ENTOMOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. 159 



ment, eleventh segment superiorly, and under side of body, black. 

 Two dorsal pencils of black hairs one-third of an inch long, on the 

 fourth segment, two on the sixth segment, and one on the eleventh; 

 the pencils have a black spot at their base. 



Another larva feeding on the linden (Tilia Americana) had the 

 body pale green, with yellowish hairs dorsally and white laterally. 



When confined in a box, the larva spins a firm cocoon in one of 

 the angles, in which it interweaves bits of the material bitten from 

 the space inclosed by the cocoon. 



Harris describes the cocoon (Apatela Americana, in Insects of 

 New England, second edition, p. 338) as having &quot;the half-oval web 

 of silk, intermixed with the hairs of its body.&quot; -Of six cocoons con 

 structed by larvae collected by me, only one contained intermixed 

 hairs. 



The female moth has the upper surface of the wings darker, and 

 the under surface less shining than in the other sex. 



Acronycta oblinata (8m. -AW.). 



Larva feeding on the blossoms of smart-weed (Polygonumpunctatum 

 Elliot), September 15th. Length one inch and one-fourth. Yelvety 

 black, with a tawny red substigmatal stripe. Segments with tuber 

 cle?, from which clusters of short hairs radiate, which are red on the 

 upper part of the first four and last two segments, and white on the 

 intermediate ones; from the tubercles on the terminal segment, long 

 hairs proceed. Stigmata white. 



Spun a cocoon between some leaves which it drew together. 



4 



Agrotis tricosa nov. sp. 



I have for some time had set apart in my collection, three distinct 

 forms of &quot; Agrotis subgothica Haworth.&quot; Now that Mr. Grote, in 

 correction of some former determinations, has recently pointed out, 

 beyond question, the true Agrotis subgothica, and shown it to be 

 the species redescribed by Guenee as A. jaculifera, and has also 

 described as A. herilis a second form which Guenee had regarded 

 as u variety of the former (var. B, not A), it only remains in order 

 to clear up the confusion so long existing among these forms, to 

 indicate the third species, which is easily to be distinguished from 

 the other two. 



A. tricosa is between subgothica and herilis, approaching nearer 

 to the former in its antenna! pectinations, the general coloring of its 



