312 liEPIDOPTER A . 



ward, and is found in the colder subarctic regions of America 

 and Europe. It cuts off the leaves of roses and other shrubs. 

 Fitch states that the larva, late in May in New York, cuts off 

 the young shoots of the currant. It is an inch and a half long, 

 of a shining livid color, with faint dots, from which arise a very 

 short, fine hair. It remains in the pupa state about a month be- 

 neath the ground, the moth appearing in July. It is found also 

 in Labrador and in Europe. The moth expands an inch and 

 three quarters and is of a deep Spanish brown, variegated with 

 gray, with a very conspicuous reniform dot ; the outer edge is 

 bordered with blue gray. Harris also describes M. X)icta, a red- 

 dish brown species, with a conspicuous white Z on the outer 

 edge of the fore wing. The larva is j^ellow, gaily variegated 

 with three longitudinal stripes. It feeds on garden vegeta- 

 bles, and Mr. Fish informs me that it feeds on the cranberry. 



The genus Plusia is quite unlike the foregoing genera, as 

 the palpi are long and slender, and the fore wings are acute, 

 with silver marks and lines, usually a dot and dash, like a 

 semicolon ; the inner angle is tufted, and the hind wings are 

 triangular. 



Our most common species is Plusia precationis Guenee, 

 the larva of which, according to Mr. Saunders, feeds on the 

 hollyhock in August. "It is one and a half inches long, 

 the body tapering anteriorly and thickening in the middle 

 and towards the end. The head is small, smooth, shining 

 green, with a black stripe on each side. The body is green 

 with dull whitish, longitudinal lines above and a whitish stripe 

 somewhat more distinct on each side near the spiracles. It 

 changed to a chrysalis August 9th." A species of Plusia, like 

 P. praecationis, is figured by Mr. Glover in his unpublished 

 plates of insects injurious to tlie cotton plant. It has a much 

 curved, semicircular discal spot, with a distinct dot just bej'ond, 

 the two spots arranged thus "s^- . The caterpillar is pale 

 gi'een, the body increasing in size from the head to the tail and 

 with a lateral row of brown dots. "It was found eating the 

 cotton flower in Georgia the last of October." It forms a loose, 

 thin cocoon among the leaves, and the pupa is pale green, 

 spotted above with irregular brown spots. Mr. Glover also 

 figures quite a different species of Plusia, which has the same 



