48 



This is a very common insect, and the amount of damage 

 done by the larvae is very great, hundreds of acres of grass 

 land sometimes being destroyed. The larva spins a delicate 

 web among the roots of the grass, and gradually forms a tube 

 in which it is entirely concealed. As it increases in size it 

 extends the tube downward into the ground, and when the 

 insect is full grown the tube is sometimes nearly two inches 

 in length. 



FIG. 2. Crambus vulgivagellus : a, larva; b, the larval case in the 

 grass ; c, the cocoon in the ground ; d, the moth, a dark 

 specimen; e, wing of a light specimen; /, the moth at 

 rest; g, the egg enlarged, its natural size shown beside 

 it. From the Department of Agriculture. 



Habitat. Nova Scotia, Ontario, Massachusetts, New 

 York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, 

 Illinois, Missouri, Texas, California, Vancouver Island. 

 Food, grass, wheat, rye and other grains. 



"Egg. A pale straw color when first laid, gradually 

 turning to an ochreous buff color before hatching. Form, 

 elliptical oval ; size, .45 mm. by .36 mm. The egg-shell has 

 twenty longitudinal ridges and numerous smaller transverse 

 ridges. (Fig. 2, g.) 



" Larva, First Stage. Head diameter, .19 mm. ; body 

 diameter, .175 mm. ; length, 1.25 mm. Head a dark 

 brown ; thoracic shield olive, and the body a straw-yellow 

 color. Scattered light-colored hairs occur on the head and 

 on the numerous small brownish tubercles on the body. 



