14 



Dui'inii' .Tainiiirv and Fel)ninrv, 1000. thev caused eonsider- 

 ahle trouble at the Ex])erimeiit Station bv attacking the tinv 

 cane seedlings M-hich were lieing ])ro])agated. It required daily 

 examination, and careful search, foi- the tinv larvae were green 

 like the leaves; and although small, vet were biff enough for 

 one of them to soon destroy one of the little cane seedlings 

 (which were 1-2 inches high) if not detect-od soon after it 

 had started feeding. Fortnnately they did not work after the 

 manner of cutworms and cut a ])lant off immediately. Instead, 

 they began eating at the tips of leaves, and they could be first 

 detected by the dried remains of tips of leaves where they had 

 fed, then closer looking would reveal the tiny green caterpillar, 

 which on being disturbed dropped to the ground and could be 

 readily killed. Usually but one caterpillar was found on one 

 seedling; l)nt sometimes more, even as many as four, in which 

 case they soon destroy the ]dants. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



The (>ggs (Plate II. hgs. 10, 11) are spherical, slightly flat- 

 tened at base where in conti^ct with the object upon which they 

 are deposited. They are dirty whitish or gray in color, and 

 densely striated vertically. They are usually in large masses 

 of one layer and in regular vows, and covered with gray hairs 

 from the abdomen of the moth. There may be from 100 to 

 300 in one cluster. One moth may lay several hundred eggs; 

 one specimen which I had in a breeding cage laid 700. The 

 egg masses are not placed necessarily on the food plant; but 

 usually high up, often on the leaves of banana and small palms, 

 or other small trees or shrubs at three to five feet elevation. 

 It is also common to find thcMu on the sides of buildings and 

 other structures. In one instance I found a batch of eggs ten 

 feet up on the side of a building. The eggs hatch in three to 

 four days from the time they are laid, and the tiny larvae drop 

 to the ground by means of a silken thread, Avhere they will find 

 grass or other suitable food plant. They feed at first at the 

 tips of leaves, eating the green substance of the leaf and leaving 

 the epidermis, which dries up, giving a dead appearance. When 

 a few days old, they eat the entire substance of the leaf from 

 its margins, producing notches and a very ragged appearance. 



