68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Watertowii, it became quite noticeable, and for a few miles beyond, 

 several pastures showed the higher portions infested, and a grain 

 field was also believed to be suffering from it. It was again noticed 

 as we approached Adam's Center and after leaving Sandy Creek, in 

 Oswego county." 



A few years later Dr S. A. Forbes, state entomologist of Illinois, 

 recorded severe injuries to corn by the so called corn root worm 

 or better, corn webworm, Crambus zeellus Fern., and in 

 1891 Prof. Lawrence Bruner reported the same insect as damaging 

 corn in Nebraska and several other states. The latter year the 

 sooty Crambus, C. caliginosellus Clem, was destructive to 

 corn in Delaware, and similar work was noticed as early as 1886 at 

 Bennings, Md. Injuries by webworms to corn planted on sod 

 were reported by Dr Smith for the year 1893 and in 1894 the gar- 

 den Crambus, C. hortuellus Hiibn. was recorded by Mr 

 Scudder as a destructive pest of cranberries. Crambids were very 

 injurious to grass lands in Ohio in 1896. Professor Webster states: 

 " I witnessed more widespread, severe injury from these webworms 

 than ever before. Not only have whole fields of corn been swept 

 out of existence, but fields of oats have been as completely de- 

 stroyed, and on being resown have again been as utterly ruined a 

 second time. In some portions of the State, almost without ex- 

 ception, oats or corn sown or planted on sod lands was entirely 

 destroyed, and in one or two cases even on ground that was the 

 previous year devoted to wheat, these crops have suffered also." 

 These insects have also been more or less injurious to corn and 

 tobacco, particularly in Maryland, specific cases being recorded by 

 Professor Johnson for the years 1897 to 1900 inclusive. The dam- 

 age was in each case attributed to the sooty Crambus, C. cali- 

 ginosellus Clem., and invariably occurred on land which the 

 previous year had been in grass. 



Life history and habits. There are about 20 native species of 

 close-wings or Crambids, parents of grass webworms. They are 

 all, so far as known, grass feeders by preference and closely re- 

 semble each other in life history and habits. The moths are easily 

 recognized by their peculiar position in connection with their lim- 

 ited flight. They invariably occur in grass lands and when flushed 

 fly but a rod or two, alighting on a stem or blade of grass with the 

 body parallel thereto, the wings wrapped closely about the abdomen 

 and the conspicuous palpi extending directly forward. The pecu- 

 liar manner of holding the wings has led the English to bestow 



