June, '21] WADLEY: variegated cutworm 273 



structive numbers, together with its voracious appetite for nearly all 

 crops, have made it a dreaded pest. The developmental stages have 

 been well described and figured by various workers. 



The work on which this article is based was done by the writer while 

 a field assistant with the federal Bureau of Entomology, Truck Crop 

 Insect Investigations, at Wichita, Kansas, in 1915. Some data has 

 been drawn from work done by Mr. F. B. Milliken, with the writer's 

 assistance, in 1914, at Garden City, Kansas; and from notes of occur- 

 rence made at various times by Mr. Mililiken and the writer. 



The larvae were reared in the insectary in jelly glasses, in. which soil 

 had been placed, and were fed various kinds of green leaves. The 

 adults were kept in cloth-covered cages outdoors, and given sugar- 

 water and alfalfa blossoms. Eggs were deposited on the cloth of the 

 cage, and could be clipped off or allowed to hatch in place. The season 

 of 1915 was unusually cool, that of 1914 about normal. 



Development 



Egg. The egg is hemispherical, a little less than 1 millimeter in di- 

 ameter, and is a clear, pale yellow when first deposited, changing to 

 brown by the second day and darkening slowly thereafter. Some egg 

 masses, presvimably unfertilized, fail to show this color change. Of 

 about 3,000 apparently normal eggs observed, 75% hatched, different 

 egg masses varying from 7 to 100% fertility. 



In hot weather eggs will hatch in 4 days. In 1915 the average was 

 5.2 days, var^'ing from 4 to 6 days. In May, 1914, 7 days were re- 

 quired. Eggs in a single mass will often vary a day in hatching. 



Larva. The larvae on first hatching move with a looping gait, but 

 soon take on the customary cutworm movement. This species grows 

 faster, is more active, and feeds more greedily than most cutworms. 

 The larvae are found by day hidden in loose sdII, among surface trash, 

 or under some object. They seem to the writer to be leaf feeders 

 rather than typical cutworms in their feeding habits. Many records 

 show that they climb plants to feed, and that in some cases they bur- 

 row for food, such as potato tubers. In case food is scarce the larvae 

 will consume every green portion of the plant, and migrate some dis- 

 tance in search of food. In the insectary alfalfa, several common 

 vegetables and weeds were greedily eaten, with special partiality for 

 pigweed, cabbage, and turnip leaves. The larvae eventually reach a 

 length of 1% to l}i inches and a diameter of about % inch. There is 

 much variation in depth of color, but a row of yellow spots down the 



