its translucent pea-
green wings bordered with purple, is justly esteemed by collectors as
one of the most lovely creatures the insect world affords. When
fresh from the cocoon, its downy wings fully expanded and perfect
in every detail, it is a delightful creature to look upon, and is famil-
iar to most persons who have lived any time in the country, the long
tails of its hind wings and green color making it easily distinguished
from any other insect known to the United States or Canada. The
moths emerge from their cocoons in June, and may frequently be
seen on moonlight nights flying among the upper branches. of the
forest trees. Being very light they look almost white in the moon-
light. They are difficult to catch on the wing unless one has a fe-
male with which to assemble them, as they fly so high. They usu-
ally rest quietly among the foliage in the daytime, and on account of
their protective coloring are difficult to find.
The eggs of the moth are laid singly on the leaves of the walnut,
hickory, birch, chestnut and other forest trees about the middle of
June, and the caterpillars soon hatch. They are dark in color at
this stage and covered with hairs. They reach their fuil size early
in September, and are then two and a half to three inches long, as
thick as one’s thumb, and of a translucent green with a yellow
stripe extending along each side, a similarly colored band running
transversely across the back between each of the segments and mina-
ture pearl-colored tubercles along the back and sides, which bear
many short, light yellow hairs. ‘This larva closely resembles the
Telea polyphemus larva in shape and size, but the latter has larger
tubercles, the segments are more humped, and it lacks the continu-
ous yellow stripe on the sides. The larvee spin their thin, brownish
cocoons among the leaves, still fresh and green, and when they fall,
the cocoons fall with them and are covered up on the ground by
other leaves and by the snow, which protects them from the severe
frosts of winter. Many of them are found by the moles, skunks,
crows and jays and help eke out the scanty rations of these animals
during the months of scarcity. One may find the cocoons in autumn
and early spring by searching among the fallen leaves under the
walnut and birch trees. This insect is not very hardy, but may be
reared with care from the egg or the caterpillar, although the moths
ACTIAS LUNA.
Male. ~
BOMBYCIDS. 445
are apt to be small in size, as the insect does not seem to thrive well
in captivity.
IT am in hopes of finding a method of breeding luna moths of
good size, but so far the efforts of my brothers and self have re-
sulted in pigmies. This insect is sometimes found in great abun-
dance, and I have seen the sidewalk under an electric lamp littered
with their wings, the insects attracted to the light having probably
been devoured by bats.
Cabinet specimens should be kept out of the light, or they will
soon lose their beauty. A good-sized insect of this species will
expand five inches. The females are generally of a bluish-green,
while the males are more yellowish. The broad band along the
upper margin of each fore wing, extending across the thorax, is
purplsh-brown. On each wing is a transparent eve-like spot sur-
rounded by rings of maroon, ochre-yellow and black. The body
is very downy and cottony-white, and the antennw are ochre-yel-
low. The insect has a wide range over a large part of the country.
Allied species are found in Central America and in Japan and
China.
The silkworm par excellence (Bombyx mori), domesticated in
China at a very early date, was long ago introduced into Europe and
later into America, where it is still cultivated to a limited extent.
The rearing of the larvee and reeling of the silk of this species has
not met with the success predicted for silk culture in this country ;
and although the government took up the problein in a_ scientific
manner at their experimental station in the Agricultural Department
in Washington, D. C., after a great many attempts covering several
years, the enterprise was finally abandoned. One great obstacle in
connection with the successful rearing of this insect in large num-
bers is the fact that it thrives well only on the mulberry tree (its
native food plant) and the osage orange, necessitating the cultiva-
tion of these trees over large areas. It is also much less hardy than
the larvee of most of our silk-spinning moths. The insects, too, are
very susceptible to several contagious diseases which sometimes carry
off hundreds of thousands in a single night.
The female moth lays three hundred or more eggs, which are
round and of a light yellow color, and are usually attached to the
paper generally provided for this purpose by a secretion furnished by
the moth. The eggs soon begin to turn dark, and the young cater-
pillar when it makes its escape is dark gray, clothed with long hairs
116 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
which spring from tubercles on its sides and back. With each moult
the caterpillar grows lghter, and when fully grown is two inches
long, dull yellowish in color, with a curved horn somewhat resem-
bling that of the larva of a sphinx moth on the posterior end, and
the fitst three segments next the head very much swollen and
wrinkled. The interior of the body is filled largely with the silk
glands, extending one on either side in a loosely-wrinkled tube.
These are the glands from which, after the larva is steeped in vine-
gar, the silk gut so useful to the angler is manufactured. The
cocoons are often very beautiful and symmetrical, usually oval, but
sometimes constricted slightly about the middle. They are ordinarily
light yellow, though sometimes silvery white, greenish or flesh color.
The moths emerge in about three weeks. They are cream colored
with two indistinct lines across the fore wings, and as they expand
only a little over an inch, are small in proportion to the size of the
larva and the cocoon. Neither male nor female is able to fly, and
atter leaving the cocoons they pair, the females lay their eggs and
soon die.
This insect has been so long under cultivation that several varie-
ties have been produced which, if found in a wild state, would be
considered distinct species. The original wild stock is not known,
but may yet be found in some of the little-known interior districts of
China or India.
An insect which is fast becoming well known through the United
States and Canada through the efforts of the Massachusetts legis-
lature in distributing profusely illustrated literature on the subject,
is the Gypsy moth, Ocneria or Porthetria dispar, an importation
from Europe. The larva of this moth, to which little in the way of
vegetation seems to come amiss, is a most destructive pest, and, but
for the efforts of the state, which has appropriated large sums of
money for its extermination, the insect would doubtless ere this have
spread over the whole of the eastern half of Massachusetts. At
present it is confined to a limited extent of country within Middlesex
County, and it is hoped that by persistent effort it may be entirely
eradicated. The insect is attacked at every stage of its development.
About the trunks of trees in infected districts bands of burlap are
secured, and under these the larvee are often found resting during
the day, they being night-feeders. The pup concealed about stone
walls, on fences and tree-trunks and like places, frequently in im-
mense numbers, are destroyed when found. The egg clusters are
BOMBYCIDS. tee
gathered and burned or treated with a solution which destroys their
life. Whole areas of forest and scrub land have been cleared and
burned over to annihilate the pest. The work of the Board for the
extermination of this pest has met with a good deal of adverse criti-
cism, but that its labor of keeping in check this foreign army of
invasion has been thoroughly performed, is shown by the fact that
in many places where most abundant a few years ago it is now a
very scarce insect. In fact one may walk for miles through parts of
the infested area and not see a sign of its presence.
The male moth is much smaller than his mate and can fly, while
the female, although provided with wings, cannot use them in flight.
The distribution of the insect, therefore, even if unrestricted, would
be slow. The eges are laid in clusters, usually on the bark of a tree,
although the moth does not seem to be particular in this respect.
The clusters are covered with hairs from the abdomen of the female
and being ochre yellow in color are readily seen. The larva is
brown and is thickly covered with stiff hairs, while red and blue
tubercles adorn its back.
