208 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



deprived of sight, the peculiar odor arising from the thousands of larvae 

 gave ample evidence of their presence, and the abundance of the cater- 

 pillars called to mind, forcibly, the numerous fields swarming with army 

 worms in 1896. At Albany, only 17 miles distant, there was no sign of 

 injury to the soft maples. A search at that time was not rewarded by a 

 single caterpillar. As far west as Herkimer, on the Mohawk river, on 

 the Raquette river in St Lawrence county, and in Schoharie county, 

 many soft maples were defoliated. In some cases this was probably the 

 work of Xylina larvae, though the forest tent caterpillar, Clisiocampa dis- 

 stria Hiibn., was abundant and may have caused the mischief In Mas- 

 sachusetts a green larva was quite destructive to soft maples, as stated by 

 Mr R. H. Cooley. This depredator may be the same species that 

 proved so destructive in New York. In a letter referring the larvae to 

 Xylina, Dr Dyar states that in 1897 they were quite common on 

 maples at Bellport, L. I., but less abundant, though plenty, the present 

 season. 



Comparatively unknown. An examination of the literature relat- 

 ing to this insect shows that it is comparatively unknown to economic 

 entomology, specially as a defoliator of maple or other trees, though 

 Dr Riley, in his 3d report on the insects of Missouri, states that for 

 several years he had known the larvae to be common on apple, poplar, 

 hickory and some other trees, the leaves of which they devour. This 

 species, in conjunction with XyH?ia laticinerca Grote and X. groiei Riley, 

 was reported in 1896 by Prof. Slingerland of the Cornell agricultural 

 exj)eriment station, as quite ii jurious to fruits in the state, more speci- 

 ally in the western part. Extensive i ijuries to apples in Orleans 

 county, N. Y., were also reported to Dr Howard the same year. Pre- 

 vious to that, there had been but one record of injuries in New York 

 by this species and that was in 1877. In other states there have been, 

 a few instances of these insects attacking fruits. In 1870, Dr Riley 

 received several complaints of injury by the larvae of this insect to 

 peaches and apples. In 1888, it was somewhat injurious to ap|)les 

 and a bulletin by Prof F. H. HiUman, of the Nevada agricultural ex- 

 periment station, records serious injuries in 1890 to roses by the same 

 insect. 



Description. The larvae of this species are stout, smooth, light 

 green, cutworm-like caterpillars measuring from i to ih inches in length 

 when full grown. The head is pale yellowish green. There is a rather 

 broad yellowish white or white dorsal stripe aloni^ the body, a narrower 

 white sub-dorsal stripe, a broken, faint lateral stripe of the same color 

 and an irregular white stigmatal stripe. Tlie tubercles are rather large 



