52 



lighter form, coiled in the position which the larva assumes when 

 disturbed, is illustrated at c. Still lighter larvse occur. 



The pupa presents no obvious characters for description. The 

 color is dark brown at maturity, and the tip of the body ends in a 

 pair of minute spines. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Peridroma saucia is cosmopolitan and very widely distributed over 

 Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North and South America. In the 

 United States it is injurious practically throughout the arable region. 



Duiing the season of 1000 injury was particularly severe in Wash- 

 ington and Oregon, and was reported also in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, 

 West Virginia, Illinois, and California. 



RECENT IN.TURY IN GREENHOUSES. 



Injury in greenhouses has been reported during the past six years 

 to roses and carnation plants near New York City, to carnations at 

 New London, Conn., to cultivated violets at Campbell, Va., and to 

 violets also at Charlottesville, Va. At the last place it was noticed 

 that larvffi ate blossoms as well as leaves. 



A list of ornamental plants which have been noted to be affected b}^ 

 this cutworm includes violets, pansies, carnations, roses, smilax, sweet 

 pea, hollyhock, sunflower, and chrysanthemums. 



Mr. M. V. Slingerland, in writing of this species and its injuries, in 

 1895 (Bui. 104, Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 581), says: 



It would climl> up the flower .stalks iu the evening, and, upon reaching the 

 blossom, would tiruily grasp the stalk just below with its prolegs, and then reach 

 out as far as possible unto the jietals and eat them down to the base; the outer por- 

 tion of the i:)etals which it could not reach usually dropped to the ground, often to 

 be eaten by cutworms just coming from their day retreats. One cutworm would 

 thus quickly damage these beautiful blossoms, and frequently two or three of them 

 would completely destroy a whole blossom in a single night. 



ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE SPECIES, 



Considerable has been ascertained in regard to the life history of 

 this species. In fact, we know much more about it than of most cut- 

 worms, but published accounts are somewhat conflicting, showing- 

 great variability in the life economj^ of the species not entirely trace- 

 able to different environment. 



During recent investigations larv« have frequently been taken 

 during the winter when they have come out to feed on warm days. 

 This, however, is no indication that the species does not also hi))ernate 

 as a moth and also as pupa, as surmised by Slingerland and others. 

 Egg masses that were found late in the year hatched during the latter 

 days of October. Enough has been learned also to show that an 

 indefinite number of generations can be produced indoors. At this 



