﻿— 
  155 
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  and 
  New 
  Mexico 
  into 
  Kansas 
  and 
  Nebraska 
  it 
  may 
  yet 
  reach 
  Illinois, 
  

   where 
  there 
  is 
  certainly 
  no 
  lack 
  of 
  its 
  favorite 
  food. 
  In 
  Nebraska 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  sugar 
  beet. 
  Its 
  size 
  is 
  about 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  cutworm. 
  It 
  is 
  whitish 
  or 
  light 
  gray, 
  conspicuously 
  

   banded 
  with 
  black 
  on 
  each 
  segment, 
  and 
  shaded 
  with 
  salmon-pink. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  clusters 
  of 
  two 
  to 
  five 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  

   of 
  the 
  infested 
  plant. 
  The 
  young 
  larvae, 
  which 
  hatch 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   days, 
  are 
  light 
  or 
  yellowish 
  green 
  at 
  first, 
  with 
  darker 
  shadings. 
  They 
  

   become 
  full 
  grown 
  in 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  days, 
  and 
  make 
  then 
  a 
  tubular 
  

   burrow 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  for 
  pupation, 
  closing 
  the 
  opening 
  with 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  

   of 
  dirt. 
  After 
  about 
  twelve 
  days 
  as 
  a 
  pupa, 
  the 
  moth 
  appears. 
  This 
  

   is 
  brownish 
  gray, 
  with 
  a 
  creamy 
  curved 
  streak 
  along 
  the 
  fore 
  wings, 
  the 
  

   hind 
  wings 
  buff 
  with 
  a 
  blackish 
  border. 
  Four 
  broods 
  of 
  this 
  caterpillar 
  

   have 
  been 
  recorded. 
  

  

  The 
  Purslane-sphinx. 
  

  

  Deilephila 
  lineata 
  Fabr. 
  

  

  This 
  fairly 
  well-known 
  caterpillar 
  varies 
  in 
  markings 
  to 
  an 
  unusual 
  

   degree. 
  . 
  Two 
  distinct 
  forms 
  may 
  be 
  separated, 
  one 
  yellow-green, 
  with 
  

   eye-like 
  spots 
  on 
  each 
  segment, 
  often 
  accompanied 
  by 
  dark 
  stripes, 
  the 
  

  

  Fig. 
  3i. 
  The 
  Purslane-sphinx, 
  Deiief>hila 
  lineata, 
  larva. 
  

  

  other 
  blackish 
  with 
  series 
  of 
  pale 
  yellow 
  spots. 
  Its 
  favorite 
  food-plants 
  

   are 
  purslane 
  and 
  chickweed, 
  and 
  on 
  these 
  it 
  may 
  often 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  numbers. 
  Its 
  preferences 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  strict, 
  however, 
  and 
  it 
  

   may 
  devour 
  almost 
  any 
  low 
  plant. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  by 
  Bruner 
  to 
  injure 
  

  

  Fig. 
  82. 
  The 
  Purslane-sphinx, 
  Dcile/ihila 
  lineata. 
  larva, 
  dark 
  variety. 
  ([.Ippincott 
  Co.) 
  

  

  the 
  sugar 
  beet 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  eating 
  beet 
  leaves 
  at 
  

   Pekin, 
  111. 
  Thus 
  far 
  it 
  has 
  caused 
  no 
  serious 
  injury 
  to 
  vegetables 
  in 
  cul- 
  

   tivation, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  become 
  locally 
  abundant 
  it 
  could 
  easily 
  be 
  

   destroyed 
  by 
  hand. 
  When 
  full 
  grown 
  it 
  forms 
  a 
  smooth 
  cavity 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  