GOAT MOTH (Cossus ligniperda). The Goat Moth produces not only one of the largest of known European caterpillars, but also one of the most destructive to timber and fruit trees. The perfect insect measures from 2 3/4in. to 3in. from point to point of its fore wings, which are of an ashy-brown colour, shaded with dark brown, especially across the middle, and marked with many irregular transverse streaks, in the form of network. The hind wings are brown, the reticulation being marked with somewhat obscure lines; hence, the insect is difficult to detect while at rest, with folded wings, upon the stems of trees during the day. The female has a powerful ovipositor for the purpose of securing her eggs in crevices of the bark. As soon as the larvae are hatched, they commence to eat away the bark next them, and, as growth proceeds, make their way towards the heart of the tree. The caterpillar when fully grown, measures 4in. long, and is as thick as a man's finger. It exudes a liquid of a powerful and foetid odour, somewhat resembling the unpleasant effluvium exhaled by the he-goat, whence the English name. The body is smooth, and bears short, scattered hairs; it is dark red on the back, with spiracles, or breathing apertures, of the same colour along the sides; the sides and under surface of the body are flesh-coloured, and the head is black. The jaws are very powerful, and capable of cutting the hardest wood. When two years old, the caterpillar changes to light yellow, surrounds itself with a strong cocoon, made of chips of wood, and assumes the pupa state--generally in spring, the perfect insect appearing in June or July. Remedies. The remedies suggested are: Coating the trees with a mixture of cow-dung and clay, to prevent egg-laying; injecting paraffin or sulphur fumes into the holes; and felling the trees, splitting up, and destroying the caterpillars when badly infested.