16 



hinder margin. The terminal space is more or less gray. Outer 

 margin regularly excavated below the apex. Fringes pale metallic 

 lead color. Hind wings, pale fuscous with lighter fringes. Under 

 side of the body and all the wings, pale fuscous. 

 Habitat : — Maine, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Missouri." 



DISTEIBUTION. . 



From the observations here recorded, it is rendered probable that 

 this species is distributed generally throughout Central Illinois at 

 least, having been actually received by us from Henry, Macon, 

 McLean, and Livingston counties. 



LIFE HISTOEY. 



The small size of the individuals observed earliest in the season per- 

 haps makes it possible that they came from the egg last spring ; and 

 the brood represented in our collections must have completed its de- 

 velopment by the end of July. Whether a second brood appears is 

 altogether uncertain. 



The injuries inflicted occur so early as to permit replanting in 

 most seasons in case they should prove to be of serious import ; 

 and this species is consequently to be classed with the cutworms so 

 far as the effect of its injuries to corn are concerned. 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



With the exception of the mites which attack the living pupae in 

 our breeding cages, and which were probably responsible at least in 

 part for the death of most of the larvfe which we tried to rear, the 

 only natural enemy of this species observed by us was a common 

 predaceous ground beetle, Pterosticltus sayi, of which there were 

 numerous examples in an infested field near Dwight. The crop of 

 one of these contained a black fluid and no solid structures, (an 

 indication that the beetle had recently drained some insect of its 

 juices), and the other w^s full of fragments of a dark, thin-skinned 

 caterpillar with but few hairs. This was probably a web worm, as 

 these beetles had been noticed, by the owner of the field, abundant 

 in badly injujfed hills infested by those insects. 



ARTIFICIAL REMEDIES. 



Eespecting artificial remedies, I can at present make only a few 

 suggestions. When corn is replanted on account of the ravages of 

 this web worm, the second planting is liable to be attacked and 

 destroyed in turn, since the larval life of the brood lasts too long 

 to permit a postponement of the replanting until the injuries of the 

 insect are arrested by pupation. As the larvae are all collected in 

 the old corn hills, it is clearly inexpedient that this corn be plowed 

 up until the cultivation of the field positively requires that this 

 should be done. As long as it is left for the larvae to feed on, they 

 are little likely to desert it for the new planting, and they may 

 even remain feeding on it until their active larval life is practically 

 completed and their season's mischief finished. 



