16 



violet plant in Plate I. A few day.s later it usuall}' seeks concealment 

 l\y drawing- together by means of its fine silken webbing portions of 

 a leaf or of two leaves that happen to be contiguous. 



The terminal leaves of such creeping plants as the wandering jew 

 appear most subject to attack, while the lower leaves of taller plants 

 are most injured. As in the case of many other greenhouse insects, 

 the larvEe prefer secluded places, and plants growing in shadj^ loca- 

 tions are most affected. 



When full grown the larva prepares for pupation in different ways. 

 Sometimes it will spin up between two leaves, but more often rolls up a 

 pupa case at the edge of a leaf, if the leaf be large, cutting a slit usually 

 on one or both sides before drawing the leaf over itself. The interior it 

 lines with a thin silken membrane, and within the cocoon thus formed 

 changes to ]:)upa. In figure 1, f/, a pupal case showing slit on one side 

 is illustrated. 



Individuals that were observed in May would be feeding one day 

 and the next would form their pupa case and the same or the next day 

 would transform. 



HABITS OF THE MOTH. 



As has already been stated, the moths ffy just before sundown. 

 Indoors they rest during the daytime on the lower surface of the 

 leaves of their food plants and other low-growing plants and doubtless 

 remain thus for many hours at a time unless disturbed. When dis- 

 turbed thev ffy onl}" a very short distance before they alight and at 

 once seek the underside of a leaf again. The}" fly low and if along the 

 ground the}^ alight only to again fly up until the underside of a leaf is 

 found. In these habits the}' resemble many other moths that could 

 be mentioned. The position taken by the moth when at rest on the 

 under surface of a leaf is shown in figure 1, h. 



DEVELOPMENT AND GENERATIONS. 



It will 1)0 noted, in Buckler's account of the development of the 

 Qg^ of the European I^hhjctceniaferragaUs^ that hatching took place 

 on the tenth day. With our native leaf-tyer, eggs that were f oinid on 

 rolled violets in a rearing jar in which moths had been placed jNIay 11, 

 and which were presumably laid on that date, hatched May 23, or in 

 twelve days. 



The oldest larvie of this lot attained full growth and began crawling 

 about the rearing jar, June 10; on the 11th began spinning, and on the 

 following day had pupated, thus giving twenty days as the duration of 

 the larval stage. The individuals which developed into pupas June 12, 

 transformed to imago June 19, giving seven days as the duration of 

 the pupal period for this time of the year. The weather averaged about 

 normal, the temperature being 75-86° F. 