Porthesia chrysorrhea,
Another importation from Europe which has also found a foothold
in eastern Massachusetts, although not nearly so destructive as the
Gypsy moth, is the Brown-tail moth, Porthesia chrysorrhwa. ‘The
moth is ereamy white, with a white body tipped at the end of the
abdomen with a tuft of brown hairs, from which the insect derives
its common name. The larva is dark. brown or black, with reddish
hairs covering the body except on the sides, where there is a row of
small tubereles from which spring white hairs. There are several
small scarlet warts on the back. This insect is a good deal of a pest
where abundant, as it devours the leaves of several of our fruit and
shade trees and measures may haye to be taken to prevent its increase
and spread.
118 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
A number of the following stout-bodied, hairy moths belong to
the family Natodonta. Some of them resemble the Noctuids, both
in the pupa and perfect state, and may easily be mistaken for them.
The larvee, which often bear humps, tubercles and spines in many of
the species, have but four pairs of abdominal legs used in crawling,
the last pair being prolonged into tails or are held above the support-
ing twigs while at rest. Some of the larvee are naked and others
sparingly clothed with soft hairs. They feed on the leaves of trees
and shrubs, often in great numbers, and their transformation usually
takes place beneath the ground.
Cerura borealis.
Cerura borealis is a whitish moth, marked with brown bands
across the upper wings, and is interesting from its peculiarly shaped
Larva of Cerura borealis.
larva, which has a forked prolongation or tail adapted from the last
pair of abdominal lees. When disturbed it pushes out from the end
of this forked tail two fleshy orange-colored filaments, which it bends
over its back or sides as if to protect itself. This larva is naked, is
green and purplish in color, and feeds on the poplar and choke-
cherry ; its color is protective, and it looks while feeding on a leaf
a dried and withered part of it.
Clusters of a smooth, bluish, yellow and black-striped larva, with
the head and a hump on the posterior end of the body, orange-red,
BOMBYCIDS, 119
may often be seen hanging to the stems and leaves of the oak in
September. This is the larva of Edema albifrons and is sometimes
Larva of Edema albifrons.
abundant enough to do considerable damage to the trees. When not
feeding, and especially if disturbed, the caterpillars bend the head
Edema albifrons.
and rear end of the body over the back. The perfect insect has
brown upper wings with a whitish band along the upper margin, and
heht yellowish-brown lower wings.
Gi ii :\\
Ceelodasys unicornis. Coelodasys biguttata.
A curiously humped caterpillar is the larva of Colodasys, of
which we have several species. ~ Celodasys unicornis is buff-gray,
Larva of Coelodasys.
gray with brown
c
with darker markings, and Celodasys biguttata is
markings and light brown hind wings.
120 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
A closely related species is Werice bidentata, a little moth which
is rather rare. The upper half of the upper wings is brown with an
uneven dark brown line running from base to margin. Below this is
Nerice bidentata,
a white area gradually shading into light brown. The lower wings
are heht brown.
Another curiously humped caterpillar is the larva of Gdemasia
concinna. The head and a hump on its back is red, while the body
Larva of Gdemasia coneinna.
is striped with black, yellow and white lines and supports a few
black spines. This caterpillar is sometimes to be seen in clusters on
Pheosia rimosa.
the apple-trees, where, if unmolested, it is capable of stripping the
branches bare of leaves. It also feeds on the cherry and plum. The
ee a
oe
BOMBYCIDS. 127
cocoon is made under leaves in August or September, and the perfect
insect comes forth in June or July of the following year. The moth
is ight brown and gray and has a dark brown band along the lower
margin of the upper wings. It expands something oyer an inch.
Pheosta rimosa is a gray, brown and yellowish-white moth occa-
sionally to be seen about electric lights. It looks and flies a good
deal like a noctuid.
A moth which curls its abdomen up in a curious manner when at
rest is Apatelodes torrefacta. In this position it would scarcely be
Apatelodes torrefacta,
taken for a moth at all unless closely examined. ‘The fore wings are
gray, with a dark brown spot near the base. The lower wings are
light pinkish-brown. Both sets of wings have faint lines crossing
them.
Great numbers of a black and yellow-striped larva sparingly fur-
nished with soft whitish hairs may be seen in August and September
on the apple and cherry, and also the birch and other forest trees,
completely stripping the branches of their leaves. So numerous are
they and sometimes congregated in such masses that the branches
bend with their weight. These caterpillars bend the head and tail
= Larva of Datana.
up over the body when disturbed and rest on the four forward pairs
of abdominal legs. They are the larve of Datana. The caterpillars
122 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
descend a few inches into the ground in the autumn, where they
remain ina chrysalis state till the following July. Our best-known
Datana’ ministra.
species is Datana ministra, a tan-colored moth with buff lower wings
and having a patch of reddish-brown on the thorax and several lines
of the same color crossing the fore wings.
A genus of moths of medium size, interesting from their gay
colors and the habits and shapes of the larvie, is Limacodes. These
larvie are slug-like creatures, and would hardly be taken for cater-
pillars at all by the novice. The body is short and thick, high in
the middle and flat beneath. The head is concealed beneath the for-
ward part of the body, and both the true legs and prolegs are
Limacodes seapha.
searcely discernible. ‘The animal adhering closely to the leaf
or twig upon which it rests has much of the gliding motion of the
slugs. Some of these larvee are naked, while others are adorned
with branching spines or fleshy filaments. Some of the caterpillars
“~
BOMBYCIDS. 12:
are gayly colored. When mature they spin a tough oval or nearly
spherical cocoon attached to the twigs of the food plant, oak, walnut,
birch and other forest trees furnishing them with food. The moth
emerges from the cocoon by pushing off one end, leaving the side
attached like a half-spherical lid.
Limacodes scapha is a prettily marked little moth expanding
about an inch. The body and lower wings being cinnamon-brown,
and. the upper wings having a rich reddish-brown patch covering
most of the upper part of the wing, edged with silver beneath. The
rest of the wing is light brown. The larva is green, without spines,
short, thick and high in the middle. It feeds on the oak.
Limacodes querceta.
Another prettily marked insect is Limacodes querceta. It is
reddish-brown with a small dot of dark brown in each fore wing, and
a broad, irregular patch of light green extending from near the lower
margin next the body diagonally across the wings to near the tip.
Parasa fraterna.
The caterpillar lives on the oak and willow, is yellow and purple in
color, and has a number of branching, pointed filaments which spring
from its-back and sides. The moth makes its appearance in July,
and often comes into our rooms at night attracted by the light. It
is a rapid flyer for so small a moth, its short wings humming with
the rapidity of their motion.
124 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Parasa fraterna is a vare and beautiful little moth, and is closely
related to Limacodes, The upper wings have a wide, bright-green
band crossing them, with a brown margin and a brown patch next
the body. The abdomen and lower wings are light yellowish-brown,
and the thorax is green. I have taken this insect on but two or
three occasions with a lghted lamp in Massachusetts, and know
nothing of its life history.
