268 JSfotes on some Pyralidmfrom New En.rjland, 



and with the head giving off faint metallic colors ; palpi blackish on the 

 outside. Fore wings rather broad; just within the basal third a straight 

 line of raised scales, extending from the inner edge and stopping short 

 of the subcostal vein, conspicuously black externally, concolorous with 

 the wing within ; the black line, bordered externally with bright vermilion 

 (sometimes wanting), which usually I'eaches the costal edge. Base of 

 wing slightly paler than middle of the wing. A light, triangular, paler 

 shade in the costal region of the middle of the wing, enclosing two 

 small, conspicuous, twin black dots. A submargiual faint, pale, narrow 

 line curving outward in the middle and with four or five acute scallops. 

 Fringe concolorous with the rest of the wing. Hind wings pale, glis- 

 tening, cinereous. Beneath, fore wings quite dusky, with no markings ; 

 hind wings much paler, growing darker towards the costa. Legs dark 

 ash, paler at the ends of the joints, especially the hind tibiae, which have 

 a whitish band around them ; hind legs whitish within. 



Length of body $, -40, ?, -40 of an inch; of fore wing $, •38--40, 

 5, -40 of an inch. Orono, Maine. (Packard.) 



This species is at once recognized by the broad bright-red transverse 

 stripe just within the middle of the wing. This stripe varies much, being 

 sometimes not present, at others not reaching the costal edge. In one 

 additional specimen from Maine, the fore wing has scattered reddish 

 scales at base and beyond the middle, while the dark transverse stripe is 

 wanting, and the red portion forms a broad transverse bright-red band. 

 The larva lives in June and early in July between the leaves of the alder, 

 where it makes a horn shaped case of 'black cylindrical pellets of excre- 

 ment, arranged regularly in circles, the additions being made around the 

 mouth of the case. The case is about an inch and a half long; its mouth 

 a quarter of an inch in diameter. Within it is densely lined with white 

 silk. The pupa is of the usual color, mahogany brown, the end of the 

 abdomen rounded, with six hairs projecting from a transverse supraanal 

 projecting ridge. On each abdominal segment is a dorsal dusky trans- 

 verse stripe, widest on the basal segment. The larva was not described 

 in my notes. The pupa state lasts about two weeks, the moth which I 

 reared appearing July 24th, the larva having been found July 6th. 



The Museum of the Peabody Academy of Science also contains ten 

 specimens of this moth reared by Mr. J. H. Emerton. The larvse were 

 found feeding on the Sweet Fern {Gumptonia asplenifolia Ait.), July 7, 

 1866, at Hamilton, Mass., the moth appearing July 20th. The case is 

 quite different in form from that previously described, being regularly 

 oval cylindrical ; "55 inch long and "So inch in diameter. It is con- 

 structed in the same manner as those found on the alder. This striking 

 difference in the form of the case may possibly be due to the difference in 

 the form of the leaves of the food plant, the large broad leaves of the 

 alder inducing the larva to build a horn-like, much elongated case ; while 

 the narrow smaller leaves of the Sweet Fern may have led to the forma- 

 tion of a short, oval case. These differences are such as we would ordin- 



