Climbing Cutworms. "" 659 



Its habits and food-plants. — Mr. Gillette sa3'S (Iowa Exp. Sta. 

 Bull. 12, p. 541) this cutworm is the typical climbing species in 

 Iowa, and lie has taken them in large numbers from the trunks of 

 box-elder, and in less numbers from apple and soft maple. How- 

 ever, the species is usually among the culprits that cut off corn and 

 other garden crops. It frequently drags its food into its day-retreat 

 where it continues to feed upon it. Dr. Riley has recorded it as 

 quite often found climbing low bushes like currants, and as occurring 

 " abundantly on a species of wild endive under the broad leaves of 

 which it frequently nestled during the day, without entering the 

 ground." It is common in grass lands and in grain fields. 



When at rest the moth folds its wings so closely and flatly over 

 its back that it is enabled to get into very narrow crevices. Hence 

 it usually lies hidden during the day " under the bark of trees, in 

 the chinks of fences, and even under loose clapboards of buildings. 

 When the blinds of our houses are opened in the morning, a little 

 swarm of these insects which had crept behind them for conceal- 

 ment is sometimes exposed and suddenly aroused from their daily 

 slumber (Harris)." They fly freely to lights and sugar baits at 

 night from June until September. 



Its name. — On account of its noticeable habit of concealing itself 

 during the day in all sorts of unsuspected places Dr. Harris very 

 appropriately named the moth clandestina — the clandestine owlet- 

 moth. The caterpillar or cutworm was named the " w-marked cut- 

 worm " by Dr. Riley, who thought he saw a resemblance to a series 

 of the letter w in the arrangement of the black spots as he looked 

 along the dorsum toward the head. In all of the specimens we have 

 seen, it requires too great a stretch of imagination to see this 

 w-mark ; Prof. Forbes also failed to find it in making his excellent 

 description of this cutworm (Fifth Report, p. 55). Therefore, in 

 spite of the fact that this name — w-marked cutworm — has been in 

 current use for a quarter of a century, we believe it best to change 

 the name slightly and call it the " well-marked cutworm ;" this only 

 adds three letters to the old name, and makes it better express a con- 

 spicuous characteristic of the cutworm. 



Its life-history. — We can add but little to the original account of 

 the life of this cutworm by Dr. Melsheimer in a letter to Dr. Harris 

 in 1841. Pie said : '' When first disclosed from the eggs they sub- 

 sist on the various grasses. They descend in. the ground on the 

 approach of frosts, and reappear in the spring about half-grown.. 



