﻿236 
  Thirtieth 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  []24] 
  

  

  and 
  31st. 
  No 
  other 
  examples 
  of 
  it 
  have 
  occurred 
  among 
  the 
  

   very 
  large 
  collections 
  made 
  at 
  this 
  locality. 
  

  

  Agrotis 
  cupula 
  Grote.* 
  

  

  A 
  correspondent 
  of 
  the 
  Country 
  Gentleman, 
  from 
  Erie 
  Co., 
  

   0., 
  has 
  recently 
  discovered 
  the 
  food-plant 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  this 
  

   species. 
  From 
  his 
  communication 
  we 
  obtain 
  the 
  following 
  

   facts: 
  In 
  1874, 
  $200 
  worth 
  of 
  grape-buds 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   some 
  unseen 
  enemy. 
  Repeated 
  and 
  careful 
  examinations 
  for 
  

   many 
  days 
  throughout 
  the 
  season 
  failed 
  to 
  bring 
  to 
  light 
  the 
  

   depredator. 
  The 
  following 
  year, 
  upon 
  examining 
  the 
  vine 
  at 
  

   night 
  with 
  a 
  lantern, 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  was 
  seen 
  crawling 
  along 
  

   the 
  vine, 
  and 
  to 
  stop 
  at 
  a 
  bud 
  and 
  commence 
  eating 
  it. 
  After 
  

   this 
  discovery, 
  searches 
  were 
  made 
  each 
  night, 
  by 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  

   persons 
  bearing 
  lanterns, 
  during 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillar, 
  and 
  two 
  thousand 
  caterpillars 
  were 
  taken 
  and 
  de- 
  

   stroyed. 
  It 
  was 
  calculated, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  one 
  caterpillar 
  

   eating 
  a 
  single 
  bud 
  in 
  a 
  night, 
  that 
  the 
  buds 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  

   two 
  thousand 
  which 
  were 
  killed, 
  might 
  have 
  produced 
  eight 
  

   tons 
  of 
  grapes. 
  

  

  As 
  one 
  bud 
  a 
  night 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  allowance 
  for 
  

   a 
  half-grown 
  cut- 
  worm, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  safe, 
  we 
  think, 
  to 
  double 
  

   the 
  above 
  estimate 
  of 
  possible 
  resulting 
  damages. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  is 
  stated 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  or 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  larva, 
  

   except 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  vine, 
  and 
  commences 
  its 
  

   depredations 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  buds 
  begin 
  to 
  start. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  sugaring 
  operations 
  at 
  Schenectady, 
  larvae 
  were 
  

   occasionally 
  seen 
  upon 
  the 
  grape-trellis 
  at 
  night, 
  feeding 
  upon 
  

   the 
  bait, 
  but 
  from 
  my 
  recollection 
  of 
  them, 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  the 
  

   aspect 
  of 
  such 
  of 
  the 
  Agrotis 
  forms 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  seen. 
  

  

  A 
  single 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  moth 
  occurred 
  among 
  my 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  at 
  Schenectady, 
  on 
  the 
  7th 
  of 
  August, 
  1876. 
  It 
  had 
  been 
  

   a 
  rare 
  species 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity, 
  until 
  the 
  remarkable 
  Center 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  1877 
  made 
  it 
  a 
  common 
  form. 
  It 
  occurred 
  abund- 
  

   antly 
  at 
  this 
  locality 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  

   through 
  most 
  of 
  September. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  George 
  Norman 
  {Canadian 
  Entomologist, 
  7, 
  p. 
  5) 
  re- 
  

   cords 
  it 
  frequent 
  at 
  sugar, 
  at 
  St. 
  Catharines, 
  Ont., 
  from 
  17th 
  

   July 
  to 
  August. 
  Mr. 
  Westscott 
  (op. 
  cit., 
  8, 
  p. 
  12), 
  notes 
  a 
  

  

  *Noctua 
  cupida 
  Grote 
  : 
  in 
  Proc. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  Phila., 
  vol. 
  iii, 
  p. 
  525, 
  pi. 
  5, 
  flg. 
  7. 
  1864. 
  

   Agrotis 
  cupida 
  Grote: 
  in 
  Trans. 
  Amer. 
  Ent. 
  Soc, 
  vol. 
  ii, 
  p. 
  309. 
  1869. 
  

   A 
  new 
  grape-insect: 
  The 
  Cultivator 
  and 
  Country 
  Gentleman, 
  vol. 
  xliii, 
  p. 
  166. 
  Albany, 
  

   N. 
  Y., 
  March 
  14, 
  1878. 
  

  

  