﻿CANKER 
  WORMS 
  : 
  PAST 
  HISTORY. 
  1 
  65 
  

  

  Anisopteryx 
  Steph., 
  Nomencl. 
  Br. 
  Ins., 
  43. 
  1829. 
  

   Steph., 
  "Cat., 
  ii^ 
  116, 
  1829." 
  

   Steph., 
  111., 
  iii, 
  151,1831. 
  

   Boisd., 
  Gen.lDd., 
  193, 
  1840. 
  

   Amjsopteryx 
  Dup., 
  Cat., 
  235, 
  1844. 
  

   AlsopUla 
  Steph., 
  Cat. 
  Brit. 
  Lep., 
  160, 
  1850. 
  

   Anisopterijx 
  Lederer, 
  Verli. 
  Zool. 
  Bot. 
  Ges. 
  Wien, 
  177, 
  1853. 
  

   Gueii6e,Plial.,ii, 
  254, 
  1857. 
  

   Walk., 
  List 
  Lep. 
  Het. 
  Br. 
  Mus., 
  xxiv, 
  1162, 
  1862. 
  

   Faleacrita 
  Riley, 
  Trans. 
  Acad. 
  Sc. 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  iii, 
  273, 
  1875. 
  

   In 
  1860, 
  Francis 
  Walker 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Canadian 
  N'aturalist, 
  v. 
  5, 
  p. 
  

   263, 
  a 
  moth, 
  which 
  he 
  called 
  AnisoiJteryx 
  restituens^ 
  and 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   received 
  from 
  Canada. 
  He 
  repeated 
  the 
  description 
  in 
  his 
  List 
  of 
  the 
  

   Specimens 
  of 
  Lepidopterous 
  Insects 
  in 
  the 
  Collection 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum, 
  pt. 
  26, 
  p. 
  1696. 
  The 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  English 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  : 
  

  

  Male. 
  Dark 
  cinereous. 
  Antennae 
  very 
  slightly 
  pectinated. 
  Abdomen 
  with, 
  a 
  yellow- 
  

   ish 
  tinge. 
  Wings 
  cinereous, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  blackish 
  discal 
  mark, 
  and 
  with 
  black 
  mar- 
  

   ginal 
  points. 
  Fore 
  wings 
  with 
  two 
  indistinct, 
  undulating, 
  dark 
  cinereous 
  whitish- 
  

   bordered 
  lines; 
  costa 
  dark 
  cinereous. 
  Length 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  5 
  lines; 
  of 
  the 
  wings, 
  14 
  

   lines. 
  Canada. 
  In 
  Mr. 
  D'Urban's 
  collection. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Packard 
  says 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  probably 
  Anisopteryx 
  vernata; 
  but 
  we 
  

   see 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  pometaria. 
  

  

  In 
  1862, 
  Francis 
  Walker 
  described 
  in 
  his 
  List 
  of 
  the 
  Specimens 
  of 
  Lepi- 
  

   dopterous 
  Insects 
  in 
  the 
  Collection 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  (pt. 
  26, 
  p. 
  

   1697), 
  a 
  moth 
  which 
  he 
  called 
  Anisopteryx 
  sericeiferata^ 
  the 
  English 
  of 
  

   which 
  description 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Male. 
  Dingy 
  cinerous. 
  Palpi 
  extremely 
  short. 
  Antennae 
  minutely 
  setulose 
  and 
  pub- 
  

   escent. 
  Hind 
  tibiae 
  with 
  four 
  moderately 
  long 
  spurs. 
  Wings 
  elongate, 
  silky 
  ; 
  fringe 
  

   long, 
  fall. 
  Fore 
  wings 
  somewhat 
  rounded 
  at 
  the 
  tips, 
  minutely 
  speckled 
  with 
  black, 
  

   with 
  four 
  diffuse 
  oblique 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  interrupted 
  and 
  indistinct 
  brownish 
  lines 
  ; 
  an 
  

   oblique 
  apical 
  blackish 
  streak 
  ; 
  discal 
  ringlet 
  brownish, 
  indistinct, 
  sometimes 
  obsolete 
  j 
  

   exterior 
  border 
  slightly 
  convex, 
  rather 
  oblique. 
  Hind 
  wings 
  without 
  markings. 
  

   Length 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  5 
  lines 
  ; 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  16 
  lines, 
  a-e. 
  United 
  States. 
  Presented 
  by 
  

   E. 
  Doubleday, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Packard 
  says 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  A. 
  vernata^ 
  and 
  we 
  agree 
  

   with 
  him. 
  

  

  PAST 
  HISTORY. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  insects, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Canker 
  Worms 
  are 
  examples, 
  

   which 
  ordinarily 
  occur 
  in 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  numbers 
  for 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years, 
  

   and 
  then, 
  in 
  a 
  particular 
  season 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  particular 
  locality, 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   all 
  at 
  once 
  swept 
  from 
  off 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  These 
  phenomena 
  are 
  

   due 
  to 
  several 
  different 
  causes, 
  but 
  principally 
  to 
  the 
  variations 
  and 
  

   irregularity 
  in 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  cannibal 
  and 
  parasitic 
  insects. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  confusion 
  which 
  has 
  existed 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  species, 
  

   it 
  is 
  well-nigh, 
  if 
  not 
  quite, 
  impossible 
  to 
  separate 
  their 
  histories. 
  

  

  From 
  Samuel 
  Dean's 
  " 
  The 
  New 
  England 
  Farmer 
  ; 
  [etc.J," 
  published 
  

   at 
  Worcester, 
  Mass., 
  in 
  1790, 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  about 
  

   fifty 
  years 
  since 
  this 
  insect 
  [the 
  Canker 
  Worm] 
  began 
  its 
  depredations 
  

  

  