﻿PACKABD.J 
  THE 
  ZEBRA 
  CATERPILLAE 
  753 
  

  

  with 
  a 
  small 
  oval 
  spot 
  and 
  a 
  somewhat 
  U-shaped 
  silvery- 
  white 
  mark, 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  figure. 
  The 
  male 
  is 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  female 
  by 
  a 
  

   large 
  tuft 
  of 
  golden 
  hairs, 
  covering 
  a 
  few 
  black 
  ones, 
  which 
  springs 
  from 
  

   each 
  side 
  of 
  his 
  abdomen 
  toward 
  the 
  tip. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  suggestions 
  given 
  for 
  destroying 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  cabbage-butter- 
  

   flies 
  apply 
  equally 
  well 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  this 
  cabbage 
  plusia, 
  and 
  drenchings 
  

   with 
  a 
  cresylic 
  wash 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  even 
  more 
  effectual, 
  as 
  the 
  worms 
  

   drop 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  the 
  slightest 
  jar." 
  

  

  The 
  Zebra 
  Caterpillar, 
  Mamestra 
  piota 
  Harris. 
  — 
  Feeding 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  turnips 
  

   and 
  cabbages, 
  and 
  other 
  garden 
  vegetables 
  ; 
  a 
  long, 
  cylindrical 
  caterpillar 
  with 
  a 
  red 
  

   head, 
  with 
  a 
  broad 
  band 
  along 
  the 
  side, 
  composed 
  of 
  numerous 
  transverse, 
  short, 
  black 
  

   lines, 
  like 
  Eunic 
  characters 
  upon 
  a 
  white 
  ground, 
  changing 
  to 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  dark 
  

   moth. 
  

  

  While 
  this 
  pretty 
  caterpillar, 
  than 
  which 
  none 
  are 
  more 
  curiously 
  and 
  

   gaily 
  decked, 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  harmless, 
  feeding 
  indiscriminately 
  on 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  vegetables, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  twice 
  found 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  within 
  my 
  own 
  

   knowledge, 
  to 
  be 
  extremely 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  ruta-baga 
  turnip, 
  nearly 
  

   destroying 
  entire 
  beds. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1876, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   September, 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  abundant 
  and 
  eat 
  off 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  

   ruta-bagas 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  Agricultural 
  College, 
  at 
  

   Amherst, 
  Mass. 
  I 
  am 
  also 
  told 
  that 
  it 
  sometimes 
  attacks 
  the 
  roots. 
  

   Harris 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  " 
  is 
  often 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  injurious 
  to 
  cabbages, 
  cauli- 
  

   flowers, 
  spinach, 
  beets, 
  and 
  other 
  garden 
  vegetables 
  with 
  succulent 
  

   leaves." 
  In 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  States 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  are 
  usually 
  seen 
  

   in 
  August 
  and 
  September. 
  Harris 
  remarks 
  that 
  early 
  in 
  October 
  it 
  

   leaves 
  off 
  eating, 
  goes 
  into 
  the 
  ground, 
  changes 
  to 
  a 
  shining-brown 
  

   chrysalis, 
  and 
  is 
  transformed 
  to 
  a 
  moth 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June. 
  It 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  broods 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  caterpillar 
  every 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  in 
  some, 
  if 
  not 
  all, 
  parts 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  ; 
  for 
  Dr. 
  Melsheimer 
  informs 
  

   me 
  that 
  it 
  appears 
  in 
  Pennsylvania 
  in 
  June, 
  goes 
  into 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  

   is 
  changed 
  to 
  a 
  chrysalis 
  toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June 
  or 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   Jul}', 
  and 
  comes 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  moth 
  state 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August." 
  In 
  

   Missouri, 
  according 
  to 
  Riley, 
  early 
  in 
  June 
  the 
  young 
  worms, 
  which 
  are 
  

   first 
  almost 
  black, 
  though 
  they 
  soon 
  become 
  pale 
  and 
  green, 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   in 
  dense 
  clusters 
  on 
  these 
  plants, 
  for 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  gregarious. 
  

   As 
  they 
  grow 
  older 
  they 
  disperse 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  easily 
  found, 
  and 
  in 
  about 
  

   four 
  weeks 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  hatching 
  they 
  come 
  to 
  their 
  full 
  growth. 
  " 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  l^ 
  changes 
  to 
  chrysalis 
  within 
  a 
  rude 
  cocoon, 
  formed 
  just 
  

   under 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  by 
  interweaving 
  a 
  few 
  grains 
  of 
  sand, 
  

   or 
  a 
  few 
  particles 
  of 
  whatever 
  soil 
  it 
  happens 
  on, 
  with 
  silken 
  threads. 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  broods 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  each 
  year, 
  the 
  sec- 
  

   ond 
  brood 
  of 
  worms 
  appearing 
  in 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Saint 
  Louis 
  from 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  August 
  along 
  into 
  October, 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  passing 
  the 
  

   winter 
  in 
  the 
  chrysalis 
  state, 
  though 
  a 
  few 
  may 
  issue 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  

   hibernate 
  as 
  moths, 
  or 
  may 
  even 
  hibernate 
  as 
  worms; 
  for 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Par- 
  

   sons, 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  found 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  worms 
  which 
  were 
  on 
  his 
  

   ruta-baga 
  leaves 
  stood 
  a 
  frost 
  hard 
  enough 
  to 
  freeze 
  potatoes 
  in 
  the 
  hill 
  

   without 
  being 
  killed. 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  spring 
  brood 
  confines 
  it- 
  

   self 
  more 
  especially 
  to 
  young 
  cruciferous 
  plants, 
  such 
  as 
  cabbages, 
  beets, 
  

   spinach, 
  etc., 
  but 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  fall 
  brood 
  collecting 
  in 
  hundreds 
  on 
  

   the 
  heads 
  and 
  flower-buds 
  of 
  asters, 
  on 
  the 
  white 
  berry 
  or 
  snow-berry 
  

   {Syinphoricarpus 
  racemosus), 
  on 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  honeysuckle, 
  on 
  mig- 
  

   nonette, 
  and 
  on 
  asparagus 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  also 
  said 
  to 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  flowers 
  

   of 
  clover, 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  partial 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  lamb's 
  quarter 
  or 
  goose- 
  

   foot 
  {Chenopodium 
  album). 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  gregarious 
  habit 
  when 
  

   young, 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  easily 
  destroyed 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  of 
  growth. 
  

  

  48 
  GS 
  

  

  