PALMER WORM THE WORM DESCRIBED. 227 



allow its being retained, were it otherwise entitled to stand. 

 Chaetochilus pometellus thus becomes the scientific name of the 

 palmer worm moth. Dr. Harris proposes "the little Snout moth" 

 as the common name for this insect; but the designation Snout- 

 moth is popularly applied to a very different group of insects, 

 pertaining to the genus Hyjjena in the Family Pyralidce; and the 

 name palmer worm is so well established that no other designa- 

 tion for this species appears to be required or desirable. 



When they are young these worms eat only the green pulpy 

 tissues of the leaf, leaving its net work of veins entire. But as 

 they become larger and more robust they consume the whole of 

 the leaf except the coarse veins. It is the young and tender 

 leaves, however, which grow at and near the tips of the limbs, • 

 which they prefer; the older and tougher leaves are commonly 

 eaten only at their tip ends, and have irregular holes of various 

 sizes gnawed in them, some of these holes being no larger than 

 a puncture made with a pin. The green succulent ends of the 

 twigs are also frequently ate off. And the young apples which 

 were nearly as large as walnuts when these worms made their 

 appearance, almost without exception had either round holes or 

 larger irregular cavities gnawed in their surface. Thus wounded 

 they wilt and fall from the tree, a few only having the wounds 

 so slight that they recover and remain upon the tree till they 

 ripen. 



Both the larvae or worjns, and the moths are much more vari- 

 able in their colors and irregular in their marks when they are 

 excessively numerous, than they appear to be at other times. 

 The larvx when small are somewhat tapering, as represented in the first 



figure of the cut, and pale yellow varied only 

 with a darker stripe along the middle of the 

 back and a darker head. They grow to 

 nearly half an inch in length, and are then 

 more nearly cylindrical, as represented in 

 the second figure. They have sixteen feet, 

 and bodies divided into thirteen segments by transverse constrictions. When 

 approaching to maturity they are commonly of a pale green or yellowish 

 green color, but when these worms are numerous, specimens of a sulphur 

 yellow, watery whitish and flesh red colors will be met with. They are paler 

 or whitish beneath. Along each side of the back a dusky or blackish stripe 

 running the whole length of the body is the most conspicuous and constant 

 mark which they possess. Above this a narrower whitish stripe is more or 



