agricultural experiment station. 191 



Remarks. 



The above species, Hadena devastatrix (Brace), together with 

 the Greasy Cut-worm, Agrostis Ypsilon (Rott.), were received 

 from Mr. Sleeper, Auburn, Me., see letter pp. 200, 201, also reared 

 by the writer from worms doing damage to corn and other crops 

 about Orono. A species of Climbing Cut worm, the Variegated 

 Cut-worm, Agrostis saucia (Hubner), was sent by Mr. W. K. 

 Burgess, Monroe, Me. 



The above species are considered and figured below. The term 

 Cut-worm is very loosely used, being often applied to the larva of 

 the June bug, which cuts grass roots ; to the ivire worms, the larvae 

 of the snapping beetles, and even to the borers that cut channels 

 in woody plants. The term cut-worm is principally confiued by 

 entomologists to larvae of the Owlet Moths (Noctuidoz), that have 

 the habit of hiding just under the surface of the ground during 

 the day and feeding upon the roots, stem or leaves of plants by 

 night. When the larvae climb high and feed upon the foliage of 

 tall plants or trees, they are called Climbing Cut-worms. 



The cut-worms may be known by the following general charac- 

 ters : 



The moths known as Dart Moths or Owlet Moths are deltoid or 

 triangular in shape (see Figs. 4, 6 and 7) when the wings are 

 closed, and usually fly at night, and often enter rooms, being 

 attracted by the light. The worms when full grown measure from 

 one to two inches in length, have sixteen legs (three pairs of true 

 legs and five pairs of prolegs), thick bodies which taper somewhat 

 at the ends ; without hairs and greasy looking, brown gray or 

 greenish with indistinct longitudinal or oblique markings ; head 

 long, shining red or b.iown, head and anal segments armed above 

 with a horny plate, darker than the remainder of the body. On 

 each segment are six or eight dark colored humps, each bearing a 

 hair. (See Fig. 6.) "When disturbed the worms curl themselves 

 into a ring as shown in Fig. 2. There are between three and four 

 hundred American species related to the cut-worms and many 

 species besides the above are numbered among the pests of the 

 farm, garden and orchard, 



