90 



of cxccptioiinl ;il)iiii(l;iii('(' of the l;ii'\';i', iJic latlcf readily dcNdiir cult i- 

 \al('(l licrhaccoiis (•n)|)s, including col, ion, cahhafic, (•ucuiiihcr, lucloii, 

 S(|uasl), puinpkiii, swcci and Irisli poialo, ('j;f;|)hiiit, tomato, hvv{, 

 l)(>aii, pea, lettuce, onion, castor-hean, tobacco, (lax, .suj;ar-cano, red 

 clover, alsike, alfalfa, orcliard-<;rass, tiniotliy, meadow oat-,i;rass, and 

 millet. They liave also eaten apple l(>aves, scarlet verl)enus, and a few 

 weeds — dojihane (Apoci/nutn ninN(ihiniiin), (rrinddia fi(/t(arr(>x(i, cocklehur 

 [Xdiilhiiiin sIriniKin'iim) , and burdock {A7Tliinn). 'I'liey are especially 

 fond of the liner and soften" j;i"asses in the South, such as the buffalo, 

 crab, and joint fi;i'asses. 



The mature lar\a' (l"'i<i;. 70, a-r), about. Iiveei<ihths of an inch lonj^-, 

 are whitish, or dusky, or even fj;r{MMiish, with black dots. They s|)in a 

 looser l)ut evident indi\'idual web — rai'ely moi'c than one occnipyinji; tlu^ 

 sain(» web inclosini;- moi'e oi" less of the loliaiic of an inlested plant. 

 On be(>ts, a sinf;le leaf is often spun ovei' lightly with a webbed retreat, 

 along the midrib, whei'e the leaf nari'ows into the stiMii. Most conunonly, 

 however, especially il the plant be small, the eiitii'e base is inclosed in a 

 thin web. with a tubulai' reti'eat e.xteiidiuii into I'l:' loose eaith close by, 

 or the plant may be completely webbed up. When Vi'vy yoimu the 

 lar\'a' gnaw the surface of the l(>a\('s, but later they rag th.em with lai'ge 

 irregular holes, or e\-en de\our them almost wholly, leaving a dead, 

 W(>l)-co\'er(>d skeleton. The lar\a' ar,- wry a(ti\-e. feigning death wIk-ii 

 disturbed, or spinning a thread and di'oppiiiu to the gi'ouud, and slipping 

 out of sight in ci'e\ices oi' in loose earth. .Most of the leeding is done 

 at night, the larxa- u>uall\- resting in the web by day, until the last stage, 

 when they are acti\'e during the daytime. The full-grown lai"\a spins a 

 delicate brownish cocoon within its silken reti'eat in the eaiMh, changing 

 there to a brown chrysalis (l^'ig. 70, '/) with a terminal pair of |)i-omi- 

 iiences (I''ig. 70, r), each bearing thi-ee shoi't spines. 'I'he moth ( l''ig. 70. /) 

 is biiffy or grayish brown, with darker markings as in the (igunv bike 

 the other moths of its family it is strongly attracted by lights. 



According to Sanderson, the web-worm hibernates not in the pupa 

 stage, as Kruner indicates, nor in the adult condition, as was Kiley's 

 supposition which we haxc pi'exioiisly followed l)ut as a dormaid 

 larva in the cocoon, pupating in s|)ring and em(>rging soon after. This 

 clocks awa\' with the necessity of assuming an unobserved first brood of 

 larvtp in si)i'iug. The pi'obable munber of broods is four. The animal his- 

 toi'y, thus amended, is ;is follows: The hibei'iiating lar\;e pupate in May, 

 and the adults emei'ge in a w(M'k or ten days, that is, in late iVIay and early 

 .June. The (irst brood of lar\;e, pi'e\'iously call(>(l the second — the most 

 destructive bi'ood in the Western outbreaks follows in .(une, mat uring 

 in about t<>n days after hatching and I'eaching the adult stage early in 

 .bily. The second bi'ood of lar\;e, which, according to Sanderson, is 

 oi'dinarib' the most destructive brood, conies about the middle of July, 



