668 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



be readily captured. AAThen alarmed they first seek flight by run- 

 ning, rather than by flying. 



Its name. — Although this owlet-raoth was named '* the rubicund " 

 in 1790, its scientitic name — saucia — dates from 1816. It seems to 

 have no popular name in Europe except in England where it has 

 been called the " pearly uuderwing." In this country it it known 

 as the "unarmed rustic" moth, a name given it by Dr. Harris in. 

 181:1, because it lacked the common lance-shaped spot on the fore 

 wings. 



In ls69. Dr. Riley named the caterpillar " the variegated cut- 

 worm." It seems to have no common name in other countries. 



Its life-history. — More is known of the life of this cutworm than 

 of most others, and yet our knowledge is far from complete. In 

 Europe, but little has been added to Schmidt's account of its life as 

 published by Freyer about 1830. The cutworms were found late 

 in the fall under plantain and Rumex aeiiius, and changed to pupae 

 in the eauth before winter ; the moths emerged early in the spring, 

 and there was doubltess a second generation, for Mr. Schmidt found 

 some eggs in March on a dry plantain leaf and bred the moths from 

 them. In England in 1867 (Ent. Month. Mag. iv. 119, 134) eggs 

 were obtained from females taken in September and October ; these 

 hatched in from three to flve days, and pup?e were formed in Decem- 

 ber. From cutworms taken in July or August, the moths were 

 bred in September and October. The conclusions were that the 

 insect hiberaated in the pupa state and was two brooded, one brood 

 being on the wing in May and June and the other in August, Sep- 

 tember and October. 



In this country considerable more has been learned of its life. 

 The eggs, shown natural size at h and enlarged at a on plate 5, 

 have been found in April and May in regularly arranged elongate 

 patches of about 500 each. They are round and of a pink color 

 with about forty prominent longitudinal ridges connected somewhat 

 irregularly with numerous transverse lines ; just before hatching 

 they change to a lavender color. These patches of eggs have been 

 found on the bark of the twigs, trunks, and. branches of young 

 apple, pear, and peach trees, on the trunk of plum and mulberry 

 trees, on the twigs of bur-oak, on grape-vines, and on the leaves of 

 mulberry. They were first identified by Dr. Riley in 1869. 



The eggs are probably laid in the spring, but the duration of this 

 stage is not known. Some have hatched as early as April 9th, and 