Lagoa crispata.
To the genus Lagoa belong some very woolly moths which go by
the appropriate name of flannel moths. Our common species, Lagoa
crispata, is of a light yellow or light buff with crinkled black and
Case of the Evergreen Bag Worm.
light brown hairs on the fore wings. The body is very downy, and
when at rest with the wings folded the creature looks like a bit of
wool. ‘The larva, which is also very woolly, feeds on the blackberry,
oak and apple. The head is hidden beneath the forward segments of
BOMBYCIDS, 125
the body and the legs are so short as to suggest the larva of the
Limacodes. The cocoon is formed of the hairs of the caterpillar
closely woven with silk.
In Thyridopteryx ephemereformis or the evergreen bag worm, the
larva constructs a bag or case of silk and pieces of the leaves of its
food plant, which it carries from place to place as it feeds, and in
which it resides during its caterpillar state. The larva lives on the
red cedar and the arbor-vitee, and the pieces of the leaves are laid
lengthwise of its case or bag. The female moth is wingless and grub-
like, and never leaves the case, in which it transforms into a pupa
after having closed up both ends with silk. The male is provided
with wings which support it in flight. Its body is long and tapering
and its antenne are pectinated. Several species of this genus are
natives of this country.
Halisidota carye.
An insect sometimes very common and doing considerable damage
in the Eastern States to hickory, elm, beach, apple and other trees is
the hickory-tussock moth, Halisidota carye. The larva is a pretty
caterpillar, an inch and a half long when mature in September.
The head, feet and belly are black, and the body is covered with
spreading tufts of hairs, white on the sides, with a crest of black
tufts along the middle of the back, and long white hairs growing for-
ward over the head. There are also two pairs of tufts of long black
hairs placed near either end of the body with a single pair of white
tufts near the posterior end. The larva makes an oval gray cocoon
composed largely of its own hairs held together with silken threads.
This is usually hidden away beneath stones, in the chinks of bark,
etc. The moth makes its appearance in June. Its wings are ochre
126 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
yellow and seem to be thinly covered with scales, rendering them
semi-transparent. Several rows of whitish, silvery spots cross the
fore wings and between them is a fine stipple of brown dots. We
Halisidota tessellata.
have other species of tussock moths which closely resemble the fore-
going, both in the larval and perfect state.
Orgyia leucostigma is interesting from the fact that the female is a
wingless, grub-like creature, looking little like her mate which,
although plain grayish-brown in color, has broad wings and can fly.
5
Larva of Orgyia leucostigma.
The caterpillar is one of our handsomest, being striped with yellow,
brown, green and lilac, sparsely clothed with white hairs on the
sides with two long plumes of brown hairs next the head, a similar
plume on the posterior end of the body and four short, thick, white
puffs on the back. Its head is red, and there are two red warts near
the tail. The insect feeds on apple, sometimes doing a good deal of
damage, spins a thin cocoon frequently on the tree trunk, and upon
emerging, the female lays her eggs on the top of the cocoon, cover-
BOMBYCIDS. 12
a |
ing them with a frothy substance which, on drying, makes a white
crust.
Leuearetia acrea.
Sometimes seen in numbers in June is the salt-marsh moth,
Leucarctia acrea. ‘Vhe thorax, the end of the abdomen and the upper
wings of the male moth are white, while the abdomen and _ the
lower wings are yellowish-tan color. Both sets of wings are sprinkled
with black dots, and the abdomen has two rows of small dots on
each side and a row of large black spots on the back. The female
moth differs in color from the male in that the lower wings are white
instead of tan. The larva of this moth, which is widely distributed,
is frequently seen in large numbers feeding on the coarse lowland
grass, not only of the sea-coast, but in the interior of the country.
It will also attack other plants, and is capable of doing a great deal
of damage. When full grown it is nearly two inches long, covered
5?
Phragmatobia rubricosa.
with long dark brown hairs on the back and lighter hairs on the
sides. The spiricles along the sides are white, and the skin of the
caterpillar is yellowish. In the fall the caterpillar conceals itself
128 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
among the lower grass stems or under stones, and there makes its
hairy brown cocoon, in which it passes the winter in a chrysalis state.
A_ pleasingly-tinted little moth is Phragmatobia rubricosa. The
upper wings and thorax are pinkish-brown, the lower wings reddish-
pink with brown margins, and the abdomen is red with a row of
small brown dots on either side, with another row down the back.
The wines are so thinly clothed with scales as to be almost trans-
parent. The larva is unknown to me.
An insect well known to almost every one is the brown and black
hairy caterpillar covered with stiff short bristles all about the
Larva of Pyrrharetia isabella.
same length, which rolls itself into a reund ball when disturbed.
This creature feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants, and may be
seen in the fall actively engaged in seeking a suitable place for
its winter hibernation; for, unlike the larvee of most lepidopterous
insects, 1t passes the winter in the caterpillar state and may some-
times be found on mild days in the winter crawling over the snow.
Pyrrharetia isabella.
As soon as vegetation starts in the spring it begins feeding, and
makes its hairy cocoon under boards, stones and the like in April or
May, whence it emerges a moth in June or July. This moth is
Pyrrharctia isabella, and is of a tawny yellow or dull tan color,
having a number of brownish spots on its wings and body.
BOMBYCIDS. 129
The Arctians are a genus of moths represented in this country by
several exceedingly beautiful forms. The species are very variable,
and on this account have caused considerable confusion. The
antenne are usually feathered in the males and simple in the
females. ‘The larva is covered with stiff sharp-pointed hairs. The
Cocoon and pupa of an Arctian.
cocoon is oval, loosely constructed of the hairs of the caterpillar
interwoven with a few threads of silk. The chrysalis is stout,
smooth, and dark brown in color. The moths of this genus come
readily to a bright hght, and a collector in the country will often
find them flying about his room on warm summer evenings. They
have a habit of feigning death when captured. Several of the
species give off a strong odor when handled, which is probably a pro-
tection to the insect from its enemies.
Arctia nais.
Arctia nais is a widely distributed insect, being found over the
whole of the United States and the lower part of Canada. This
insect, according to Edwards, has, on account of its variation received
130 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
no less than nine different names. The wings are usually an inch
and a half in expanse and are of a pale yellow, pinkish near the
base of the lower wings, and striped on the forward pair by broad
bands of black with triangular black spots near the outer margin.
The lower wings also have several black spots. These spots and
bands sometimes cover almost the entire surface, giving the moth a
very different appearance. The abdomen is usually flesh color with
a band of black on each side and one on the top. The caterpillar
lives on the dandelion. Its hairs are black on the back, and brown
on the sides.
4
Atm
a : ~ / da ec
» ~ o \ ~ey
SS
ea boa, S ie
ced ga AS
x. 2
Arctia arge.
One of the most common species of this genus is Arctia arge.
