230 LEPIDOPTERA 



is the regular loss in grass lands. In autumn and spring 

 they feed on the grass plants and destroy a much larger 

 amount of the growth of the grass than just what they eat 

 themselves. They cut oft' the grass and it withers and is 

 lost for either pasture or hay. The plant goes on growing 

 and the injury is often unnoticed by the cultivator even 

 where the cut worms occur by the thousands and tlie pasture 

 lands must suft'er a great deal of loss. 



The life history varies a little in dift'erent groups but most 

 of the species that are troublesome occur in the adult stage 

 in midsummer, depositing eggs which hatch in early autumn, 

 and the larvse become practically grown and form little 

 cells in the earth where they hibernate through the winter 

 and issue in the spring and feed upon spring vegetation. 

 Then they pupate in the ground in earthen cells and issue 

 as adults in midsummer, any time from the first of June 

 to the first of August. Difterent species may occur at dift'er- 

 ent dates and in some cases it is important to determine 

 the exact time of appearance for the particular species. 



Tussock Moths. — The tussock moths come in a different 

 family and one species wdiich is widely distributed is the 

 white-marked tussock moth {Notolophus leiicostigma). It 

 is pretty troublesome in orchards and on shade trees, and 

 occurs through the eastern United States and west to the 

 plains region. The larvae drop oft' from shade trees on the 

 sidewalks and on people who pass beneath. The larva is 

 the most conspicuous form and much more beautiful than 

 the adult. It is about two inches in length with rather bright 

 yellow markings along the sides and with conspicuous tufts 

 of yellowish hairs on the back and three quite conspicuous 

 long black pencils of hairs, two near the head and one on the 

 tail end, several red spots and numerous wdiitish hairs. 

 This larva when mature constructs a rather loose cocoon 

 and pupates during midsummer and early autumn and in 

 some cases the moths issue in a few days, in other cases not 

 until the following spring. There are two broods in most 

 cases, in others only one. In the case of two broods, those 

 that appear late in the summer deposit eggs which hatch 



