FAMILIES XONAGRIAD.E AND AGUOTID.t. 243 



Nonagriadac, 



The body of the mollis of tliis family is loiig ; the thorax is smooth ; the eolors are yel- 

 lowish or elay-C()kired,and the forewiiiRS are faintly streaked or loiuled. The hirvje arc 

 naked, lonp; and slender, and taper at each end : they live within the stems of reeds, and 

 feed upon the pilh and uiion the inside of roots, and hence are destructive. Uhen about 

 to transform, they £;tiaw through tlie stem to the cuticle, which is left entire, but is easily 

 broken through afterwards by the nymph. They are known by the common name of 

 tpindlcwonns. Some attack corn, to wliicli they do great injury ; others, the stems of garden 

 flowers, such as the dahlia, etc. 



The Gortynia zea of Harris belongs to this family, and is described by him as having 

 its forewings of a rusty red, and mottled with gray almost in bands : there is also an 

 irregular tawny spot near the tip, and on the veins a few black dots. Expanse of wing, 

 an inch and a half. 



Another Gorfynia attacks the roots of columbine, and has been named by Dr. Harris 

 Uucostigma, The forewings are tawny yellow, sprinkled with purple brown dots. (See 

 Harris, Insects injurious to vegetation, p. 341, 2d edition.) 



Agrotidac. 



The larvse of this family are subterranean, and come forth from the soil to feed in the 

 night, and return to their burrows before morning : they are called cufivoifns, and arc 

 exceedingly troublesome in cornfields. The moths are usually brown, and sometimes fly 

 by day, and feed upon the honey of wild plants : their wings are nearly horizontal when 

 at rest, and the forewings completely conceal the hind ones when closed. The thonix is 

 not crested. The antenna of the males are sometimes pectinated at the base, but taper to 

 slender filaments. The forelegs are spiny. 



The larvae are smooth, cylindrical, dirty white, and rather thick bodies, naked or fur- 

 nished with only a few scattering hairs : their rings are dotted. They change to chrysalids 

 in the ground. 



The attacks of these larvfc extend to many of our most useful cidtivated plants, corn, 

 cabbages, wheat, buckwheat, grasses, together with cultivated flowers. In the maize-fields, 

 however, alwut the middle of July, they seem all at once to cease their injurious work to 

 the corn plants. 



It appears from Dr. Harris's researches that we have many different species of this 

 family, all of which have the similar habit of feeding upon young and tender plants, and 

 of cutting oil' their stems just above tlie soil. 