The general color is a flesh tint, being intensified to reddish along
Arctia phalerata.
the outer margins of the lower wings. Narrow triangular black
spots and long black stripes adorn the upper wings, with several
black spots on the lower wings. A row of black spots extends along
each side of the abdomen and one row down the back. This insect
BOMBYCIDS. 131
expands nearly two inches and makes its appearance in June and
July. The caterpillar is dark gray, sometimes almost black, and is
thinly elothed with clusters of spreading black hairs which spring
from dark colored warts. The larve live on the plantain.
Another common species is Arctia phalerata. The thorax and
upper wings are yellowish-buff with broad black stripes and triangu-
lar spots, and the abdomen and lower wings are reddish-pink with
black spots and markings.
Arctia virgo.
Our largest and most beautiful species of this genus is Arctia
virgo. ‘The upper wings are flesh color marked with broad stripes of
black, and the lower wings are vermilion red and deep reddish-pink
at the base with large black spots. The thorax is the color of the
upper wings, with three black splashes, and the abdomen is the color
of the lower wings with a black band on each side and on the back.
I have never found this insect abundant but have taken it in August
with a lighted lamp in Massachusetts and in northern Ohio. The
insect expands two and one-half inches. The caterpillar is brown,
covered with brown hairs, is two and a half inches long when fully
grown, and feeds on pigweed, dock and plantain.
The common snow-white miller, Arctia virginica, has a wide distri-
bution. The wings are pure white with one or two small dots of
black, while the abdomen has the customary black spots of the genus
on the sides and back with a yellow stripe on each side. The cater-
pillar of this moth is the * yellow bear,” which is a common pest in
our vegetable gardens, devouring almost everything in the way of
herbaceous plants it finds. Its body is covered with long yellow or
ioe MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
tan colored hairs, and it has an interrupted stripe of brown on either
side and a brown band between each of the segments. The insect
passes the winter in its hairy cocoon, and in the following June
appears as a moth.
Larva of Cyenia egel.
On the milkweed may often be seen numbers of little caterpillars
covered with tufts of black, white and orange hairs. ‘These are the
harlequin caterpillars, and are the larve of a plain lttle blue-gray
moth, Cycnia egel, which makes its appearance the latter part of
June, after having passed the winter in the pupa state in its oval
hairy cocoon. The abdomen of the moth is yellow above, with a
row of black dots down the back, resembling the Arctians.
Utetheisia bella is a very beautiful moth, and is widely distributed
over this country. Its habits are similar to a following species, the
soldier moth, and it is often found in low grassy districts in con-
siderable numbers, taking to wing readily when disturbed. When
handled it exudes an oily substance with a peculiar odor, and remains
perfectly still, as if dead, soon, however, taking wing if not further
molested. ‘These habits, combined with a probably very bitter taste,
have doubtless preserved this gayly colored little creature from ex-
tinction. ‘Phe larva is one and a half inches long, and is yellow and
white in color sprinkled with black dots. It feeds on herbaceous
lowland plants.
The anchor moth, Callimorpha interrupto marginata, is a rather
rare moth, and is about the same size and marked with brown similar
to the soldier moth, except that it is yellowish where the other
species is white. oe
BOMBYCIDS. 133
The soldier moth, Callimorpha lecontei, IS a Common species to be
found among rank grass or bushes near brooks or swamps in June
and July. When disturbed it flies a short distance and quickly
Callimorpha lecontei.
hides away among the grass or shrubs. This insect is rarely seen
singly, and often while walking among the grass of low land I have
started half-a-dozen of these moths from their hiding places. ‘The
Wings are creamy white marked with dark brown, the head is yellow-
ish, and a brown stripe extends down the back, the rest of the body
being creamy white. In some specimens the brown markings of the
fore wings cover nearly the whole surface, leaving but a few white
patches. The larve are thinly clothed with hairs, and are brown in
color with yellow stripes. They are night-feeders on herbaceous
plants, hiding by day. :
Hypoprepia miniata.
A beautiful little moth which sometimes comes to the lamp of
the collector is the striped footman, Hypoprepia miniata. It is
deep scarlet with three dull brown stripes running lengthwise of the
upper wings anda broad border of the same color along the margin
of the lower wings. The dark brown spiny larva feeds upon lichens,
and makes a thin silken cocoon. The moth appears early in June.
134 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
Another species closely related to the foregoing and easily mis-
taken for it is Hypoprepia fucosa. This moth is somewhat smaller
than Hypoprepia mintata and may be distinguished from it by the
color of the wings, which are yellow and red.
ZYGANIDE.
In the family Zygenide, the species have prominent heads, long
narrow wings thinly covered with scales, leaving naked spots in
some species. Some of the members of this family are adorned with
gay colors, and a large number are diurnal in their habits, rifling the
flowers of their sweets in the hot sunshine. The larva is short, thick,
and usually adorned with small tubercles. Many of the species are
hairy, others naked. Most of them spin silken cocoons, while others
utilize the hairs of their coat for a covering for the pupa, binding
them together with a few silken threads. Others again make no
cocoon whatever. The pupa is usually short and stout-bodied.
Ctenucha virginica,
Ctenucha virginica may be seen on the white clusters of elder
blossoms during the sunny hours. It is not timid and is slow to take
flight. The head and sides of the thorax are orange, the fore wings
are smoky-brown, the hind wings bluish-black, and the body is deep
purplish-blue. The wings expand two inches or over. The larva is
hairy and feeds on grasses. It constructs a thin hairy cocoon.
A very long and narrow-winged species is Lycomorpha pholus.
This insect expands a little over an inch; in color the shoulder
covers and base of both pairs of wings are crange, the rest of the
insect being bluish-black. This moth flies only in the daytime, and
may frequently be seen extracting the honey fiom the goldenrod by
ZYG ANIDS. 135
the roadside. The hairy greenish larva feeds on lichens growing on
stones, and makes a thin silken cocoon.
Lycomorpha pholus.
A prettily colored moth is Hudryas grata. The thorax and fore
wings are white, with brown, pinkish-brown and greenish-brown
markings, while the abdomen and lower wings are yellowish-buff
‘es a
Eudryas grata.
with markings of brown and pinkish-brown. This insect expands
about two inches. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the Vur-
ginia creeper and the grape. It is a peculiar looking creature, being
blunt at the posterior end and crossed by numerous bluish and orange
bands and fine black lines and spots. The transformations are passed
in the ground.
Another species, differing greatly in the perfect insect but very
similar in the larval state to the foregoing, is Alypia octomaculata.
This insect expands something over an inch, and is black with the
exception of two large yellow spots on each of the fore wings, two
large white spots on each of the hind wings, the shoulder covers
(which are yellow), and tufts of reddish-orange hairs on the legs.
This moth is an active creature, flying about in the sunshine, sud-
ro)
136 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
denly disappearing and as suddenly returning. It is very common
in some parts of the country. The larva is banded with white and
orange and with narrow black lines and rows of black dots. This
species has eight black lines to each segment, while the preceding
Alypia octomacnuilata.
has but six. It feeds on the leaves of the grape and Virginia
creeper, and transforms into a pupa in an earthen cavity beneath the
surface of the ground. There are usually two broods in a season,
one coming forth in June and another in August and September.
