95 
The eggs are yellow at first, and are oval in outline, measuring 
about YzY^Ya of a millimeter. In about five days the young larvse 
hatched, and at once formed a nest by drawing several of the 
young leaves together. At first they ate only the epidermis in ir- 
regular patches, but when they grew older they ate thru the leaf. 
From the original larvse, collected June 25, adults were obtained 
July 5-17. The first eggs from these adults were laid July 12, and 
hatched on the 17th. The larvae grew slowly, and September 7, 
when only about four millimeters long, they began to prepare for 
hibernation. A part of the outer edge of the leaf, half an inch or 
less in length, was folded over upon the upper surface nearly to the 
midrib, each larva thus forming a shelter for the winter. 
Fig. 24. Blackberry Leaf- 
roller, Exartema pamunaa- 
nurn, adult moth, with oat- 
line showing natural size. 
(Saunders.) 
One larva passed the winter successfully, and came out about the 
first of April, but was not fed until April 21, when a strawberry 
plant was put into the cage, and was at once fed upon. The larva 
pupated May 28, and the adult emerged early in June. 
The larvae taken at Decatur June 25 apparently came from eggs 
laid by moths from hibernating larvse, and in that case the species 
apparently normally produces two generations. Two exceptions to 
the above life history which appeared in the cages indicate that 
there is some variation in this respect. One of the original larvae 
did not pupate and become adult with the others in July, but re- 
mained in the larval stage and folded the leaf as if for hibernation; 
it died, however, before the arrival of winter. On the other hand, 
one of the next generation of larvae did not winter over with its 
fellows, but pupated, yielding a moth the same season, August 15. 
Black Gnats in Cucumber Houses 
(Sciora sp.) 
From time to time complaints have come to us from the cucum- 
ber forcing-houses of northwestern Illinois, particularly from Dixon 
and Morrison, county seats of the two adjoining counties of Lee 
and Whiteside, respectively, of a serious wilting of cucumber 
