56 



On the 9th I visited Tremont, and saw the species at work in 

 the wheat fields, although it had at this time nearly closed its 

 career for the season, by far the greater part of the brood having 

 entered the earth for pupation. On the 10th and Hth, an assistant,, 

 Mr. C. A. Hart, made a trip through the fields of Tazewell and 

 Mason counties, carefully observing the insect in the field and col- 

 lecting specimens for the breeding cages. 



LITERATURE. 



This species was first described by Smith and Abbott, in their 

 "Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia," in 1797, under the name 

 of Phahena frugiperda. Its character as an injurious agricultural 

 insect was first observed in the Southern States. 



In a description of the imago and larvte by Guenee, in his work 

 on Noctuelites, Vol. I, p. 159, published at Paris in 1852, the gen- 

 eral distribution of the moth of the grass worm is given, as known 

 at that time. 



In the Patent Office Eeport for 1855, is an article by Townend 

 Glover on Cotton Insects, containing a somewhat extended account 

 of this species under the title of "grass worm" or "grass caterpil- 

 lar," but without scientific name. A description of the larva and 

 moth are given, and figures of these and also of the chrysalis. A 

 valuable account of the habits of the larvae in Georgia, of their in- 

 juries to vegetation, and of their destruction by ants is also given 

 in this article. 



The earliest notice of the occurrence of this species in the Valley 

 of the Mississippi with which I am acquainted, is contained in the 

 first report of Mr. C. V. Riley, as State Entomologist of Missouri 

 [1868]. On page 87 of this report he mentions the injuries to wheat 

 due to this insect, (especially to wheat sown upon oat stubble), and 

 makes some suggestions of preventive measures against its attacks 

 in future. The farmers of this region, however, reported to him that 

 the same insect had been known to attack the wheat in the fall, 

 for many years previous. Mr. Riley uses no technical name in this 

 article, but calls the larva the "wheat cutworm." 



The earliest mention of its occurrence as an injurious species in 

 Illinois, was made by Walsh and Riley, who in a paper on the 

 boll worm or corn worm {Heliothis armigera), published in the 

 American Entomologist for November, 1869 (Vol. II, p. 42) report 

 having received our species from Tuscola, in Central Illinois, Not 

 recognizing it, they regarded it as a new species of Prodenia, and 

 proposed for it the name Prodenia daggyi. They reported it as feed- 

 ing externally upon the leaves of corn, and likewise eating into the 

 heart of the young plant. 



On page 328 of the same volume, Riley reports the receipt from 

 many parts of Missouri and Illinois of the "fall army worm," its 

 injuries being most marked in the northeastern part of Missouri. 

 He here distinguishes the species from the true army worm, adds 

 several plants to its dietary, and doubtfully identifies it with the 

 species previously called by him the "wheat cutworm." 



