60 
THE CABBAGE LOOPER. 
( Plusia brassice Riley.) 
The remarkable scarcity of this species during the entire spring, 
summer, and autumn of 1899 has been mentioned in an earlier article 
(Bul. 22, n. s., p. 59). It was, therefore, a cause of considerable sur- 
prise to find larvee in abundance during the last week of November in 
1900, the work of this species and Prer/s rapx being quite noticeable 
on the older leaves of cabbage. The finding of larve only a quarter 
grown showed that eggs had been deposited during the month. 
Larvee were kept ina cool indoor temperature and fed freely on eab- 
bage leaves. All but one, however, sickened and died within a week 
after capture. The last larve of this lot died when full grown, Decem- 
ber 11. Numerous larvee, however, were still living in the fields where” 
this species was under observation, all of the living ones observed 
being in first-class condition December 13. One larva was found less 
than half grown, showing that eggs had been deposited about the last 
week of November. 
The cabbage looper is an unusually voracious species, developing 
rapidly, and a single individual is capable of doing considerable dam- 
age, as when at work on pea. On cabbage, while the larvee are feeding 
on the outer leaves, the plant can more readily withstand defoliation. 
One looper was noticed to eat more than its own bulk each day. 
DESCRIPTIVE. 
The moth which produces this looper is of somewhat obscure appear- 
ance, although its markings are fairly regular and constant. The upper 
wings are grayish brown, mottled with gray, whitish, and blackish. 
Just on the inner side of the inner half of the wings there is a varia- 
ble white mark, looking, particularly in the male, something like 
the letter Y. The hind-wings are paler brown, with the latter half 
more or less infuscated, and both wings are strongly scalloped, as shown 
in the illustration. The veins of the hind-wings are rather strongly 
defined. The lower surface is pale brown, and both the upper and 
lower surfaces are shining. The wing expanse varies from about an 
inch and one-eighth to an inch and three-eighths. 
The egg.—Vhe egg is silvery white in color, with no appearance of 
iridescence, and as it rests upon a green leaf, the color of the leaf 
showing through causes it to appear pale green. It is of the usual 
semiglobular Noctuid form, the surface strongly marked with radiat- 
ing vertical ribs, about forty-eight in number as counted from the 
sides from which they project rather feebly but distinctly, and forty 
as counted from above where some vanish. Cross strive are not dis- 
tinct, but the spaces between the ribs are filled with rounded concave 
areas. The lower surface of attachment is nearly smooth and not 
ribbed. The diameter is about 0.6"" and the height 0.4™™. 
