20 



II, fed lik(!vvis(! oti poliilocs, Ix'ii.tis, swccl. poliiXocs, (••,\.\)\):i<i<',, l,()rti;i,l,()(;.s, 

 iiiid onions. WIkui vcfy ;iI)I|imI;uiI, ;iii(I (licir food supply li;i.(| run sliorl, 

 tliCHO cutworrriH ,sc,at,i(;n;(l in nil dinud/iotis !i li;d)it, coninion in vjiryitifz; 

 dogrcoH to most of tli(! ciitwornis. Its modi; of l(;(;ding is dilT(;n;nt IVorn 

 that of the f'utwoniis gcnc^ndly, \h(; corn Icnf Ixiirig neizcd l)y tho hang- 

 ing tip. (Jrawn down, and (jatcii to the lnis(!. In clover fields, it begins 

 at the tip of the })lant and works downward, collecting about tlu; roots. 



This species is registenjd as inhabiting the United States east of the 

 Rocky Mountains, but we h;iv(! sp(;ciinens of th(; ,'idult Froni ['l,afi and 

 Colorado also. 



It Sf)ends the wintftr, in our- latitude, in IJic c;itci'pill;i,r st,!ige, and is 

 a(dive in the destruction of its food plnnls From the tniddlc of April t,o 

 the beginning of June. \'>y the miildh; of June .•dl t,h(; cutworms have; 

 entered the earth for trnnsforniation. They do not ch;uig(! forthwith to 

 the pupa stage, Intt remain there for ;i consid(!rable period more than 

 six weeks in some cases in a dormant or torpid condition. Moths 

 (Fig. ]]) consequently do not appear until September and early October, 

 being most numerous in the latter half of September. Kggs are then 

 laid without delay, and fiom these the larva; hatch, wliich pass th(! winter 

 partly grown. 



It follows from this life history that the funin men-nre for- tfie [notec- 

 tion of corn jig.'iinst, this f;utworm rmist Ik; ;ui iirip;i.-:-;il>le furrow along 

 the m.'U'gin of tli(; field next to <i:r;iss or clover, or, in the absence; of 

 this, the distribution of poison(;d food clover- |);ir-ticularly — where the 

 cutworms are likely to be drawn to it. ()vviiig t^o the lateness of the 

 period wherr the eggs are laid, a reasonably (;arly fall-[)lowing will pre- 

 verrt the brecsditrg of the species on that groimd. 



Tim. I»rio\/,i; ('crvxfjUM. 

 Nephdodcs minians (iuen. 



This is arr unusually large arrd plunr[) (Mitwonrr (iMg. 12) about an 

 inch and three fjuartei-s irr ksrrgth, cons|)iciiously rrrjirkcid witJr al1x!rnate 

 stripes of olivobronze and yellowisli, the for-mer much th(! br'o;i,d(;r-. A 

 pale stripe rmrs along the nriddlc; of th<! ba(J<, atrd th(!re are two such 

 orr eac;h side, Ihc; lower b(;low the spir-;icles. The bronze space imme- 

 diately abr)ve thf; last is frefju(;rrt ly divided lengthwise by a delicate, 

 broken yellow line. 'J'he head is yellowish or gray, the n(;ck-shif;ld 

 darker, with five pale stripes. 



This is essentially a grass cutworm, y)eirrg one oi th(; commorrest of 

 its kind in grass-lands irr r!arly s[)rirrg. It is somewhat irrjurious to corn, 

 especially if this is plairted otr f>asture or meadow lands occupied by it 

 the preceding year. It eats clover sparingly or not at all, but seems to 

 have a special preference for timothy. Irr the corrr field it devours the 



