290 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



the others ahnost entirely skeletonized. Thus the work of the 

 case bearer ou tlie foliage is quite conspicuous, and may be easily 

 recognized with the aid of the figin-es. 



The caterpillars also often attack the forming fruit. In fact, the 

 insect first attracted public attention by its work on the fruit of 

 pears ; Dr. Liutiier has also found their work on apples. The 

 frontispiece well illustrates their work on the fruit. The cater- 

 pillar eats a circular hole through the skin and then revels in 

 the flesh beneath, sometimes eating as far as it can reach and not 

 let go of its case. Our observations indicate that after the fniit 

 attains about twice the size of the one shown in the frontispiece, it 

 is but little injured by the attacks of this case bearer * But, as 

 Mr. Fletcher states, the insect also attacks the stems 

 of the flowers and. setting fruit, and often does 

 much damage in this way. Fig. 58 shows a young 

 pear which was killed by the case-bearer attached to 

 it; we received this specimen from Albion, N. Y., 

 on May 29, 1894. 



Thus the presence of this case bearer may be indi- 

 cated, not only by its peculiar appearance, but by its 

 eating minute holes in the swelling buds, by its 

 skeletonizinff irregular areas on the leaves, bv its 



58 — a cigar-case F' j- i n . "i . 



bearer attached to attacking the stcms 01 the flowcrs and settine; fruit, 



a young pear ^ o 7 



which it had kill- or bv the destruction of the youno^ fruit itself. 



ed ; natural size. '' ./ o 



Its ISTame. 



The striking resemblance of the larger case, which the caterpillar 

 carries about with it, to a minature cigar, suggested to Mr. Fletcher 

 the apt popular name of Cigar-case bearer for this insect. 



It belongs to the large group of minute moths known as Tineids ; 

 nearly all of the Tineids are easily distinguished from other moths 

 by their narrow wings, which are bordered with very wide fringes 

 (Fig. 56). AVhen Dr. Lintner first saw this case bearer in 1888, he 



* Several larvse were placed under a net ou pears on a tree near the iusect- 

 ary ; aud although they puuctured the fruit in several places, in every case 

 the scar healed and was scarcely visible on the mature fruit. It is doubtful if 

 this case bearer has anything to do with the hard knotty kernels which are so 

 often accompanied by irregular pustular spots or cracks ; this mysterious affec- 

 tion which was so prevaleut on the fruit in many pear orchards in western 

 New York in 1894, may be the work of plant bugs or of the plum curculio. 



