ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION. 



This insect is a iintiAe American species, and was described by 

 Thomas Say, of Philadelphia, early in the present century. Its food 

 ])lant prior to the introchiction of the peach by Europeans was un- 

 doubtedly some of the wild plums, and the fact that this country is its 

 native home easily explains its present wide distribution. It occurs 

 ])ractically wherever the peach is grown throughout the United States, 

 our records covering the country from Maine southward to the Gulf 

 and westward to the Pacific Slope. Naturally, its presence is most 

 noticeable in the districts where peach growing is a prominent indus- 

 try, notably in Maryland and Delaware, and from Michigan southward 

 throughout the upper valley of the Mississippi and its tributaries. 



NATURAL HISTORY AND HABITS. 



There is but one generation of larvic annually. The moths appear 

 as early as May in the latitu.de of AVashington, D. C, and southward, 

 over what approximates the lower austral region. In the upper aus- 

 tral region, roughly comprising the States above the cotton belt and 

 below the northern tier, the moths do not appear until after the mid- 

 dle of June. In the transition region, which comprises the northern 

 tier of States, together with most of Xew York and New England, the 

 moths appear chiefly in July and later, emerging, however, as early as 

 June, and belated individuals as late as October. June and July are 

 therefore the Avorst months for the moths over the principal jieach 

 districts. 



The Qgg is deposited on the bark, usualW at or near the surface of 

 the ground, although rarely it may be placed well up on the trunk or 

 in the crotches of the larger branches. The egg is very minute, not 

 exceeding 0.2 mm. in length, oval, yellowish brown in color, and ir- 

 regularly ornamented with hexagonal sculpturing. The young larva 

 on hatching is very active, and immediately burrows into the bark, 

 usually entering at cracks. Having worked its way to the sapwood, 

 usually near or below the surface of the ground, it feeds steadily 

 through the balance of the summer and well into the fall, constantly 

 enlarging its excavation, and causing the exudation of the gum, inter- 

 mixed with excrement and fragments of bark, which is so characteris- 

 tic of its presence. It remains dormant in the larval state during 

 winter and resumes feeding again the following spring, reaching full 

 growth in the central districts by the middle of June. It transforms 

 to chrysalis Mnthin an elongate, cocoon-like cell constructed of its own 

 frass and particles of bark attached with gum and threads of silk. 

 The moths emerge very shortly after the chrysalis state is assumed, 

 usually only a few days intervening. The males appear a few days 

 earlier than the females. 



The full-grown larva attains a length of about an inch, is rather 

 robust, of a yellowish white color, with head and first segment brown. 



It'ir. 171 