Psychomorpha epimenis.
Psychomorpha epimenis T lave found a rather rare little moth,
although I have heard of its being abundant in some parts of the
country. The insect is black, with a large yellowish-white spot on
each fore wing and a large brick-red spot on each hind wing. It
expands about an ineh. The caterpillar feeds on the grape and
Virginia creeper, drawing the ends of the young shoots together
with silken threads. In shape it resembles the foregoing, but has a
bluish appearance; being banded with black and white nes. It
transforms in the ground.
EGERIDS. Par
AEGERIDZ.
Glass-wings.
The moths belonging to the family Ayerid@ are rather small,
and are readily distinguished from all other moths by their resem-
blance to bees and wasps. They have narrow, mostly transparent
wings, long bodies, with a fan-shaped tuft of hairs at the posterior
end, and spindle-shaped antennze. Most of the species are gayly
colored and all are diurnal in their habits. The larvee are borers in
the stems and roots of trees and shrubs, and do a great deal of dam-
age to some of our cultivated fruit trees. They are grub-like, whitish
creatures with brown heads. Some kinds are sparsely covered with
fine hairs. The transformations usually take place in the excava-
tions made by the larva, where a rude cocoon is constructed by
cementing together fragments of wood. The pupa is armed with
minute spines on its abdominal rings, and when about to break the
shell makes its way out of the cocoon and along the passage
to the opening previously made by the caterpillar. Here the moth
escapes, often leaving the empty shell protruding from the hole.
Melittia cucurbite.
Melittia cucurbite is our largest native species of this group, and
expands about an inch anda half. The upper wings are black, the
lower ones transparent, edged with a fringe of long hair-like seales.
The abdomen is orange with a few black dots, and the posterior pair
of legs have long orange and black hairs. The larva infests the
squash, cucumber and melon, living in the interior of the vine and
devouring its substance.
Another species familiar to cultivators of peach and plum trees
from the destruction caused by the larva is Myeria exitiosa. The
male and female moths differ greatly in size and general appearance.
The ntale has all four wings transparent, the veins and margins
being steel blue. The body is also blue, with a yellow tuft at the
extremity. In the female moth the fore wings are dark blue and
opaque, while the hind wings are transparent, and the abdomen is
138 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
erossed by a broad band of orange. The larva feeds on the inner
bark and young wood of peach and plum trees, infesting them
/Kgeria exitiosa, Male, Ageria exitiosa. Female.
especially near the ground. So destructive is this pest in some
regions as to have caused the abandonment of peach growing.
yee
éEgeria tipuliforme.
The currant borer, <igeria tipuliforme, is scarcely less destructive
than the preceding, and, as its name implies, the larva bores in the
stems of the currant. The larva feeds on the pith of the plants,
causing the leaves to turn yellow and eventually the plant to die.
The moth is smaller than the preceding, expanding about three-
quarters of an inch, is blue-black in color, the wings being trans-
parent, with a coppery colored bar at the tips of the forward pair.
The shoulder covers and three lines across the abdomen are yellow.
The moth makes its appearance in June.
/Egeria pyri.
A small species, whose larva bores under the bark and in the
young wood of the pear tree, is Hyeria pyri. The insect expands
half an inch. Its general color is purplish-black above and yellow
beneath; but the wings are transparent, with a band of copper-brown
at the tips of the forward pair, and the body is crossed with two nar-
row lines and one broad band of yellow, while the fan-shaped tuft of
hairs at the end of the abdomen is yellow.
NOTICE.
Tue reprint of pages 139 to 142, sent herewith, is to replace
the same pages issued with Section ITI of this work.
THE PUBLISHER.
le
’ : inhi pet ni a i
=
’
'
me
.
SPHINXES. 139
SPHINGIDZ.
Dusk-flyers.
The interesting group of moths that come under this head have
long been favorites with collectors. Their trim, graceful shapes, the
pleasing tints and large size of many of the species, combined with
the grotesque attitudes assumed by the larvee, make them objects of
unusual interest. The name “Sphinx moths” was given to the
group by Linneus on account of a fanciful resemblance which the
Larva of Sphinx Moth.
larvee bear while at rest to the fabled Sphinx. Clasping the twig
with the posterior feet the caterpillar raises the forward part of the
body and remains in this attitude sometimes for hours. These
insects also go by the common name of Humming-bird moths, from
the habit of the insects, which while poised on rapidly vibrating
wings extract the honey from the flowers. Hawk moths, too, is
a name given this group, probably from the strong, direct flight of
the insects.
These moths have powerful, long, narrow wings, particularly the
upper pair, and stout spindle-shaped bodies. The antenne are stout,
thickened in the middle and usually supplied with a curved hook
at the tip. The tongue is often very long, although in some species
it is short. The eyes are large and prominent. In one group the
wings are transparent, resembling -in this respect the dyeriade.
They have strong, well-developed legs. Most of the species fly only
at dusk of morning and evening, while others fly late into the night,
and a‘few only in the daytime in the hot sunshine. The larve are
usually smooth, naked caterpillars, green in color, with oblique light
stripes along the sides, and supplied with a sharp curved horn on the
top of the next to the last segment. In some species this caudal
140 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
horn is to be found only in the young caterpillars, an eye-like tuber-
cle taking its place in the more mature larva. That this horn is of
any use to the caterpillar I have yet to learn. It may be the sur-
vival from its ancestors of a sting; but if such is the case it has
entirely lost its value as a weapon of defence. The transformations
usually take place a few inches beneath the surface of the ground.
A few species make rude cocoons by drawing about themselves
leaves and twigs on the ground under their food plant, and fastening
Pupze of Sphinx Moths,
them together with a few silken threads. They usually pass the
winter in a pupa state. The chrysalis in some species is furnished
with a long tongue-case which stands out from the body and is often
compared to the handle of a jug.
Among the clear-wing sphinxes, our most common species is
Hemaris thysbe. In this insect the wings expand about two inches
and are transparent, the veins and margins being reddish-brown.
The head and thorax are olive-green; the upper part of the abdomen
is crossed by a broad band of buff, while the lower part is rich red-
dish-brown or maroon, and reddish-brown beneath. The fan-like tail
is black on the sides, with a yellowish-brown central tuft of hairs.
The under side of the thorax and legs of the insect are light yellow.
This insect is sometimes very common in June and July, and may
be seen on hot summer days hovering over the flowers of the garden
extracting their nectar. It looks not unlike a humming-bird in
miniature while on the wing. The blue blossoms of the pickerel weed,
which grows so plentifully along the margins of most ponds and
SPHINXES. 141
slow flowing rivers is a favorite flower with this moth. It looks as if
suspended in the air while poised before the spike of blossoms, its
wings moving so rapidly as to be scarcely visible. The larva, which
feeds on the leaves of the snow-ball, is nearly two inches long, and is
Hemaris thysbe.
light green in color. When about to pupate it draws a few leaves
and twigs about itself on the surface of the ground and makes a rude
cocoon by spinning a few silken threads to hold them together. In
this it passes the winter in the chrysalis state.
