24 HALF HOURS WITH LN'SECTS. [Packard. 



and gvap^ vines, eating off the fruit buds ; while another 

 larva, not of a true Agrotis however, in New England cuts 

 off the soft fresh shoots of the currant. 



Mr. Cochrane says that the western moth alwa3-s prefers 

 "to lay her eggs near the hill or mound over the roots 

 of the trees in the orchard and if, as is many times the 

 case, the trees have a spring dressing of lime or ashes with 

 the view of preventing the operations of the May Beetles, 

 this will be selected with unerring instinct by the miller, 

 thns giving her larvae a fine warm bed to cover themselves 

 with during the day from the observation of their enemies." 

 It is probable that the females of all the Dart Moths deposit 

 their eggs at the roots of grass, stubble, etc, in the sum- 

 mer and early autumn, and sometimes in the spring. It is 

 a weighty reason for burning all stubble or ploughing it 

 under as deeply as possible, that the eggs of many insects 

 and indeed various insects themselves are thus destroyed. 

 Nearly all these moths frequent grass lands, and rise from 

 the ground on being disturbed, fly off in their headlong 

 course a few yards and drop down towards the roots of 

 the grass. 



According to Riley the eggs hatch out, and the larvas 

 acquire two-thirds their size when winter overtakes them ; 

 they then descend below the reach of the frost, there re- 

 maining torpid until the warmth of spring calls them to the 

 surface. In a few species the winter is passed in the chr^-s- 

 alis state. 



Cut worms hide by day under stones, boards or sticks, or 

 in gardens burrow into the dirt to avoid the light and heat. 

 At dark they come up to the surface and usually, according 

 to Mr. Coleman ("American Naturalist," June, 1873), appear 

 regularl}', those that he watched coming up at nine o'clock, 

 lie observed that the worm fed upon the grape in the follow- 

 ing manner. "The wormAvould come out of the ground at 

 its usual timo, ascend the vine till it came to a new shoot, 



24 



