﻿108 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  first 
  disturbed, 
  and 
  she 
  was 
  always 
  so 
  intent 
  upon 
  the 
  operation 
  as 
  to 
  

   render 
  observation 
  with 
  a 
  ^^ 
  bull's 
  eye'^ 
  sufficiently 
  easy. 
  

  

  Prolificacy. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  when 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  immense 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  often 
  occurs, 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  also 
  consider 
  

   the 
  number 
  and 
  importance 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  enemies, 
  that 
  the 
  moth 
  must 
  

   be 
  quite 
  prolific. 
  The 
  only 
  recorded 
  statement, 
  however, 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   Eighth 
  Missouri 
  Eeport, 
  page 
  34, 
  where 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  indicated 
  

   by 
  a 
  single 
  dissection 
  is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  upwards 
  of 
  200. 
  That 
  this 
  dissec- 
  

   tion, 
  however, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  too 
  early 
  or 
  too 
  late 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  two 
  dissections, 
  made 
  the 
  present 
  spring, 
  showed 
  737 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  one 
  female, 
  and 
  562 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  another. 
  

  

  Duration 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  state. 
  — 
  Observations 
  made 
  in 
  Missouri, 
  in 
  

   1876, 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  worms 
  hatch 
  from 
  the 
  eighth 
  to 
  the 
  tenth 
  day 
  

   after 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  j 
  while 
  others, 
  more 
  recently 
  made 
  in 
  Wash- 
  

   ington, 
  make 
  the 
  average 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  May 
  just 
  

   one 
  week. 
  

  

  Hahits 
  and 
  Peculiarities 
  of 
  the 
  Worm.^^ 
  

  

  Habits 
  "when 
  young. 
  — 
  When 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  in 
  a 
  green 
  

   grass 
  blade, 
  the 
  larvae, 
  on 
  hatching, 
  feed 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  fold 
  of 
  the 
  

   leaf. 
  Where 
  they 
  hatch 
  in 
  stubble 
  or 
  old 
  stalks, 
  they 
  remain 
  sheltered 
  

   therein 
  for 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days, 
  issuing 
  at 
  night 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  going 
  back 
  

   for 
  shelter. 
  The 
  newly 
  hatched 
  worms 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Howard 
  

   under 
  the 
  frayed 
  bark 
  of 
  the 
  cedar 
  posts 
  around 
  a 
  wheat 
  field 
  at 
  Hunts- 
  

   ville, 
  Ala., 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  and 
  at 
  such 
  an 
  early 
  age 
  as 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  

   they 
  had 
  hatched 
  there. 
  At 
  this 
  stage 
  they 
  are 
  whitish 
  in 
  color, 
  walk 
  

   like 
  loopers, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  atrophied, 
  or 
  rather 
  non- 
  developed 
  

   first 
  and 
  second 
  pairs 
  of 
  prolegs, 
  and 
  drop 
  suspended 
  by 
  silken 
  threads, 
  

   or 
  curl 
  up, 
  when 
  disturbed. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  often 
  said, 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  

  

  ^It 
  will 
  be 
  interesting 
  and 
  important 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  to 
  translate 
  Guen6e's 
  generalizations 
  on 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  this 
  genus, 
  as 
  the^' 
  may 
  serve 
  to 
  help 
  us 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  accurate 
  judgment 
  concerning 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   points 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  unipuncta: 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  Leucania 
  are 
  all 
  clo&ely 
  related 
  in 
  appearance, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  expert 
  entomologist 
  is 
  

   often 
  deceived 
  by 
  them. 
  No 
  European 
  species, 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge, 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  green 
  color; 
  all 
  have 
  a 
  white 
  

   dorsal 
  stripe, 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  carneous 
  or 
  brownish 
  gray, 
  with 
  tue 
  ordinary 
  lines 
  well 
  continued, 
  and 
  well 
  

   marked, 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  lines 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  lines 
  or 
  supernumerary 
  bands, 
  often 
  resulting 
  from 
  

   a 
  massing 
  together 
  of 
  brown 
  or 
  reddish 
  atoms. 
  These 
  usually 
  constitute 
  all 
  the 
  markings, 
  but 
  often 
  

   the 
  sub-dorsum 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  black 
  marks, 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  continued 
  upon 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  segment. 
  The 
  

   stigmata 
  are 
  often 
  wholly 
  black 
  or 
  brown. 
  These 
  larvae 
  live 
  exclusively 
  upon 
  the 
  Gramineab, 
  and 
  are 
  

   to 
  be 
  found 
  upon 
  those 
  which 
  grow 
  with 
  their 
  roots 
  almost 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  upon 
  those 
  growing 
  

   only 
  upon 
  the 
  driest 
  hillocks. 
  Those 
  which 
  form 
  thick 
  tufts 
  afford 
  a 
  natural 
  shade, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  pass 
  their 
  lives, 
  climbing 
  to 
  the 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  or 
  

   even 
  at 
  night. 
  Those 
  which 
  live 
  on 
  grasses 
  with 
  sparse 
  leaves, 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  

   shaded, 
  hide 
  themselves 
  under 
  brush 
  or 
  dry 
  leaves 
  a 
  littla^distance 
  away. 
  ■ 
  Finally, 
  some 
  of 
  them, 
  

   which 
  eat 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  aquatic 
  grasses, 
  hide 
  themselves 
  within 
  the 
  stalks 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   cut 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  man 
  or 
  broken 
  off 
  accidentally. 
  They 
  bury 
  themselves 
  until 
  stopped 
  by 
  a 
  node, 
  

   and 
  their 
  excrement, 
  which 
  partly 
  fills 
  these 
  tubes, 
  bears 
  witness 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  only 
  leave 
  iheir 
  

   dwelling 
  to 
  take 
  their 
  food. 
  This 
  retreat, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  guarded 
  from 
  the 
  punctures 
  of 
  Ichneumons, 
  at 
  

   least 
  completely 
  shelters 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  birds 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  its 
  only 
  use, 
  for 
  they 
  utilize 
  it 
  

   still 
  more 
  when 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  metamorphosis. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  bury 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  

   like 
  their 
  congeners, 
  but 
  content 
  themselves 
  with 
  spinning, 
  below 
  and 
  above 
  them, 
  two 
  little 
  partitions 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  frass. 
  The 
  Leucanias 
  which 
  are 
  ready 
  for 
  pupation 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  pass 
  

   through 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  larva 
  state, 
  ard 
  onlj- 
  undergo 
  the 
  metamorphosis 
  in 
  the 
  spring." 
  

  

  