. The American entomologist. Entomology. THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 79 >fxSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.^ E^grs of the AVhite-lJarkcd Tussock Moth— J. M. Hannah, Salem, N. J.—The egg mass which you tiiid s'uetl fast to your fruit trees, and which is com- posed of numerous perfectly round, cream-colored eggs, partly covered with glistening white, frotli-lilce matter, and attached to agia\ cocoon, aie the piodutt of the al)0\enuntd niotir Thev inoduce Mn inotlN utor-. ( )1 1 -lillCk \\lllll., -SI i| \ I I I I piliai"s, lue mosi sinking features being a vemiiUiou red head and neck; four cream-c
. The American entomologist. Entomology. THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 79 >fxSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.^ E^grs of the AVhite-lJarkcd Tussock Moth— J. M. Hannah, Salem, N. J.—The egg mass which you tiiid s'uetl fast to your fruit trees, and which is com- posed of numerous perfectly round, cream-colored eggs, partly covered with glistening white, frotli-lilce matter, and attached to agia\ cocoon, aie the piodutt of the al)0\enuntd niotir Thev inoduce Mn inotlN utor-. ( )1 1 -lillCk \\lllll., -SI i| \ I I I I piliai"s, lue mosi sinking features being a vemiiUiou red head and neck; four cream-colored brushes on the l)ack, and two long plumes at the head and one at the tail. Fig. 07 is a correct likeness of the lull grown female worm. It Is not often that we can guess the sex of an insect in the larval state, but with this caterpillar we can invariably do so after the lid moult. "We bred a great niunber of these worms during the past summer, and discovered that the male never gets to be more than half the size of the female, and that ho undergoes but three moults before spinning up, while she goes through her foiu-th before making her cocoon. This insect seems to have a wide range, but it is mostly confined to par- ticular orchards or localities. Indeed, since the female is wingless and invariably attaches her eggs to the out- side of her own cocoon, it follows that this insect can only travel in the caterijillar state, and that it is scat- tered through the country, principally by being carried in tiie egg state on nursery stock. It multiphes rapidly, for there are two broods a year; but, luckily for us, it is checked in its increase by numerous parasites. We have ourselves bred numerous ChaUis flies ii-om it, and also an undescribed four-winged fly, belonging to the genus Pimpla. In gathering the cocoons in the winter time, all those which have no eggs ou the outside should be left untouched, as they either contain the empty chry- salis skin of the male, or
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectentomology, bookyear1
