THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



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hatching the larva moults; the skin ruptures between the head and the cervi- 

 cal shield and also splits a little ways along the back, and through this 

 opening the larva crawls out of its old skin. Just after moulting the 

 head and tubercles are a pale straw colour, later they become darker, and 

 in the last stages of the larva they are almost black. The observed 

 differences between the stages are a gradual increase in the size and depth 

 of colouring of the tubercles, and a decrease in the relative length of the 

 hairs. Before reaching its full growth the larva probably moults five 

 times. In the fall, as the cold weather advances, the larva; begin to spin 

 nests in the axils of the leaves, where they retire when not feeding and in 

 which grass is allowed to collect and around which the remains of partially 

 devoured leaves are drawn, making a very complete hiding place. Later 

 the nests in the axils of the leaves are deserted and similar nests are con- 

 structed upon the surface of the soil. These nests are lined with a thick 

 layer of silk and are covered with a thick coating of particles of soil or 

 bits of dried grass, making a thick, warm nest in which the larvee pass 

 the winter. 



There seem to be three broods a year. In September of 1892 the 

 simultaneous pupation of a large number of larvae was very noticeable. 

 The pupa state lasted about ten days, the adults emerged, eggs were laid 

 and the larvje moulted three or four times before cold weather forced them 

 to retire for the winter. These hibernating larvae come forth in the 

 spring, complete their growth, pupate and the adults probably emerge in 

 the first half of May. The second brood flies in the latter part of June, 

 and the third brood, as already observed, flies the latter part of Septem- 

 ber. If the adult stage lasts four weeks or more, it would not be strange 

 if the broods overlapped a little, especially the second and third 

 broods, and this is borne out by a reliable record. During the year of 1889 

 the Entomological Department of the Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 at Ithaca, N.Y., ran six trap lanterns from May 1 to October 20. 

 Nomophila noctuella was picked out, the sexes determined and the 

 results tabulated. 



