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  Fig. 
  33. 
  The 
  Common 
  Garden 
  Web-worm, 
  Lo.v- 
  

   ostege 
  sittiilalis 
  : 
  a, 
  larva; 
  b, 
  middle 
  segment 
  of 
  same, 
  

   side 
  view; 
  c, 
  last 
  segment 
  of 
  same, 
  top 
  view; 
  d, 
  pupa; 
  

   e, 
  last 
  segment 
  of 
  same. 
  (Riley, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  

   Agriculture.) 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Garden 
  Web-worm. 
  

  

  Loxostege 
  sijniialis 
  Guen. 
  

  

  \{Eurycrcon 
  rantalis 
  Guen., 
  Botis 
  posticata 
  G. 
  & 
  R.) 
  

  

  This 
  common 
  and 
  widely 
  

   distributed 
  web-worm 
  breeds 
  

   largely 
  on 
  pigweed 
  {A?narat}tus') 
  

   and 
  purslane, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  attract- 
  

   ed 
  especial 
  attention 
  in 
  Illinois 
  

   by 
  its 
  injuries 
  to 
  cultivated 
  crops. 
  

   Considerable 
  numbers 
  were 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  in 
  beet 
  fields 
  last 
  season 
  in 
  

   this 
  state, 
  however, 
  and 
  a 
  notice- 
  

   able 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  was 
  

   done.* 
  A 
  full 
  list 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  

   plants 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  En- 
  

   tomological 
  Report 
  for 
  1885, 
  page 
  267. 
  Although 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  

   most 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  it 
  is 
  distributed 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  occurs 
  also 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  It 
  is 
  

   a 
  common 
  insect 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  by 
  Webster 
  as 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  moths 
  on 
  buckwheat 
  in 
  Indiana. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   recorded 
  as 
  common 
  and 
  injurious 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  the 
  Western 
  

   States, 
  particularly 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  destructive 
  

   species, 
  a 
  serious 
  outbreak 
  occurring 
  in 
  1885 
  and 
  another 
  in 
  1892. 
  At 
  

   both 
  these 
  times 
  this 
  insect 
  destroyed 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  vegetation 
  which 
  

   came 
  in 
  its 
  way. 
  The 
  corn 
  crop 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  was 
  seriously 
  injured, 
  

   and 
  many 
  fields 
  of 
  beets 
  were 
  completely 
  stripped. 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  spin 
  loose 
  but 
  evident 
  individual 
  webs, 
  with 
  usually 
  a 
  

   single 
  web-worm 
  to 
  each, 
  inclosing 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  the 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  plant. 
  On 
  beets 
  a 
  single 
  leaf 
  is 
  often 
  lightly 
  webbed 
  over, 
  with 
  

   a 
  closer 
  retreat 
  along 
  the 
  midrib 
  where 
  the 
  leaf 
  narrows 
  into 
  the 
  stem. 
  

   Most 
  commonly, 
  however, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  plant 
  be 
  small, 
  the 
  entire 
  

   base 
  is 
  inclosed 
  in 
  a 
  thin 
  web, 
  with 
  a 
  tubular 
  retreat 
  extending 
  into 
  the 
  

   loose 
  earth 
  close 
  by. 
  The 
  greatest 
  damage 
  is 
  done 
  within 
  these 
  webs 
  

   by 
  the 
  eating 
  of 
  the 
  growing 
  bud, 
  thus, 
  according 
  to 
  one 
  beet 
  grower, 
  

   'causing 
  the 
  root 
  to 
  rot 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  above. 
  When 
  very 
  young 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   gnaw 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  but 
  later 
  they 
  rag 
  them 
  with 
  large 
  irregu- 
  

   lar 
  holes, 
  or 
  even 
  devour 
  them 
  almost 
  wholly, 
  leaving 
  a 
  blackened 
  web- 
  

   covered 
  skeleton. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  us, 
  and 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   described. 
  They 
  are 
  apparently 
  laid 
  upon 
  the 
  leaves. 
  The 
  larvte 
  are 
  

   whitish 
  or 
  dusky, 
  with 
  black 
  dots. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  active, 
  feigning 
  death 
  

  

  *An 
  attack 
  on 
  soy-beans 
  at 
  Brighton, 
  Macoupin 
  county, 
  III., 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  a 
  correspondent, 
  

   and 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  larva; 
  sent, 
  which 
  we 
  bred 
  to 
  the 
  adult 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  