18 Bulletin of the New York State Museum. 



After a tiresome search through many of our agricultural publica- 

 tions, I have become convinced that these insects and their history 

 are not yet known to some of the very persons who are said to have 

 suffered from their depredations." 



Dr. Harris has given briefly their general habits, and refers them 

 to the group of Noctuid moths known as Agrotidians, of which he 

 presents the prominent features and characteristics. From a con- 

 siderable number of cut-worms collected by him during the months 

 of June and July, scarcely differing in appearance from one another, 

 five different species of moths were obtained. One of these was 

 the Agrotis devastator of Brace, and the other four were described 

 and named by him as Agrotis telifera, Agrotis inermis, Agrotis 

 messoria and Agrotis tessellata; of these the first two have since 

 been found to be identical with Agrotis ypsilon Bott. and Agrotis 

 saucia Engr. Quoting from letters of Dr. F. E. Melsheimer 

 upon the " Corn Cut-worm," he gives additional observations of 

 his own upon it, and names it Noctua clandestine/,. Several reme r 

 dies for these pests are proposed and quoted from other writers. 

 Another species, which cuts off the leaves of roses, currant bushes, 

 and other shrubs and even young trees, is referred to Hadena 

 arnica, described by Stephens, as rare in England, but which had 

 been previously described by Dr. Boisduval as Hadena arctica. 



In the Second Report on the Insects of New York (Trans. jV. Y. 

 State Agricultural Society for 1855, xv, pp. 512-550, and pp.- 310- 

 318 of the First and Second Reports, published in 1856), Dr. Fitch 

 treats of the cut-worms — "the larvae of different species of 

 Agrotis that sever the young stalks of Indian corn by night at or 

 near the surface of the ground." The moths that they severally 

 produce were still unknown, as no success had attended the efforts 

 to rear the larvse in confinement. Five kinds had been observed 

 by him preying upon corn, which he briefly describes, with their 

 habits, under the names of the Bed-headed Cut-worm (cutting the 

 plants below the surface of the ground), the Striped Cut-worm (cut- 

 ting the plants half an inch above the ground), the Faintly-lined 

 Cut-worm (more common among onions and cabbages), the "White 

 Cut-worm (rare among corn and beans), and the Black-headed Cut- 

 worm (destructive to beans, cutting them below the surface and 

 drawing the severed stem into its hole). Three species of Cut- 

 worm Moths are also described, figured and their habits given, viz.; 



