﻿106 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  grass 
  or 
  in 
  grain, 
  is 
  along 
  the 
  inner 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  blades 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  yet 
  doubled, 
  or 
  between 
  the 
  stalk 
  and 
  its 
  surrounding 
  sheath. 
  

   They 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  strictly 
  confined 
  to 
  these 
  situations, 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  

   by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  ^ve 
  have 
  known 
  the 
  moths 
  in 
  breeding 
  cages 
  to 
  oviposit 
  

   in 
  crevices 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  sward 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  cut 
  with 
  a 
  knife, 
  or 
  

   even 
  between 
  the 
  roots. 
  In 
  our 
  first 
  observations, 
  which 
  were 
  made 
  

   on 
  low 
  Blue 
  Grass, 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  almost 
  invariabl}^ 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  fold 
  at 
  

   the 
  base 
  and 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  leaf 
  with 
  the 
  stalk 
  ; 
  but 
  later 
  they 
  

   were 
  found 
  thrust 
  down 
  between 
  the 
  sheath 
  and 
  the 
  stalk, 
  and 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  curl 
  of 
  a 
  green 
  leaf 
  or 
  the 
  unnatural 
  curl 
  at 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  a 
  withered 
  leaf. 
  The 
  rankest 
  tufts 
  of 
  grass, 
  caused 
  in 
  pastures 
  

   by 
  the 
  droppings 
  of 
  cattle 
  and 
  sheep, 
  are 
  j)referred 
  by 
  the 
  moth 
  for 
  

   oviposition, 
  and, 
  in 
  these 
  tufts, 
  the 
  oldest 
  and 
  toughest 
  stalks; 
  and 
  in 
  

   grain-fields 
  also 
  the 
  ranker 
  growth, 
  caused 
  by 
  an 
  accumulation 
  of 
  ma- 
  

   nure 
  at 
  some 
  one 
  spot 
  or 
  the 
  previous 
  existence 
  of 
  some 
  fodder-heap 
  or 
  

   the 
  like, 
  is 
  preferably 
  chosen. 
  

  

  The 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  x>resent 
  spring 
  have 
  satisfactorily^ 
  proven 
  

   that 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  moths 
  oviposit 
  by 
  preference 
  in 
  the 
  cut 
  

   straw 
  of 
  old 
  stacks, 
  in 
  hayricks, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  old 
  fodder-stacks 
  of 
  corn 
  

   stalks. 
  Old 
  bits 
  of 
  corn 
  stalk 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  past- 
  

   ures 
  have 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  found, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Washington 
  

   and 
  in 
  Northern 
  Alabama, 
  with 
  hundreds 
  of 
  eggs 
  thrust 
  under 
  the 
  outer 
  

   sheath 
  or 
  epidermis, 
  while 
  the 
  last 
  year's 
  stalks 
  of 
  grass 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  

   around 
  Washington 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  these 
  eggs 
  in 
  similar 
  

   positions. 
  The 
  evidence 
  collected 
  in 
  1875, 
  and 
  published 
  in 
  our 
  Eighth 
  

   Missouri 
  Report, 
  seemed 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  where 
  fodder 
  stacks 
  existed 
  in 
  

   grain 
  fields 
  the 
  worms 
  originated 
  from 
  them 
  or 
  from 
  their 
  near 
  vicinity, 
  

   and 
  the 
  observations 
  just 
  mentioned 
  prove 
  the 
  correctness 
  of 
  the 
  infer- 
  

   ence 
  then 
  made. 
  

  

  It 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  proven 
  by 
  this 
  spring's 
  observations 
  that, 
  lack- 
  

   ing 
  both 
  stubble 
  and 
  fodder-stacks, 
  the 
  moth 
  can 
  and 
  does 
  oviposit 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring 
  in 
  young 
  winter 
  grain. 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Koebele 
  found 
  in 
  March, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Ticinity 
  of 
  Savannah, 
  Ga., 
  newly-hatched 
  larvfB 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  an 
  oat 
  

   :field, 
  the 
  grain 
  being 
  one 
  foot 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  no 
  straw 
  stack 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Entomologist 
  (III, 
  p. 
  214), 
  the 
  moth 
  Avill 
  

   also, 
  when 
  exceptionally 
  numerous, 
  lay 
  her 
  eg^ 
  without 
  concealment, 
  

   and 
  upon 
  plants, 
  such 
  as 
  clover, 
  which 
  the 
  larva 
  does 
  not 
  relish. 
  As 
  

   an 
  instance 
  of 
  this, 
  we 
  stated 
  in 
  a 
  foot-note 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  recently 
  received 
  

   from 
  Professor 
  Lintner, 
  State 
  Entomologist 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  what 
  were 
  

   apparently 
  the 
  pressed 
  eggs 
  and 
  egg 
  shells 
  of 
  this 
  moth, 
  thickly 
  cover- 
  

   ing 
  clover 
  leaves 
  and 
  mixed 
  with 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  white 
  gummy 
  mat- 
  

   ter, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  moth 
  usually 
  secretes 
  them, 
  all 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  

   moths 
  had 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  (doubtless 
  from 
  excessive 
  numbers) 
  oviposited 
  

   abnormally. 
  

  

  