14 THE FIG MOTH. 
cocoons during the winter and changed to pups, without feeding, in 
the spring. Again in this same publication Mr. Edw. A. Atmore? 
gave an interesting account of the occurrence of this species and 
F. ficulella in a cargo of “ decorticated cotton cake” from Galveston, 
Tex. This cargo had become wet and heated on the voyage and when 
the ship arrived at King’s Lynn, England, and the hatchways were 
opened, a cloud of the moths flew out, “settling on everything and 
everybody near.” Owing to the superabundant heat induced by the 
wetting of the cakes the moths had issued prematurely. When ex- 
posed to the cold of February they were benumbed and fell upon 
their backs. In 1885 Mr. E. L. Ragonot * furnished some new locali- 
ties for the species and in 1890 Mr. Richard South,® in a paper on 
British Lepidoptera, republished Barrett’s description, bringing to- 
gether the bibliography and known distribution with a plate figure 
of the adult. During 1891 Mr. W. T. Pearce '° wrote a short note on 
this species, stating that “ the larva forms silk-lined passages through 
dried currants and may be found in almost any case of them; there 
appears to be a constant succession of broods throughout the year.” 
He also mentioned the occurrence of a small black ichneumon para- 
site. In 1895 Mr. Edward Meyrick, in his Handbook of British 
Lepidoptera,” furnished a brief description of the moth, with distri- 
bution. 
HISTORY OF THE SPECIES IN AMERICA. 
The first record of the injurious occurrence of this moth in Amer- 
ican literature was made by the writer in 1897 1° and appeared in the 
form of a short preliminary paper entitled, “A storehouse moth new 
to the United States, with notes on other species.” An account was 
given of the observed occurrences of the species in America, to- 
gether with brief descriptive and other notes and illustration of the 
egos, larva, moth, and wing venation. 
The first recognition of the moth in this country, however, dates 
back to 1884, when, as previously stated, the species was observed 
in England in cotton cake from Galveston, Tex. Of course there 
is here the possibility that the cotton cake became infested en route, 
but it is more probable that the material was already infested before 
shipment. 
When we consider the wide distribution and omnivorous habits of 
this species in America at the present time, there is little doubt that 
it was introduced many years before the first recorded date, 1884; and 
it also seems likely, considering its abundance, that it has to a certain 
extent replaced E'phestia elutella if we assume that the latter was 
introduced at a much earlier date, as seems probable. 
During September and October, 1893, moths were issuing freely 
and flying about cases of cacao beans exhibited by Jamaica and Vene- 
