78 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OP 



grown ones. Mr. Cochran informs me that on the apple tree, 

 when this worm has fed out its bud, the work is so effectually done, 

 that no adventitious or accessory bud ever starts again from the same 

 place; the worm, as it were, boring into the very heart of the wood 

 and effectually destroying the ability of the tree to react, at such a 

 point, in the formation of a new bud, and that consequently a tree 

 that is once stripped generally dies, and that this occurs more fre- 

 quently on small or dwarf trees, where the buds are few, and 3 or 4 

 worms in a single night can eat out every one. But I have noticed 

 that with the grape-vine this is not generally the case, as a new bud 

 almost always appears where one has been eaten off. 



Great numbers of these worms which I reared to the moth state, 

 were fed promiscuously on apple and grape-vine leaves. They began 

 entering the earth on the 20th of May, and generally issued as moths 

 nine days after thus disappearing; the last moth having issued on the 

 29th of June. 



The moth produced from this worm is easily distinguished from 

 most other owlet moths by its peculiar color. It seems allied to 

 Agrotis cursoria of Europe, and also greatly resembles one that was 

 described as A. murceniila, by Mr. Grote, and figured in Volume 1, 

 Number -1, of the American Entomological Transactions. Upon sub- 

 mitting specimens to Mr. Grote, however, he informed me that it is 

 distinct and undescribed, and I have therefore named it the Climbing 

 rustic {Agrotis scandens). It is. well represented with extended 

 wings at Plate 1, Figure 5, and with closed wings at Figure 6. The 

 general color of the upper wings is a pearly bluish -gray, while the 

 under wings are pearly white ; but as with the other species, it varies 

 greatly in color and appearance, and as I could pick out, from 30 in- 

 dividuals, at least 4 which, if taken singly would doubtless be de- 

 scribed as distinct species, it is not unlikely that Mr. Grote's murce- 

 nula, may prove identical with it after all. 



Agrotis scandens, N. Sp. — Larva. —Average length when full grown 1.40. Ground-color very 

 light yellowish gray, variegated with glancous in the shape of different sized patches, which are 

 distinctly seen under the lens, to be separated by fine lines of the light ground color. A well de- 

 fined dorsal and less distinct subdorsal and stigraatal line, caused by these patches becoming larger 

 and darker; another and still less distinct line of the same kind under stigmata. The dorsal line 

 frequently with a very fine white line alongits middle, especially atsutures of segments. Piliferous 

 spots in the norma) position ; those above black, those at the sides lighter. Stigmata black. 

 Head and cervical shield tawny, the latter with a small black spot each side, the former with two in 

 front, and two eye-spots each side. Caudal plate tawny, speckled with black. Venter and legs 

 glancous. Bristles fine and small. Filled with food it wears a much greener appearance than oth- 

 erwise while when young it is of a more uniform dirty whitish-yellow, the lines less distinct but 

 the piliferous spots proportionately larger. Head quite variable in depth of shade. 



rn-frci Insect. — Average length 0.70; alar expanse 1.50. General color of fore wings very 

 light pearly bluish-gray, with a perceptible deepening posteriorly. Quite variable, sometimes of a 

 move decided blue, at others inclining to bull' as in Leucania unipunctata, Haw. Markings, when 

 disti i t, as in Plate 1, Figures 5 and 6. With the exception of the reniform spot and subterminal 

 line, b >wever, they are usually distinct only on costa, being either indistinct or entirely obsolete 

 on the rest of the wing. The subterminal line is light, with a more or less dark diffuse shade each 

 side, which, in some instances, forms into sagittate spots. A black stain at the lower part of reni- 

 form spot forms a most distinctive character. Hind wings very pale and lacking the bluish cost of 



