140 FoRTY-xiXTH Report ox the State Museum 



were composed of dried, half-eaten foliage inclosed with web. This de- 

 struction was not local but was apparent in several diverse localities in 

 the vicinity of Ithaca. The injury to this plant occasions no regret; the 

 above facts are simply put on record as evidence of the nature of the in- 

 sect and also as of value in determining the habits of allied species which 

 may not destroy a plant of so little economic value. 



Description of the Larval Stages. 



First stage. — Head diameter, 0.475 n^rn- ; body diameter, 0.625 rnni-j 

 length, 4. mm. Head, thoracic shield, tubercles and true feet a sooty 

 yellow; eyes dark brown ; sutures of the head nearly black ; clypeus well 

 defined, triangular; thoracic shield mottled with brown spots; body 

 greenish-yellow. The thoracic shield bears three nearly equidistant sette 

 along its anterior margin ; two along its posterior margin, and one 

 smaller near the center of each half. Below the thoracic shield two large 

 tubercles, each with two setae. On thoracic segments two and three, 

 five large tubercles above the legs, all but the posterior in the stigmatal 

 line and the substigmatal tubercle with two setae. Abdominal tubercles 

 in six rows; subdorsal and sub ventral on posterior portions of segments ; 

 substigmatal with two, the one at base of prolegs with three setae, cor- 

 responding one on legless segments the same. See figure of larva of 

 Mecyna reversalis (Fig. 4) for general arrangement of these setae. Paired 

 ventral tubercles occur on the thoracic and all but the last abdominal 

 segment; on segments bearing prolegs they are well down on the leg, 

 each with one seta. Described July i6th, several days after hatching. 



Second stage. — Head diameter 0.75 mm. ; length about 7. mm. Head 

 and thoracic shield mottled with brown ; tubercles a little larger than in 

 preceding stage and a greenish black. Described July i8th. 



Third stage. — Head diameter 1.122 mm.; length 10. mm. The larvae 

 are a Uttle darker than in the preceding stage. Described July 2 2d. 



Fourth and last stage. — Head diameter r.63 mm.; body diameter 

 4 mm.; length 18. mm. Head, thoracic and anal shields heavily mottled 

 with black on a yellowish-white ground; small, black tubercles occur on 

 the head. General color of the body ochreous; tubercles, spiracles, and 

 thoracic legs jet black. Described July 31st. 



The Pupa State. 

 The caterpillars do not pupate at once after they have ceased feeding. 

 They usually wander around for six or seven days before spinning up ; it 

 appears to make no difference whether there are abundant places to 

 pupate in or not ; the larvae will not spin up until the lapse of a certain 

 period. At the end of this time they spin a reddish-brown, fenestrated 

 cocoon, within which they remain without undergoing marked changes 

 for some time; some examples remained in the larval state at least two 

 weeks and probably longer. BeutenmuUer states that the insect passes 

 the winter in the larval state, but pupje were found by me in the field 

 during August. Most of the eggs were laid before the middle of July and 



