96 



Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y 



der growing leaves or flower buds, tying tliem together with its 

 silken threads, and thus foruiing for itself a well protected nest 

 within which its destructive work goes on (Figs. 32 and 36), It 

 does not conline its work to one or two leaves orJl^flowers, but 

 seems to delight in devouring a part of a leaf here or one side of a 

 developing flower there. So that nearly ever3^ leaf or flower in the 

 opening bud is forced to contribute to the greed of the little creature, 

 thus greatly increasing its destructiveness. 



It is especially destructive on young trees or nursery stock as 

 it then most often attacks the terminal buds, sometimes burrow- 

 ing down the shoot for two 

 or three inches causing it 

 to die, and thus greatly 

 marring the symmetry of 

 the tree. 



The later work of the 

 caterpillars in the opening 

 leaves has been well de- 

 scribed by Professor Corn- 

 stock as follows : 



" The larva settles on 

 one of the more advanced 

 leaves, of which it cuts 

 the ])etiole half 

 either near its 

 cloi^e to the leaf 

 it wilts. Of this half dead 

 leaf it forms a sort of tube 

 by rolling the edge of one 

 side more or less down and 

 fastening it with silken 

 threads and then lining the inside sparsely with silk. If the leaf 

 which it has selected as its flnal home should become too weak at 

 the place where it has been cut so that there may be danger of its 

 falling to the ground ; then the larva goes to work and either 

 strengthens it with silk which is fastened to the twig and petiole 

 or ties the apical portion of the tube to another leaf or cuts that part 



through 



base or 



so that 



vJ«Nh.a:r»-. 



36.— Characteristic nest of the bU'l iiiotli citprpillnr ; 

 and sfVfral of the curious fggs, greatly enlarged, 

 laid bv thn moth. 



