Eighth Report of the State ENTOMOLOGIST. 235 



the species is passed in feeding upon the roots of grasses, and 

 that they only assume tKe true cutworm habits when approach- 

 ia<r maturity demands stronger and more abundant food. Usually 

 their presence in grass lands is unnoticed, or, if an impaired 

 growth is observed, it is ascribed to other causes. But at times, 

 for reasons unknown, they multiply to such an extent that we may 

 no longer be blind to their ravages: as in the visitation of the 

 bronze-colored cut- worm, Xephchdes violans GuenGe, in 1881, 

 in the northern counties of the State of New York, when the 

 pastures and meadows suffered largely from their attack; and of 

 the black-lined cut-worm, Agrotis fennica (Tausch.), in Michigan, 

 last year, when, as represented to me by Professor Cook, of the 

 State Agricultural College, there w T ere meadows through which 

 one could not walk without crushing from a dozen to a hunched 

 at each step. 



Corn is known to be a favorite food-plant of many species, of 

 which we recognize twelve by name — the two more common 

 ones being Agrotis clandestina and Uadena devastdtrix. Experi- 

 ence has taught every farmer that a cornfield upon a newly turned 

 sod is a luxurious home for the cut-worm, where they particularly 

 abound It is stated that sixty have been taken from a single 

 hill of corn. 



Wheat and barley occasionally suffer from their attack, but we 

 are thus far favored by not having had introduced among us, 

 with the scores of imported pests brought by commerce to our 

 shores, the wheat dart-moth, Agrotis trilici, or the common dart- 

 moth, Agrotis segetum* which cause such enormous losses in the 

 European wheat fields. None of our species are nearly so destruc- 

 tive as these to this staple crop. 



Entire settings of young cabbage plants are often destroyed 

 by them. Tn one plot of 600 plants, only thirty escaped. The owner 

 killed about 200 of the worms on the first day of their appearance, 

 and 500 or more on the following day, after which the ground was 

 reset with late cabbages. Of the species known to prey upon cab- 

 bage, are Agrotis clandestina, Agrotis saucia, Agrotis annexa,. 

 Mamestra subjuncta, Mamestra trifolii, and Uadena devastatri.r. 



