THE CRANBERRY SPANWORM. 25 



UNPUBLISHED OFFICE NOTES. 



June 5, 1879, we received from Mr. William Trelease, then at 

 Dawson, Ala., larva; found feeding on cotton. June 12 a larva 

 kept under observation changed to pupa, and on June 26 the moth 

 issued, this individual having passed 14 days as pupa. The same 

 year the moth was reared on several occasions from material obtained 

 on red clover in the District of Columbia by ^Messrs. Pergande and 

 Howard. June 28 the moth issued from the pupa. August 15 the 

 larva was observed feeding; changed to pupa August 25, and issued 

 as moth March 1 of the following year. August 29 the larva was 

 observed feeding; changed to pupa September 4. the moth issuing 

 March 22 of the next year. 



February 6, 1880, we received from Lake Bearsford, Fla., from 

 Prof. J. H. Comstock, a larva obtained on orange. 



There are also reared specimens of moths in the U. S. National 

 Museum bearing labels showing the rearing of moths and occurrence 

 of larA'Oi on different plants, as follows: On locust. May 0, 1893, 

 District of Columbia ; hickory, November 24, 1894, Cadet, Mo., and 

 August 4 of the same year on pear, locality presumabh^ the District 

 of Columbia. There is also a specimen labeled " on guava," proba- 

 bly from Florida. 



August G, 1904, specimens of this spanworm were received from 

 Calhoun, Ala., where they were found feeding on cotton and w^ere 

 mistaken for the cotton leaf-worm {Alabama argillacea Hbn.). The 

 adult issued August 29. Larvfe were about full-grown when received, 

 August 9, and it seems probable that they underwent a short stage 

 of aestivation before transforming to pupee, as the pupal stage is less 

 than 20 days in midsummer. 



During the first two weeks of October for several years larvae have 

 been observed on asparagus grown in the District of Columbia, the 

 species appearing in moderate numbers. The first moth that has 

 been reared from October-collected larvae appeared in January, and 

 others appeared in February. As this was in confinement the dates 

 were not natural ones. 



LIST OF FOOD PLANTS. 



It is, as previously remarked, owing to the onniivorous habit of this 

 species, causing a distribution of attack, that noticeable injury has 

 not been ascribed to it elsewhere than in cranberry bogs. It is com- 

 mon enough in the vegetable and truck garden, but not confined to 

 any particular place on the farm, occurring in orchards, on forest 

 and shade trees, and on other plants. The list of observed food plants 

 includes asparagus, strawberry, blackberry, ornamental geranium, 

 apple, pear, orange, willow, hickory, cranberry, honey locust, cotton, 

 clover, and guava. As a rule the larva? confine themselves to the 



