THE VAGABOND CRAMBUS. 411 



outer border. The fringe has a golden reflection. The hind 

 wings are pale yellow, with long paler fringe. The thorax and 

 abdomen is yellow. The projecting beak the palpi which 

 gives the name snout moths to this family is well marked. 



The very small eggs, g, Fig. 158, are yellow till near hatching- 

 when they turn pink. Like the eggs of many butterflies the} 

 are ribbed, both longitudinally and transversely. The transverse 

 ridges are less marked than the others. The eggs are .7 m m by 

 .3mm. The color of the caterpillar, a, Pig. 158, is dull green, 

 with shining black head. There are brown tubercles along the 

 body, each of which bears a black hair. When full grown the 

 larva is about 2 c m ( of an inch) in length. The cocoon, 

 b, Fig. 158, is spun close to the earth. It is curved, attached to 

 grass, and varies much in size. The average length is 2.25 c m, 

 or 9 of an inch. Some cocoons are much enlarged at one end. 

 The pale brown pupa is much the same as chrysalids of moths 

 in general. It is 1 c m (.4 of an inch) in length. 



The eggs are deposited in dry pastures and meadows in late 

 August. They seem to be merely dropped on the ground. They 

 hatch in a little over a week, and the young caterpillars eat 

 sparingly, but do little harm ere they go into winter quarters. 

 They commence to feed as soon as the grass starts in spring. 

 The brown spots in the grass fields where all has been eaten to 

 the very roots, which latter have not been disturbed, show to the 

 unobservant even that a serious enemy is at hand. When very 

 numerous whole acres are fairly mown off close jto the ground. 

 While they prefer June grass they will eat any grass, and even oats 

 and wheat. Like the corn-root Crambus they spin a web in which 

 they live while devastating the meadows. They feed by night, 

 and when not feeding are concealed in a cylindrical case of 

 pieces of grass and fecal pelets held together by silken threads. 

 The most damage is done in May. Often the caterpillars gather 

 in immense numbers on the trunks of trees near the ground. 



