508 FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



the University of the State of New York iu 41st report N. Y. State 

 Museum Nat. Hist, for 1887. 



Mr. Shelby Reed, of Scottsville, Monroe County, N. Y., sends leaves of the yellow 

 birch, Betiila lutea, infested with a small caterpillar, which are very numerous (forty- 

 eight had been counted on a single leaf) and eat the upper and lower surfaces of the 

 leaves, leaving only the transparent inner tissue. "The trees infested with them 

 have a brown and scorched appearance, and light comes down through the thickest 

 foliage as through a softened skylight." 



The caterpillar is 0. 18 to 0. 22 long, slender, deeply incised at the joints, tapering 

 at the extremities, and subcylindrical ; head pale brown, slightly bilobed, ocelli and 

 mandibles black, mouth-parts jirojecting : body dull, pale green, bearing a few short 

 hairs on the usual spots and longer ones on the first segment; terminal pair of pro- 

 legs projecting. Walks slowly and hangs by a thread when it falls. 



A few of the larvie had spun cocoons on the surface of the leaf when received. On 

 the following day nearly all had made or were engaged in making their cocoons. 



The moth. — The ornamentation of this species differs from that of any other yet found 

 in this country, and though allied to B. eidarella of Europe, it is still quite distinct. 



Head white, tuft tipped with dark reddish brown, and the face faintly tinged with 

 purplish fuscous. Upper surface of the thorax brown, margined all around by white. 

 Base of the fore wings white, followed by an oblique brown fascia, which is nearest 

 the base on the costal margin, and is followed by an oblique parallel white fascia ; 

 all of these are placed before the middle, and are followed by a large brown patch 

 which occupies the entire wing to the ciliie, except that it contains a white spot on 

 the middle of the costal margin. The brown patch is margined before on the dorsal 

 margin of the wing by a small tuft of raised brown scales. At the beginning of the 

 dorsal ciliae is a white spot placed a little before, but becomes almost confluent with 

 A longer whit^ costal streak. Behind these streaks to the apex the wing is pale 

 brown, with a darker velvety-brown apical spot. Cilise pale yellowish, with a darker 

 brown hinder marginal line before their middle, not extending into the costal ciliae. 

 Hind wings pale fuscous. Expanse of wings, | inch. (Chambers.) 



78. Tineid larva. 



The white silken round cocoons of this Tineid were noticed during 

 the first week in September at Brunswick, Me., on the upper surface 

 of the leaf of the white birch, the larva previously feeding exposed on 

 the upper surface and eating little patches on the upper side. 



Larva. — Body cylindrical, pale greenish; head pointed in front, much narrower 

 than the first thoracic segment ; five pairs of abdominal legs, the last pair long and 

 slender, directed backwards. The hairs sparse, and about two-thirds as long as the 

 body is thick, arising from whitish, distinct, piliferous warts. The segments are 

 quite convex, the sutures well marked. Length, 5-6™™. 



Cocoon. — Orbicular, 2 to 3™™ in diameter, of white silk, inclosing the larva, which is 

 curled up within. 



79. Leaf-blotch miner. 



The blotch mines of this Tineid were observed July 6 to 10 at Bruns- 

 wick, Me., on the yellow birch. Usually the larva makes one or two 

 mines on the under side of the leaf between the secondary veins, either 

 near the midrib or nearer the edge of the leaf. They are irregularly 

 oval, rounded at each end, forming a bross^n patch about 10™™ long by 

 4-5™™ wide. On the upper side of the leaf the mine is outlined by a 

 whitish oval line. July 10 most had left the mine, leaving a small mass 

 of black "frass." In some cases the edge of the leaf was turned over 

 or folded over at the apex. 