Hemaris diffinis.
Another species of clear-wing more common farther south than
the preceding is Hemaris diffinis, or the bumble-bee hawk moth. It
is somewhat smaller than Hemaris thysbe, the veins and margins of
the wings are darker brown, the abdomen beneath and legs are black,
while the abdomen alone is crossed by a broad band of rich reddish-
brown. The top of the thorax is covered with light yellow hairs
142 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
which give it while on the wing a bee-like look. The habits of the
insect are much the same as the preceding. The larva feeds on the
leaves of the bush honeysuckle and it makes a clumsy cocoon of
leaves and sticks on the ground under.the bushes.
Deilephila chamecenerti.
Deilephila chamenerii expands two and a half inches and is boldly
and prettily marked. The body is olive-green above, with a white
line along the sides of the head and thorax, and white and black
spots with a pinkish shade on the sides of the abdomen. The fore
wings are dark olive-green or oreenish-brown, with an irregular buff
stripe extending from the lower margin of the wing near the body
to the tip; the outer margin is bordered by a band of gray. The
lower wings are black, with a wide pink band extending across them
with a white spot next the inner margin. This insect, although ap-
parently not so common as the following species, is quite widely dis-
tributed. It may be seen early ofasummer evening about the flowers
of the evening primrose and the petunia, and is often so intent on its
repast as to allow itself to be closely approached. The larva is
unknown to me, but is deseribed by Packard as * bronze-green, dull red
beneath, with nine round cream-colored spots, pupilled with black,
and having a dull red caudal horn.” It feeds on the leaves of the
willow herb.
Deilephila lineata expands from three anda half to four inches and
is one of our prettiest sphinx moths, its close fitting scales and
spindle-shaped body with the abdomen ending in a pointed tuft of
hairs, giving it a trim and neat appearance. It is colored much
fo)
“STHLLOW GATNLOON
“BVVuqus BIvd0IWO ‘vanliun vpeoowD
‘VULBSOIOD BROOD "BIVE VLBIOIVD
SPHINXES. 143
like the preceding species except that there are several white lines
following the veins and extending diagonally across the upper wings.
There are also white lines on the thorax, and the abdomen has a
decided rosy tint besides the black and white markings. This insect
is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and extends well up
into Canada and also into the southern parts of the country, as far
down as the Gulf of Mexico. It is very abundant in some parts of
Deilephila lineata.
the country, and I have taken it in numbers in Sacramento, Cal.,
where early on a June evening, even before sunset, it might be seen
flying in wide circles over the fields of wild flowers or poised before
the spikes of blossoms daintily extracting their sweets. The larva is
yellowish-green in color, and feeds on the leaves of the apple, plum
and currant. It is said to be double-brooded in the southern part of
the country.
On the grape and Virginia creeper may often be seen during
July and August the larva of Kveryx myron. This caterpillar is about
two inches long when fully grown, green in color with a whitish
stripe edged with dark green along each side extending from the
head to the caudal horn, and oblique markings of yellow shaded
behind with dark green also on the sides. There is, too, a row of
pink spots down the back. Occasionally a specimen may be found
of a strong pink, brownish-pink or even reddish color. In such an
144 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
insect the stripes and lines are usually pale pink instead of yellow
or white. ‘The two forward segments next the head are small, and
those farther back much swollen, so that the head and first segments
may be partly retracted and almost concealed beneath the folds of
Everyx myron.
the large fleshy parts, giving the caterpillar a humped appearanee and
suggesting the common name of hog caterpillar. These larve are
often attacked by parasitic insects, whose grubs feed on the flesh and
fat of the caterpillars which later may be found in an enfeebled con-
Pupa of Everyx myron.
dition crawhng about with the cocoons of their destroyers chneging
to their sides and back. The larva makes a poorly constructed
cocoon on the surface of the ground, composed of leaves held together
with a few silken threads. The chrysalis is yellowish-gray and is
Development of a Butterfly.
SPHINXES. 145
sprinkled with black dots. The moth expands about two and a half
inches. The body and forward wings are olive-green, the wings
Larva of Everyx myron.
being crossed by a vaguely defined band of flesh color, while the
lower wings are brick-red in color with a softly shaded patch of olive-
ereen at the lower angle. This insect is widely distributed over this
country.
Everyx cherilus.
Another insect not rare in the eastern half of the country is
Everyx cherilus. The predominating color is reddish-brown, but the
fore wings are crossed by bands of yellowish-brown and pinkish-gray,
while the lower wings are brick-red with a dark brown shade along
the lower margins. This insect may be taken about lacs, and may
occasionally be seen flying around the electric lights in our towns.
Philampelus pandorus and the following closely allied species are
erand insects, easily holding first place among our native sphinxes.
The expanse of wing is from four and a half to five inches, and mag-
nificent is the only word that seems to do justice to the size and
coloring of these fine moths. The present species is olive-green and
eray with dark velvety patches of greenish-brown on the upper, and
146 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
black on the lower wings. A rosy tint is diffused over the greens,
grays, and olives which are softly blended and shaded into one another
in a most charming manner.
A designer of good taste and refinement might evolve from this
moth’s velvet coat a dress of modest loveliness for a lady which would
make her the envy of her fair sisters. The sight of such an insect in
its perfect beauty having recently spread its wings from the narrow
confines of its hard, brown chrysalis, is apt to set one wondering why
Philampelus pandorus.
our costume makers do not go more to Nature’s art school for their
suggestions.
The habits of this insect are much the same as those of other
long-tongued species of sphinxes, which in the dusk of morning and
evening extract the nectar from the fresh opened flowers. It is some-
times to be seen flying in circles about the electric lights in cities, but
I have never known it to be attracted by the light of a common
kerosene lamp. This is true of most of the sphinx moths. It takes
the powerful rays of the electric light to dazzle and bewilder them.
The larva of this moth is large and fleshy, and like the preceding
it can, by contracting the first three segments, almost completely hide
yy
SPHINXES. 147
them beneath the fleshy folds of the much swollen following segment,
thus making the insect look very blunt and humped at the anterior
end. It is smooth, without hairs or tubercles except an eye-like spot
on the top of the posterior end of the body. The color of the larva
is usually light green, although specimens are to be found of a flesh
or brownish-pink color. Along the side runs a row of broad oval
spots, yellowish in color, obliquely placed on the segments. The
forward part of the body is covered with a fine stipple of black dots.
The young of this larva is interesting from the fact that it is usually
light pink, and has a curled spine on the posterior end of its body,
which after two or three moults disappears, leaving only the eye-like
tubercle before mentioned.
This caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the grape and Virginia creeper,
and on account of its large size, often three or four inches long, and
as thick as one’s thumb, it consumes large quantities of the leaves,
even eating the midrib down to the stem. It is rarely, however, found
sufficiently abundant to do any great damage.
Larva of Philampeius pandorus.
