38 CORN AND GRASS. 



that it could gnaw away the more central part at convenience. The 

 caterpillar, however, appeared to have an especial preference for so 

 arranging itself in the central shoot, or emptied sheathing-leaf of this 

 part of the young plant, that it formed a cylindrical shelter for each 

 larva. 



It may he of some interest to notice in passing with regard to this 

 little moth caterpillar attack, which so much resembles that of the 

 Wheat-bulb Maggot (the larva of the two-winged fly, the Hylcmyia 

 coarctata) in the method of injury, that whereas the II. coarctata 

 infestation is especially prevalent after fallow, it was just the contrary 

 with the moth caterpillar. Mr. Eenyard notes that the Wheat after 

 fallow looked well in the same field, where that after ley was seriously 

 injured. In case of recurrence of this kind of infestation this point 

 may be worth observation practically. 



The caterpillars proved to be larvae of one of the smaller kinds of 

 Noctua moths, and exceedingly resembled the description and also the 

 figure of those of the Miana expolita given in Buckler's ' British 

 Butterflies and Moths.' * After much consultation there appeared 

 little (if any) doubt that it was of the genus Miana, but none of us 

 were fortunate enough to rear the moth, so as to make sure of the 

 species. Therefore as this kind of atlack to young Wheat does not 

 appear to have been previously observed, and is certainly very 

 mischievous, I have given as clear a description of the characteristics 

 of the caterpillar as I was able, and also a much magnified figure of 

 the upper and side view, in order to preserve at least a record of so 

 much as we were able to observe. 



The caterpillars sent me were up to five-eighths of an inch in 

 length ; sixteen-footed (that is, with three pairs of claw-feet, four pairs 

 of sucker-feet beneath the body, and one caudal pair). The shape 

 slender, cylindrical, or rather larger towards the third segment. Head 

 reddish-brown, darker in the fore part, and in the most characteristic 

 specimens somewhat wedge-shaped, narrower than the next segment, 

 — this especially noticeable when the larva was at rest, with the head 

 slightly contracted into, or drawn close up to, the following segment 

 (see figure, p. 37). General colour yellowish ; segment next the head 

 with a horny or shiny patch above, slightly marked across with 

 yellowish red or yellowish brown ; next two segments with a small 

 blotch of the same colour ; the rest of the segments so marked 

 similarly on the upper part and side, as to have customarily only a 

 narrow line of the ground colour showing down the centre of the back, 

 with two transverse stripes of the same across the top of each segment. 



* See Buckler's ' British Butterflies and Moths ' (Ray Society), vol. iv. pp. 103— 

 106 ; plate Ixviii. fig. 5. 



