﻿118 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  of 
  clover, 
  and 
  also 
  upon 
  the 
  common 
  soap-wort 
  (Saponarta 
  officinalis). 
  

   Our 
  assistant, 
  Mr. 
  Koebele, 
  has 
  also 
  taken 
  the 
  moths 
  feeding 
  on 
  blossoms 
  

   of 
  apple, 
  honeysuckle 
  and 
  yucca. 
  It 
  is 
  moreover 
  probable 
  that 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  the 
  more 
  frequent 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  worms 
  on 
  low- 
  

   lands 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  parent 
  moth 
  gets 
  more 
  appropriate 
  food 
  at 
  such 
  places^ 
  

   either 
  in 
  saccharine 
  exudations 
  — 
  the 
  natural 
  "sweat" 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  

   (" 
  Honigausschwitzung 
  '' 
  of 
  the 
  Germans) 
  — 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  moisture 
  from 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  tongue 
  shows 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  

   strongly 
  armed, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  allied 
  genera, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  highly 
  

   probable 
  that, 
  like 
  the 
  Cotton 
  Worm 
  moth, 
  Leucania 
  not 
  only 
  feeds 
  upon 
  

   cracked 
  or 
  decayed 
  fruit, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  also 
  upon 
  occasion 
  pierce 
  sound 
  

   fruit 
  and 
  suck 
  its 
  juice. 
  Of 
  this, 
  however, 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  presumptive 
  

   evidence. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  develop 
  rather 
  slowly 
  in 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  the 
  moth, 
  and 
  even 
  

   with 
  the 
  midsummer 
  brood 
  at 
  the 
  South 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  more 
  elapses 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  issuance 
  from 
  the 
  pupa 
  and 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  oviposition. 
  

   Dissections 
  made 
  at 
  Saint 
  Louis 
  in 
  1875 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  moth 
  lives 
  

   without 
  doubt 
  for 
  several 
  weeks 
  in 
  autumn 
  j 
  hence 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  food. 
  c 
  

  

  Flight. 
  — 
  The 
  flight 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  moth 
  begins 
  toward 
  the 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  It 
  is 
  low 
  and 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  a 
  quick, 
  

   darting 
  motion, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  slight 
  humming 
  noise, 
  similar 
  to 
  but 
  

   less 
  intense 
  than 
  that 
  made 
  by 
  hawk 
  moths. 
  Professor 
  Thomas 
  says: 
  

  

  They 
  began 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  an 
  evening 
  about 
  sunset, 
  but 
  appeared 
  in 
  great- 
  

   est 
  abundance 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  it 
  became 
  fully 
  dark. 
  Their 
  flight 
  is 
  strong, 
  irregular 
  

   and 
  plunging 
  ; 
  darting 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  they 
  dive 
  suddenly 
  into 
  

   the 
  grass 
  with 
  a 
  force 
  which 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  tear 
  their 
  wings 
  to 
  pieces. 
  

   They 
  fly 
  low, 
  seldom 
  rising 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  at 
  least 
  none 
  en- 
  

   tered 
  the 
  window 
  of 
  my 
  bed-chamber, 
  which 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  floor, 
  and 
  opens 
  di- 
  

   rectly 
  opposite 
  and 
  almost 
  over 
  the 
  spot 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  came. 
  But 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  readily 
  attracted 
  by 
  light 
  as 
  many 
  other 
  moths. 
  

  

  Exceptionally, 
  however, 
  the 
  moths 
  fly 
  higher. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Depart- 
  

   ment 
  agents, 
  last 
  summer, 
  at 
  Savannah, 
  Ga., 
  captured 
  several 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  light 
  in 
  his 
  room 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  

   Marshall 
  House, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  taken 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  story 
  

   of 
  our 
  own 
  dwelling. 
  

  

  Position 
  when 
  at 
  rest. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  the 
  moth 
  remains, 
  ordi- 
  

   narily, 
  hidden 
  in 
  grass, 
  weeds, 
  or 
  other 
  rubbish. 
  ^When 
  at 
  rest 
  its 
  wings 
  

   are 
  either 
  held 
  flat 
  upon 
  its 
  back, 
  opening 
  slightly 
  and 
  showing 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  hind 
  wings, 
  or 
  more 
  sloping 
  (see 
  positions, 
  PI. 
  II, 
  Eep. 
  Ent. 
  Dept. 
  

   Agr., 
  1881-2). 
  Upon 
  first 
  alighting 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  motion 
  with 
  

   a 
  rapid 
  quivering, 
  but 
  this 
  movement 
  soon 
  ceases 
  and 
  they 
  sink 
  into 
  the 
  

   position 
  described, 
  with 
  the 
  tips 
  resting 
  often 
  upon 
  the 
  supporting 
  object 
  

   or 
  surface. 
  

  

  NUMBER 
  OF 
  ANNUAL 
  GENERATIONS. 
  

  

  "From 
  the 
  time 
  Fitch 
  wrote 
  so 
  fully 
  on 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  1861, 
  until 
  the 
  

   record 
  of 
  our 
  observations 
  in 
  1875 
  and 
  1876, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  prevailing 
  belief 
  

  

  