In Piilampelus achemon the larva very closely resembles that of
the preceding species both in its habits and its shape and coloring, ex-
cept that the spots arranged along the sides are much longer and nar-
rower, are scalloped on their edges, and a long yellowish stripe extends
above the spots the entire length of the caterpillar. This species also
feeds on the grape and Virginia creeper, and when fully grown in the
latter part of August or early in September it, like the larva of the
preceding species, burrows into the earth a few inches, where it
changes toa pupa without making a cocoon of any kind, simply
excavating a smooth cavity or cell in the soil. The perfect insect
comes forth the next July. This moth is somewhat smaller than
Philampelus pandorus, but is very beautiful, the forward wings and
the body of a light pinkish-brown with intensely dark brown patches
148 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
arranged as shown in the figure. The lower wings are rose color,
being light buff next the body, and bordered externally with light
brown and dark brown spots and shadings. This insect is probably
less abundant than Philampelus pandorus. Both are widely distrib-
Philampelus achemon.
uted, being found from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts of our
country, and from Canada well into the Southern States, while allied
species occur in Mexico.
The tomato-worm moth, Jacrosila quinquemaculatus, is one of
our largest sphinx moths, and although ashen gray with a few dark
brown and black markings, is still a fine insect. The length of the
tongue of this insect is very remarkable, and on this account it is able
to extract the nectar from our largest and deepest flowers. It is inter-
esting early on a quiet summer evening to stand beside a bunch of
phlox or a bed of petunias and watch this moth hovering over the
flowers. It is strong and rapid on the wing, and on account of its
size and the directness of its flight looks quite bird-like.
The legs of the moth are armed with sharp spines, so do not try
the unpleasant experience of taking one of these muscular insects by
hand. Even if through your love for collecting you manage to hold
it, the specimen is lable to be ruined in the struggle to escape.
The larva of this insect feeds on the leaves and even the young
SPHINXES. 149
fruits of the tomato. It will also eat potato and tobacco leaves, and
in some parts of the country does great injury to the tobacco crop
Macerosila quinquemaculatus.
unless men are constantly engaged in “ picking worms” from the
plants.
Larva of Macrosila quinquemaculatus.
The larve are usually green with a curved caudal spine. Spec-
imens are occasionally found of a dark brown or black color.
One can frequently locate the larva on its food plant by shaking
150 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
the stems and listening for the snapping noise made by the jaws of
the larva as it Swings its head from side to side in a menacing’ man-
ner. It is quite harmless, however. The pupa is interesting from its
tongue case, which looks not unlike the handle of a jug. It is fre-
quently found while spading or ploughing the garden. The pupa
passes the winter several inches under ground, and works its way to
the surface in spring when it is about to break the pupa case and
emerge a perfect fly. (See figure on page 140.)
This insect is widely distributed over the whole of the United
States and Canada.
Macrosila carolina.
The Carolina sphinx, Macrosila carolina, very closely resembles the
foregoing in all three Stages of its existence, and also feeds on the
same plants. It is, however, a somewhat smaller insect, and the moth
is more brownish in color with less gray, while the black markings on
the lower wings run more together and are not “AgZaAg as in quingue-
maculatus. The larva is green, stippled with white dots, with seven
oblique whitish stripes, and a light longitudinal line extending along
each side. The stout caudal horn is usually bluish.
They are frequently, among the country folks, considered yen-
omous, the caudal horn probably giving rise to the idea that they can
sting.
A large caterpillar, which feeds on the leaves of the elm and is
SPHINXES. 151
interesting from its protective mimicry, is the larva of Ceratomia
quadricornis. ‘This larva is green, of the exact tint of the underside
of the elm leaf, and along its sides are a number of oblique light
Larva of Ceratomia quadricornis.
lines. A line down its back is serrated, and on the forward part of
the body are four soft green horns, also serrated. While this insect
Ceratomia quadricornis.
is at rest clinging to the midrib on the underside of the elm leaf it
is a difficult creature to see, and one may gaze directly on it and still
think he is looking at a slightly curled leaf. The light line down
152 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
the back answers to the midrib of the leaf, the oblique stripes
on the sides look like the main veins, and the green horns closely re-
semble the notched tip of the leaf. One may readily locate the
creature by observing the pellets of excrement on the ground under
the trees, but even when he is known to be on a certain branch he
is not easily seen. The caterpillars may sometimes be seen on the
trunks of trees as they are making their way down to the ground to
undergo their transformations in the soil. The moth is four inches
or more in expanse and is light brown in color, with lines and mark-
ings of dark brown, black and gray.
The caterpillar descends into the ground during August or Sep-
tember and emerges a moth the next July, when it crawls up the
trunk of an elm tree, waiting until evening when its wings are suf-
ficiently strong to enable it to take flight.
Daremma undulosa.
Daremma undulosa is a good-sized moth of a brownish-gray color,
Ss
as shown in the figure. It is not a rare moth and will sometimes be
attracted by the collector’s lamp. It is rarely taken about flowers as
it does not seem to be as partial to sweets as many of the sphinxes.
with a few light gray and dark brown or black markings distributed
A small moth somewhat resembling the preceding in its markings
is Dolba hyleus. The upper wings are light reddish-brown and gray
with many black and brown lines. The lower wings are sooty-brown
SPHINXES. 153
and white. The thorax is reddish-brown with white stripes on the
sides, and the abdomen has several white bars on the sides with two
rows of white dots down the back. This insect is common in the
southern states and I have taken a few in Massachusetts and Ohio.
Dolba hyleus.
A very common sphinx moth with a wide geographical range
extending over the larger part of this country and Canada is Sphing
gordius. ‘This insect is dark sooty gray and light gray or white with
several black bars on the sides of its body, and a few pen-like mark-
Sphinx gordius.
ings also in black on the wings. It is very partial to lilac blossoms,
and when the clusters of flowers are fully expanded it may sometimes
be seen at dusk on a warm quiet evening in some numbers. So in-
tent are these moths on their feast of honey that one may approach
154 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
‘
quite near them and watch them guide their long flexible tongues into
the tiny flowers. The motion of their wings is so rapid that they
make a slight whirring noise and in the half-light are almost invis-
ible. The larva is green with light oblique stripes on the sides, and
it feeds on the leaves of the apple though it is rarely sufficiently
plentiful to do much damage.
Sphinx chersis.
On the ash and lilac, in September, may be found a plump, hand-
some green caterpillar, whitish on the back and having seven oblique
light yellow stripes on its sides edged above with dark green. This
is the larva of Sphinx chersis. ‘The moth is ashen gray in color with
several black and white bands on the sides of its body, two heavy
black lines on its lower wings and a few pen-like markings in black
on its forward wings. It is a large powerful moth and has a strong,
rapid flight.
Sphine drupiferarum is also a good-sized moth, being four inches
or over in expanse of wing. The general color is dark sooty brown.
The outer margin of all four wings is light brown while a large area
along the upper margin of the upper wings and a band across the
lower wings is gray. Black and white bands alternate on the sides
of the body. The larva feeds on tlie leaves of the plum and hack-
berry. It is light green with white stripes edged above with purple.
