Every few days the young
caterpillars cast their skins and emerged in brighter colour and
larger in size. It is usually supposed they mature in four moults,
and many of them do, but some cast a fifth skin before transforming.
When between seven and eight weeks of age, they were three inches
long, and of strong blue-green colour. Most of them had tubercles
of yellow, tipped with blue, and some had red.
They spun a leaf-cover cocoon, much the size and shape of that of
Polyphemus, but whiter, very thin, with no inner case, and against
some solid surface whenever possible. Fearing I might not handle
them rightly, and lose some when ready to spin, I put half on our
walnut tree so they could weave their cocoons according to
characteristics.
They are fine, large, gaudy caterpillars. The handsomest one I
ever saw I found among some gifts offered by Molly-Cotton for the
celebration of my birthday. It had finished feeding, soon pupated
in a sand pail and the following spring a big female emerged that
attracted several males and they posed on a walnut trunk for beautiful
studies.
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