274 



FOREST ENTOMOLOGY. 



Kaltenbach says l that he " never found the larvse in free-standing or 

 healthy ash, but more abundantly on young over-shadowed or thick- 

 standing small trees." The result of the larval damage first asserts 

 itself in the terminal bud, which does not develop along with the 

 lateral ones (fig. 261), and as time goes on the leading bud dies, and 

 we have a forked young tree, as in fig. 262. As soon as the leaves 

 begin to grow the larva leaves the bud and bores itself into the leaf- 

 stalk, and in consequence the leaf-stalk, together with the leaves, 

 wither and die off. One larva goes from stalk to stalk, and thus kills 

 several of them. After the larva is full fed it spins itself into a 



Fig. 261. Leading bud of young ash-tree 

 injured by larva of Prays curtisellus. 



Fig. 262. Young ash-tree "forked' 

 by far cm of Prays curtisellus. 



silken cocoon, pupates, and appears in the imago form about July 1. 

 Specimens sent from Chatsworth, Derbyshire, and those in Northum- 

 berland, hatch out simultaneously. 



The moth is a pretty whitish-grey insect. Head white and hairy ; 

 eyes black ; thorax white ; abdomen brown-grey. Fore wings when 

 closed showing a white line in centre, and brown at sides, a kind of 

 magpie colour. Fore wings when spread, whitish with brownish 

 patches. Hind wings brown-grey with light fringe. Wing span 14 

 to 17 mm. 



Larva with black head, and neck shield ; body of a dirty ashy-grey 

 colour, streaked with reddish -green, tapering at both jends, and the 



1 Die Pflanzeufeinde aus der Klasse der Insekten. 



