47 
that a year passes that this cutworm is not reported as the cause of 
more or less loss to the farmer, wheat grower, and florist, but the 
season of 1900 was by far the most remarkable in its history. 
DESCRIPTION. 
The moth.—The progenitor of this cutworm is a large, somewhat 
inconspicuous moth, the species belonging, as do other cutworms, to 
the family Noctuide. The fore-wings are pale grayish-brown, tinged 
with reddish and shaded about the middle and toward the outer margin 
with darker brown. There is considerable variability in the depth of 
color and in the markings, the latter being often suffused. A com- 
mon form of the moth is shown (fig. 9, a). The reniform spot is some- 
Fie. 9.—Peridroma saucia: a, moth; b, normal form of larva, lateral view; c, same in curved position; 
d, dark form, dorsal view; e, egg from side; /, egg mass on twig (after Howard). 
times pronounced, as is also a rounded spot near the reniform and 
between it and the base of the wing. 
The ground color of the hind-wings is iridescent or pearly white, 
strongly shaded about the margins with shining light brown, the veins 
being of a similar color and strongly marked. ‘The head and thorax 
are of about the same general color as the fore-wings, while the abdo- 
men is a little lighter and thickly covered with long paler pubescence 
which extends nearly to the middle. The wing expanse is about an 
inch and three-fourths (44 mm.), and the length of the body is about 
three-fourths of an inch (19 mm.). 
The egg.—The egg is of the usual semiglobular form seen in the cut- 
worm group of Noctuids. The outline is circular, the surface is 
strongly ribbed, the ribs, about 42 in number, radiating from the 
center and extending in points beyond the sides. These ribs are 
