92 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



it works in the sweet corn, the measure suggested by Prof. French, several years ago, 

 which was late plowing in the fall, will do much to hold the species in check. In the 

 South the most sensible and practical suggestion that I have seen mentioned is to plant 

 corn early among the cotton in order to attract the early brood of 'Worms, and then destroy 

 the corn in a way to kill the depredators. 



For the major portion of the cutworms, I have much faith in laying down of poisoned 

 grass or clover baits, but the larvas of Hadena devastatrix, Brace, and H. stipata, Morris, 

 can not be reached in this manner, as they do not come to the surface to feed. The first 

 eats the plants directly off a short distance above the roots, while the last eats into the 

 stem at about the same place, then tunnels its way upward, eating out the heart after the 

 manner of the Stalk Borer, Hydroecia oiitela, Gn. 



I have here to introduce a third species of Hadena, H. fractilinea, Grt., and an 

 entirely new depredator in our cornfields, at least so far as published records are concerned. 

 In fact we rarely find the species mentioned at all in our entomological literature. The 

 imago was described in the Canadian Entomologist (vol. vi, p. 15, January, 1874), the hab- 

 itat there being given as Canada (Petit), Albany, N. Y., (Lintner). Prof. G. H. French, 

 who first determined the species for me, has it from Maine and New York, and Prof. 

 John B. Smith has it from Maine to (Jhio, Minnesota to Colorado. How far south it ex- 

 tends I do not know. The adults are so exceedingly quick in movement and secluded in 

 habit that it is not surprising that it should be overlooked. Several specimens of both 

 sexes that were transferred from the cage in which they were reared to another in which 

 grass was growing were not observed afterwards. 



The habits of the larv;^ are in strange contrast with those of stipata, at least in the 

 cornfields, where that species works entirely below ground, entering the stem just above 

 the roots and eating its way upward, while in this species they climb up the plant and 

 eat downward, devouring the whole interior of the stem down to a point where the 

 stipata would begin. If the plant be a young one — that is only 2 or 3 inches in height 

 — these larvae will enter the cylinder formed by the youngest leaf ; but if the plant be 

 older and tougher they will eat downward along the edges until the tissue is 

 more tender, when they will enter the stem and work downward. The time of 

 oviposition I am unable to give. Larvae, from two thirds to quite full grown, were 

 taken the last of June, when they were said by farmers to be disappearing. From 

 these larvse imagoes appeared, in the insectary^ the last days of July and up to the 

 10th of August. I did not observe them, nor can I learn of their occurrence else- 

 where than on spring-plowed grass land, and this, either wholly or in part, timothy 

 sward. There appeared to be no difference in point of injury between early and late 

 spring plowing. There did not appear to be any disposition on the part of the larvje 

 to wander about, but if the corn was planted in hills, after finishing one stalk they 

 would abandon it and attack another, and so on until all were destroyed. 



The larvae, from which all of my adults were reared, were taken from corn plants, 

 either in the field or from plants sent me by my correspondents, and I saw every one of 

 them in transferring them to the breeding cages. All were working in corn in precisely 

 the same manner and there was certainly no noticeable difference in the larvae. The 

 imagoes, however, were those of two species, as they are now understood, the larger num- 

 ber being the one imder consideration, while the remainder were Hadena misera, Grt. 

 If, therefore, the two species are distinct, then this almost must be added to the list of 

 corn-destroying insects, and a further study will be necessary to separate the larvae, whose 

 depredations appear not to differ. Prof. Smith writes me that he has this last species 

 from Colorado, taken by Bruce, and also from Minnesota, bred by Prof Lugger. All this, 

 of course, does not disprove the validity of the species, as, if I remember rightly, there is 

 a strong resemblance between the larvae of ff. fractilinea and H. stipata, as I observed 

 them in corn in Indiana some years ago. 



The various species of web worms, larvte of several species of Crambus, are, of late, 

 working nearly as much damage in our cornfields as are the cutworms, and are even less 

 accessible. The larvte of at least three species have this season devastated the cornfields 

 of eastern Ohio, one of which appears to feed below ground exclusively. For my part, I 



