INSECTS OF THE GARDEN 



199 



the tender roots of grasses and other plants, but by spring 

 have attained to nearly or quite an inch in length and are 

 ready to begin their most wasteful and destructive careers. 



Fig. 81. Dingy Cutworm 

 Male and female. (After Slingerland) 



Whenever we see a plant in the morning wilted and pros- 

 trate, the only thing to do is carefully to scrape the loose 

 earth away from around its roots, find the culprit, and 

 either keep him in a vivarium to develop into the moth or 

 put him in the school collection ; for both cutworms and 



Fig. 82. Cutworms 

 a, variegated ; ^, white. (After Slingerland) 



their moths, especially, should be known much better than 

 they are. 



If other vegetation be lacking, almost any of the nu- 

 merous species of cutworms assumes the climbing habit, 



