CECRO'PIA MOTH, Platysamia cecropia, the largest moth of the United States; belonging to the family bembycidm, it is akin to the silk-worm. Its larva grows to be between 3 and 4 in. long, and is a most beautiful object; its color is a tender green, shading into blue upon its sides; on its head it wears an amber-colored knob raised upon a short stem, and armed with short black points; rows of smaller knobs adorn the back and sides, those along the sides being turquoise blue; the foremost four on the back are amber-colored. The larva feeds upon nearly all kinds of fruit trees, the maple, willow, and sonic other trees. It spins a large cocoon, sometimes attached to the under-side of a twig, when it is closely woven and tapers to a point at each end; sometimes in the space between forking limbs, when it is loosely made, and is often as large as a goose-egg. The outer and inner surfaces of the cocoon are somewhat con densed, so that there appear to be two cocoons or coverings. In the earlier stages of the spinning, the insect often thrusts the silk in loops through the openings between the threads, and these loops make it difficult to reel the silk; by dissolving in an alkali the gum which the insect exudes to harden the cocoon, and by using great care, it is possi ble to reel the silk, but it is dark and coarse, and would be fit for only coarse and strong fabrics. It has been carded and spun. The larva does not thrive in confinement, but
might be cultivated in the open air with a little pains. The moth appears in June; its wings expand from 5 to 7 in.; its general color is dark brown thickly powdered with gray; the borders of the wings are clay-colored, and each wing bears a light gray kid ney-shaped spot, bordered with lines of red and black. The antennm of the males are particularly large and fine, the main stem being feathered on each side with long branches in pairs. Like other lepidopterous larvm, the cecropia is preyed upon by various parasites, two species of ichneumon flies being notable.