354 



tidfe, discovered in the district of Wollombi, New South Wales, an 

 described by Mr. A. W. Scott in the Proceedings of the Zoologicaj 

 Society of London, 1859, under the name of Ryphantklium sericarium 

 belongs evidently to the genus Ephestia, and closely resembles U 

 liuehniella from the description, but the plate shows two supplementar.i 

 lines in the basillary space and another in the middle of the terminal 

 space, the imperfect crossing being replaced by a round dot. Thil 

 slight difference he is inclined to lay at the door of the artist, an<i 

 thinks that the species may prove to be identical with E. Jtuehnielh 

 the more particularly as its larval habits are precisely the same. Fo| 

 the present, however, he is content to let the species remain as U. serl\ 

 caria (Scott). This communication we deem of considerable importance 

 as probably adding a new locality to the so-called Mediterranean Flou| 

 Moth, and in view of the fact that the species was known in Australi; 

 as early as 1859, as indicating, in case the identity is shown, that th^ 

 species may be an indigene of that country. 



HELIOTHIS ARMICtER IN AUSTRALIA. 



According to the March number of the Agricnltur(d Gazette of New 

 South Wales, our old friend, HeJiothis armiger, there called the Maizi 

 Moth, has done great damage recently in portions of New South Wales 

 No mention is made of the ear-feeding habit of the larva, and the principa 

 damage is done by the destruction of the heart of the plant, the larvi. 

 hiding between the coils of the young leaves. The species has long beei 

 known in New South Wales, but accounts of damage have been rare. 



CUT-WORM DAMAGE TO GRAPES IN CALIFORNIA. 



Through the kindness of Mr. J. R. Williams, Weather Bureai 

 Observer at Fresno, Cal., we have been put in possession of particular;! 

 concerning a most interesting case of damage to vineyards by two cut] 

 worms in Fresno county this spring. The district surrounding Fresn(: 

 is essentially a raisin district, and at a number of points the cut-worm^ 

 have appeared in such extraordinary numbers as entirely to defoliat*: 

 the vines. Hiding under the surface of the ground during the day, a; 

 is their normal habit, they have issued at night, climbed the vines, au( 

 eaten off the leaves and young shoots. The specimens forwarded b^ 

 Mr. Williams show that both species are identical with eastern forms. 

 The most abundant is Agrotis messoria — the Dark-sided Cut- worm — ;i 

 widespread species which has been locally known in New York stat(j 

 as the " onion cut- worm." The Variegated Cut- worm {Agrotis saucia] 

 occurs in lesser numbers. The first of these species we have previa 

 ously received from California through Mr. Koebele, but the latter w*j 

 have not before known as an injurious species on the Pacific Coast] 

 Mr. Williams informs us that ashes, sulphur, lime, and Paris green i)| 

 powder have been used to no effect, but that the use of Paris green 

 solution has resulted successfully. Inasmuch as the worms are obligee] 



