AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



193 



The Glassy Cut-worm. 



Hadena devastatrix (Brace). 



(Ord. Lepkloptera : Fam. Noctuidae. 



The eggs of this species and the egg-laying habit, so far as we 

 know, are not known. Probably the eggs are laid on plants near 

 the ground, which is the usual place of depositing them by cut- 

 worms, and not in the ground, as formerly supposed. Brace, who 

 originally described the moth, says the eggs are laid in autumn 

 and hatch in May. The belief among entomologists now is that 

 most cut-worms hatch in the fall and enter the ground, maturing 

 the following spring. 



Larva — length 1.8 inches, color translucent glassy green with a 

 tinge of blue ; head venetian-red, jaws black, a small black spot 

 on each side, head shield distinct, hard, polished, dark brown ; 

 caudal plate not so well defined and pale. The larvae is full 

 grown the last of Jane and soon changes to the chrysalis, which is 

 dark mahogany brown, attenuated at the end more than usual, 

 two distinct slightly carved horns at the end with several stiff 

 bristles around them. The larvae is shown, Fig. 5, natural size ; 

 below the larva is one of the segments enlarged, showing the dots 

 bearing hairs, usually found on cut-worms. 



JESt 



^ 



mm 



Pig. 5. Fig. rt. 



Moth — spread of wings from an inch and a half to an inch and 

 three-fourths; fore wings grayish brown crossed with four more 

 or less distinct white wavy lines, edged more or less with black ; 

 hind wings pale brownish gray. This species is on the wing in 

 July. Those we transformed came out the third week in July. 

 It is shown natural size in Fig. 6. 



Feeding upon grass roots and corn in the hill, in Maine. Stalks 

 of corn eight inches high were found cut by this species. Brace 

 says it prefers beans, and several writers accuse it of cutting cab- 

 bage. It does not seem to be s) abundant in Maine as the next 

 species, though locally about Farmington, Auburn and Lewiston 

 it did considerable damage the past season. This species is found 

 in Canada and in the Southern and Middle States and we believe 

 it has been found in Europe. 



