THE PINK COE]Sr-WOEM. 11 



January 16, 1915, !Mr. C. E. Smith collected in the field at Baton 

 Houge, La., and sent to the writer several cobs of corn in the husk. 

 The cobs were poorly formed, most of them having few developed 

 grains, and they showed old work of the corn stalk-borer (Diatraea 

 saccharalis Fab.) and of the corn-ear worm. A number of adults of the 

 rice weevil (Calandra oryza L.) were present in the husks, and adults 

 of Cathartus gemellatus Duv. were abundant in the same situation. 



The pink corn-worm was found among the leaves of the husk, in 

 the kernels, and in the cob itself. Larvte of various sizes were present, 

 but were mostly nearly full-grown, judging from some that were 

 observed in silken cocoons in all locations where larvae were observed. 



It was difficult in this case to estimate how much feeding had been 

 done on the husks, kernels, and cobs by the Batrachedra larvae 

 because of the injury by, and the presence of, other insects. Larvae 

 of Cathartus gemellatus and of Sitotroga cerealella were also present 

 and may have caused some injury. It seems, however, that a part 

 of the silk and most of the small pellets are due to the work of the 

 Batrachedra larvae and that some of the cavities in the kernels were 

 due to them. 



Messrs. Thos. H. Jones and C. E. Smith found the pink corn-worm 

 in various sizes, some apparently full-grown, working on ears of 

 sweet corn, in company with several other species. In some ears 

 they were working where the husk was still green and in some cases 

 where the husk had begun to dry. The larvae followed attack by 

 other insects, or where from some other cause a portion of the ear 

 had become exposed as from injury by birds, and ''nipping off" of 

 the tips by a horse, etc. In many cases tlie ears in which they were 

 working were in bad condition, being so injured as to be of little value. 



At Baton Rouge, La., on July 24, 1915, moths were placed in a jar 

 containing yellow cornmeal with a piece of sponge moistened in 

 sweetened water, the jar being placed in the insectary. The first 

 moth, coming from eggs laid by moths placed in the jar at this date, 

 was noted on September 30. The tim^e taken for the development 

 would indicate, when compared with the rate of growth on other 

 substances, that cornmeal is not a particularly good food for the 

 larvae. It will be noted here that it was possible to rear this insect 

 in cornmeal in experiments conducted at Washington. Another 

 point should be made, namely, that infestation in Louisiana has not 

 been anywhere near as severe as in ]\Iississippi, and that most of the 

 corn ears received from the latter State were in exceedingly bad 

 condition. 



EARLIER RECORDS. 



From correspondents of the Bureau of Entomology we have had 

 this species from Colquitt, Perry, and Atlanta, Ga., and New Orleans, 

 La., in cotton bolls. 



