146 VITIS LABRUSCA. 



within tho fdurth srcrnont, which sjivcs them a sliort and hlnnt appnarancc wnen 

 at rest. As thry attain a lentrth of throe iiu-hcs or more, and arc of a pro|>or- 

 tionahlo thickness, they dovonr izreat (jnantities of leaves, which is often evinced 

 by tlie long, lealless branches of the grape-vine, as well as those of the Virgin- 

 ian creeper (Anijielopsis (luincinefojia.) They arrive at fnll growth in the 

 month of Ainrnst. enter the earth, where they undergo their transformations, and 

 appear in the j)erfect or moth state, in Jime and Jidy, of the following year. 

 The vine sidfers still more severely from another species of sphinx caterpillar, 

 smaller in size than the jireceding, and, like them, solitary in their habits. Ac- 

 cording to Dr. Harris, they are not content with eating the leaves alone, in their 

 progress from leaf to leaf down the stem, but stop at every cluster of fruit, and, 

 either from stupidity or disappointment, nip off the stalks of the half-grown 

 grajies, and allow them to fall, untasted, to the ground. These caterj)illars are 

 iieshy and naked, generally of a pale-green, but sometimes brown, with a row 

 of orange-coloured spots on the top of the back, and six or seven oblique lines, 

 of a brown or dark-green, on each side. The head and fore part of the body are 

 somewhat retractile, but less so than those of the preceding species; and on the 

 hinder extremity of the body there is a short liorn or spine. When fully grown, 

 they conceal themselves, early in autumn, under the fallen leaves, which they 

 draw together by a few threads, form themselves a cocoon, or cover themselves 

 with grains of earth and rubbish, by a similar process, where they transform, 

 and finally appear in a winged state in the month of July of the succeeding year. 

 The larvae of the Procris americana are gregarious in their habits, and congre- 

 gate side by side on the same leaf, and only disperse when they are about to 

 form their cocoons. They are represented as being slightly hairy, of a greenish 

 colour, with black bands ; their cocoons of an oblong-oval, very tough, and fas- 

 tened by one side to the leaves or stems of the plants on which they feed. The 

 winged insects make their appearance, in Massachusetts, towards the end of July. 

 They are of a bluish-black, with a saffron-coloured collar, and a notched tuft on 

 the extreme end of their bodies. Their wings are very narrow, and expand 

 about an inch. The larvae of the Eudridas grata^ when fully grown, are an 

 inch and a half or more in length, of a blue colour, transversely banded with 

 deep-orange across the middle of each ring, with the bands dotted Avith black. 

 The head and feet are also of an orange, the top of the eleventh ring somewhat 

 bulging, and the fore part of the body hunched up when the insect is at rest. 

 They occur in the greatest abundance in the months of July and August, and 

 none will be found on the vines after September. They devour all parts of the 

 leaves of the grape-vines, as well as those of the Virginian creeper, even to the 

 mid-rib and stalks. When at rest, they generally cling to the under sides of the 

 leaves ; although many may be found on the same plant, they do not associate 

 with each other. W'hen they quit the vines, they bury themselves in the ground, 

 to a depth of three or four inches, and change to dark-brown chrysalides with- 

 out cocoons. The moths, which sometimes appear towards the last of June, are 

 small in size, exp3.nding from an inch and a half to an inch and three-fourths, 

 and outvie all its congeners in delicacy of colouring and beauty of design. =^ 



Among the Hymenoptera, we recognize but one species which attacks the 

 grape-vine, the Selandria viiis, or saw-fly, of Harris. The perfect insect is 

 described by him as being of a jet-black colour, except the upper side of the 

 thorax, which is red, and the fore legs and the under side of the other legs, 

 which are whitish or pale-yellow. The wings are semi-transparent, of a smoky 

 colour, with dark-brown veins. The body of the female measures one fourth of 

 an inch in length, and that of the male somewhat less. These flies rise from 



* See Harris' Report, p. 310. 



