4 BULLETIN 1076, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



REARING RECORDS. 



So much for field observations. On each examination of the pond 

 material was collected and brought to the laboratory for rearing. 

 The results obtained throw additional light on the seasonal habits of 

 the moths. As stated above, pupa taken in the seed heads July 19 

 continued to develop moths until July 28. Larvse taken at the same 

 time on the leaves varied greatly in size, some of them being very 

 small. The first of these pupated July 28, the last August 15. Moths 

 emerged from August 4 to August 22. Another collection of larvse 

 made from the leaves July 28 pupated August 3 to August 18, and 

 moths emerged August 12 to August 27. A mass of eggs found 

 August 6 hatched August 9, and the larvse were reared. They pupated 

 August 28 to September 2, and the moths emerged September 9 to 

 September 17. Another series of larvse taken both from petioles and 

 leaf blades on August 5 pupated from August 6 to August 22, and 

 moths emerged August 13 to August 29. Larvse from a lot of 67 col- 

 lected August 15 pupated from August 17 to September 12, and 

 moths emerged August 28 to September 22. 



LIFE CYCLE. 



Assuming for the present, as seems probable, that the species passes 

 the winter in the larval stage, it is evident that the life history must 

 be substantially as follows : 



The overwintering larvse pupate and the moths emerge and oviposit 

 about mid-June. The resulting larvse feed on the leaves, and when, 

 fairly grown, about July 1, seek the flowers and enter the young pods^ 

 feeding upon them to some extent and pupating within them. The 

 moths of this first generation emerge from July 7 to July 28. Eggs 

 are at once produced by these moths and constitute the first stage of 

 the second generation. The eggs soon hatch, and the oldest of the 

 larvse produced are approximately half grown by July 19 ; but moths 

 of the first generation continue to oviposit until about August 5, so 

 that second-generation larvse are hatching continuously from July 10 

 to August 8. A collection of these larvse made July 28 pupated Au- 

 gust 3 to 18 a-.d moths emerged August 12 to 27. These larvse of the 

 second generation feed on the leaves and pupate in the upper ends of 

 the leaf petioles. 



The moths of the second generation give rise to the third-genera- 

 tion eggs and larvse, which survive the winter and constitute the 

 spring generation. It seems possible that some of the smaller larvse 

 of the second generation seek hibernation quarters instead of com- 

 pleting their growth the same fall. In this case there would be only 

 two generations annually, but it seems probable that there are three 

 generations ae a rule. Their behavior from the time the larvse seek 



