Insects, etc.. Injurious to the Strawberry. 



451 



'm.-m 



moths are nocturnal and are very fond of sweet substances. Great 

 numbers may be taken by placing sugar or treacle and rum on the 

 trunks of trees. 



The caterpillars feed at night ; when quite young they may be 

 found during the day under leaves close to or on the ground. As 



they grow they take to the soil, or 



hide under tiles and stones and 



crawl forth at night to feast on the 



leaves near them ; at the same time 



they feed on the roots, frequently 



cutting them asunder, hence they 



are called " cutworms." They also 



cut off leaves and pull them into 



the ground to serve as food. The 



size attained at maturity is li inch. 



The colour is dull brownish to 



greenish-lilac, with a pale dull 



ochreous hue down the centre, with 



one dark line along each edge and 



a double one along the centre of 



the back ; the head is brown, and 



the first segment of the body dark, 



and all the segments have four small 



tubercles on the top, with a delicate 



hair projecting from each and others 



on the sides ; the ventral surface is 



pale dull green. As in all true 



caterpillars, there are three pairs 



of jointed limbs on the first three 



segments, then two without any, then 



four pairs of fleshy prolegs, and an 



anal pair. They live and feed right through the winter and i)upate 



in late April on to mid May. In habits they are very sluggish, and 



often assume a fattened appearance, as thick as a goose quill. They 



enter the pupal stage in a cell in the earth, the pupa being brown and 



smooth skinned. The Yellow Underwing (Fig. 297) can at once be 



told by its yellowish posterior wings, with a dark line uear the edge. 



It appears in June, July and August also, and has similar habits. 



The caterpillar is dull yellowish to greyish or brownish-green, with a 



pale line along the back, and a similar one on the sides below the 



latter, with some large dark spots above on the third tu eleventh 



segments, and there is an indistinct side line. 



Wm 



295.^I1KAKT AM> liAI;T 

 •SHOWING VAIUATION. 



