THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 73 



brooded, for a poplar-feeding larva found the latter part of May, and 

 which spun up on the 14th of June, did not produce the moth till the 

 following April; but specimens obtained near St. Louis often produce 

 the moth during July of the same year that they are found as worms. 

 In this last case a second brood is doubtless produced the same year 

 though it is barely possible that the moths winter over and do not 

 deposit till spring; for they are characterized by having very flat 

 bodies, and with their wings folded flatly on their backs they are 

 often found hiding in narrow cracks and crevices where they seem to 

 love to shelter. 



There is an insect (Amphipyra pyramided, Linn.) very common 

 throughout the continent of Europe, on Elm, Poplar, Oak, and other 

 trees, and known in England as the Copper Underwing, which our 

 pyramidoides, as its name implies, so very closely resembles in all its 

 stages, that it is diflicult for one who has become acquainted with 

 both insects in the field, to bring himself to believe that they are 

 really distinct species. No one can behold the two moths and specu- 

 late on their great similarity, without feeling that such close resem- 

 blance between the insects of two continents is hard to account for 

 on any other theory than that of community of descent; or without 

 questioning whether there really are differences enough to make two 

 species, when he reflects that far greater variations often occur in the 

 particular species of a given continent! The most constant differ- 

 ence seems to occur in the larvae which, though they a^ree in almost 

 every other detail, differ in the European species having the pyra- 

 midal hump more strongly developed and capped with ared horn-like 

 point which curves backwards, while in our species this point is more 

 or less obsolete and not red. 



Ivemedies.— This worm is easily kept in check by hand-picking, 

 and though its moth is attracted by sweets, it has never been numer- 

 ous enough in the past to warrant this mode of capturing it. We 

 have no good description of this insect in the English language, so I 

 subjoin one. 



Amphipyra pyramidoides, Guen.— Larva, (Fig. 32.)— Length when full grown 1.20-1.30 

 inch. Smallest at joint 1, largest at joint 11 which rises pyramidally above the others. Color 

 pale bluish-green inclining to whitish dorsally, and rather darker at each end than in the middle 

 of body. A continuous narrow cream-colored medio-dorsal line extending from the head to ex- 

 tremity of anal shield ; a subdorsal line of the same color or somewhat more yellow, wavy and 

 broken into 4 or 5 unequal spots on each of joints 1-10, more or less distinct, ascending continu- 

 ously on joint 11 to the summit of pyramid, descending in a curve and vanishing in the anal shield; 

 a broader stigmatal line, bright sulphur-yellow, except where intercepted by stigmata where it is 

 white, distinct, on joints 1 and 2, less so on 3 and i, and running straight to the extremity of anal 

 shield. Looking downwards from the top of the pyramid, six lines seem to radiate from it in as 

 many different directions. Besides these lines, each joint has about ten cream-colored pilit'erous 

 spots, namely, 4 in dorsal space — the. anterior ones nearest together — one in the middle of each 

 joint in subdorsal space, and 2 smaller substigmatal ones. These spots are more or less obsolete 

 on the thoracic and anal joints ; they are arranged transversely on the former, and the hairs arising 

 from them are so insignificant that they are scarcely visible. Stigmata white, with a black annala- 

 tion. Head free, smaller than joint 1, concolorous with body. Venter darker green with cream- 