SPHINXES. 155
Sphinx kalmie expands about four inches, and is buff and rust-red
in color, with reddish-brown markings streaking the upper wings.
It is not a rare insect, and may be taken early in the season about
Sphinx drupiferarum.
the lilac blossoms. The larva is pale green with oblique bands of
yellow on the sides, edged above with black and blue. It feeds on
the leaves of the lilac and laurel.
A plainly tinted but gracefully shaped insect is Chloerocampa tersa.
In this moth the body is long and tapering, ending in a tuft of hairs.
The upper wings are long, narrow and pointed, while the lower pair
is small in proportion. Its body is tan with a yellowish stripe on
either side, and the thorax and head is brown with a light gray band
also on the side. The upper wings are light brown crossed diagonally
with numerous brown lnes. The lower wings are black margined
with brown, with arow of light yellow spots extending above the
brown margin. This insect is more plentiful in the southern parts of
the country, and is rather common in Washington, D.C., where about
the electric lights they may frequently be taken in July and August.
One of our earliest sphinx moths to be seen in the spring is
Thyreus abbotit. ‘The lilac blossoms are very attractive to this species,
and ona May evening it may be seen hovering about the clusters of
flowers. It is not very shy, and may be easily taken with the net.
The general color of the moth is dark purplish-brown. The fore wings
are crossed by numerous black lines, while a broad band of black and
156 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
dark brown extends along the outer margin of the lower wings, the rest
of the wing being yellow. The body is bluish-gray and brown, with
lines and band8 of black. From the sides of the body spring tufts of
Chloerocainpa tersa.
hairs, and three spreading plumes of long yellowish-brown hairs adorn
the end of the abdomen. These latter the insect can spread or contract
Nae
ayy
Thyreus abbotii.
at pleasure, and are no doubt of value in guiding its rapid flight. The
caterpillar of this moth feeds on the leaves of the Virginia creeper,
and in its markings closely resembles a section of the stem of the vine.
SPHINXES. 159
It is grayish or greenish brown in color, crossed by numerous darker
brown markings. The under side is pink. At the posterior end is an
eye-like spot or tubercle, making the insect look, as one observer
worded it, “as if the worm had a head at each end.” When handled
the caterpillar twists its body vigorously from side to side, making at
the same time a squeaking noise. The winter is passed in the chrys-
alis state, a few inches beneath the surface of the ground.
\/
Amphion nessus.
A little jewel among the sphinx moths is Amphion nessus. It
expands a little over two inches, and the wings are very much scalloped.
The ground-color of the fore wings and thorax is purplish-brown, the
wings being crossed by dark velvety brown markings and faint yellow-
ish lines, with a spot of reddish-brown near the tip of the wing. The
lower wings are margined with a broad band of brown edged with
yellow, the rest of the wing being reddish-brown. The abdomen is
dark reddish-brown, lighter on the sides, and is crossed by two conspic-
uous bright yellow bands. The end of the abdomen bears three tufts
of long dark brown hairs which may be spread or contracted at the
pleasure of the insect. The white lilac and syringa are favorite flowers.
Its flight is not so rapid as that of other members of the family, and
it may be easily taken, even by hand.
I have never found this insect abundant but have had numerous
specimens sent me from Ontario, Canada, and also from Virginia.
‘The genus Smerinthus contains some large and very handsome
moths. Unlike the species of sphinx moths already described, in this
genus the tongue is very short, almost wanting in fact, and can be of
little use to the insect. The fore wings are scalloped on their outer
158 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
edges, and the moths are sluggish in their habits, flying only by night,
and then in a vague and uncertain manner, contrasting greatly in this
respect with the strong, direct flight of most of the species of the
Larva of Smerinthus.
family. The larve are usually green in color, and their skin is rough
and granular, giving it a hard sandpaper-like feeling. The trans-
formations are passed in the ground.
Smerinthus geminatus.
Our beautiful little Smerinthus geminatus is not a rare imsect, and
may often be taken with the collector's lamp in July. The upper
wines are gray with a faint rosy cast, and are crossed by lines and
bands of olive and rich velvety brown. The thorax is also gray, with
a large triangular patch of dark brown occupying the middle. The
lower wings are rich carmine margined with gray, with a large black
spot located near the inner angle of the wing, in which are two bluish-
purple spots. The larva of this insect lives on the leaves of the apple,
plum, willow and ash, and is green in color with yellow stripes on
the sides. Its skin is covered with fine white granules, and it has a
triangular head. The pupe of this species may often be found in
connection with that of the following, in the soil at the roots of ash
and willow trees.
SPHINXES. 159
Smerinthus excecatus is not so exquisitely colored as the preceding
species, but is still, when freshly hatched from the pupa, a very pretty
insect. Its general color is fawn, with lines and bands of brown and
Smerinthus exczcatus (male).
tan. In the middle of the lower wings is a rose-colored patch, and
near the inner angle is a large black spot with adim blue centre. The
egos of this moth are large in proportion to its size, are oval in shape,
Smerinthus myops.
=
transparent green in color, and look not unlike malaga grapes in
miniature. The larva is green with yellow stripes on the sides. The
caudal horn is blue. This caterpillar feeds on the leaves of apple,
160 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES.
wild cherry, elm, ash, etc., and may be found near the tips of the
branches devouring the young and tender foliage. Young trees and
bushes seem to be more subject to the attacks of the larvae of these
moths than older and larger trees. This insect is found from Canada
to Virginia throughout the Atlantic States.
A dark brown insect somewhat resembling the foregoing is Smer-
inthus myops. The fore wings and body are dark purplish-brown with
light purple lines and markings, and the lower wings have the eye-like
spot of the preceding species, but are much darker generally. In
Triptogon modesta.
habits the two species closely resemble each other. While at rest
hanging from the stem of a plant, the scalloped outline of the wings of
these insects, together with their brown or tan colors and the peculiar
bent attitude in which the body is held, give them a resemblance to
brown and withered leaves. So complete is their mimicry that one
may be obliged to touch the insect before being sure of its identity.
A fine large, but rather rare, insect having a wide range over the
northern half of the country is Smerinthus or Triptogon modesta.
This moth expands, in a fine specimen, from five and a half to six
inches, and its colors are soft and pleasing. The outer two-thirds of
SPHINXES. 161
its fore wings and the outer margin of the lower wings are olive.
The inner third of the upper wings and the inner margin of the lower
wings are light gray. The middle of the lower wings is dull carmine,
while near the inner angle isa bluish-gray patch having a curved
black line over it. The body is greenish-olive. This fine moth is
rarely captured by the collector, but it may be reared from its larva,
which is not uncommon, and is to be found feeding on the leaves of
the poplar and cottonwood in September. It is a large green cater-
pillar three or four inches long, and on account of the rough, white
eranulations with which its body is covered, it has the appearance
of being sprinkled with dew or frosted. A closely allied insect or a
variety of this same species is rather abundant in the western states
and on the Pacific coast of this country.
i i Ee we ee 2
_
i
|
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11