18 CORN AND GRASS. 



darker, the colour darkening with the growth, until the full-grown 

 larva was almost black. 



" When full-grown the length is from l^L- to li inch ; the form 

 moderately slender, cylindrical, nearly uniform in bulk throughout, the 

 hinder segments tapering a little at the sides ; the region of the 

 spiracles puffed and wrinkled ; the segmental divisions deeply cut. The 

 colour of the back is a blackish bronzy green, becoming paler, of an 

 olive or ochreous green tint along the spiracles, and on the belly and 

 legs, the head, and the second and thirteenth segments ; the plate on 

 the second segment is margined in front with blackish olive ; a fine 

 blackish undulating line, apparently caused by a deep wrinkle, runs 

 along below the spiracles Avhich are inconspicuous, being of the 

 surrounding colour, and merely outlined with blackish ; the tubercular 

 dots are a little raised, each bearing a fine hair, the whole surface is 

 shining and bronzy-looking. The first mature larva spun its cocoon 

 on the 23rd of April."— (W. Buckler.) 



The descriptions of the cocoons (so far as given by both the above- 

 named observers) exactly agreed with those from the various kinds of 

 hay or fodder stacks from out of which I developed specimens of the 

 Pyralis ylaucinaUs, and the surroundings of the infestation, whether in 

 stacks, or thatch, or Birch-knots, is much of one kind. That is, dead 

 vegetable matter, passed on in some cases to the next stage of decay, 

 and a point noticed by Mr. Buckler, in his paper above quoted, "of the 

 larvae being found in the Birch-knots amongst many old cocoons and 

 pupa-cases " ; and the observation of Mr. Gardner of the moths 

 hastening back into the shelter of the stack when disturbed, point to 

 the colony when once established remaining continuously, if allowed, 

 in the same spot. 



Pke\t:ntion and Kemedies. — No complaint of loss from this infes- 

 tation has been made, though certainly it cannot be desirable to have 

 any appreciable quantity of the hay mixed up with cocoons and old 

 insect rubbish and caterpillar-dirt. But in the case of our nearly-allied 

 British moth the "Gold-fringe" Pyralis, which is now widely distri- 

 buted in North America, the very similar but greater damage caused 

 there is well established, and has to be guarded against, and the same 

 method would be serviceable here. 



As there it is towards the lower part of the stack that the greatest 

 damage is done, and sometimes " two feet or more of the lower portion 

 has been so full of worms as to be rendered worthless," it is pointed 

 out that "where Clover is stacked for several years on the same 

 foundation, the bottom layers coming in contact with the infested 

 leavings of the previous year, will be sure to suffer. It is also recom- 



