35 



tute an army of no less than 340 different described species, many of which are, at 

 times, very abundant. They may be described, in a general way, as smooth, almost 

 naked, greasy-looking caterpillars, of some dull shade of color similar to the ground in 

 which they hide during the day. The head is smooth and shining, and sometimes of a 

 different color from the rest of the body. On the segment next to the head is a smooth 

 plate, known as the thoracic shield, and there are three or four series of bristle-bearing 

 tubercles along the sides. Their habits are nocturnal, that is, they feed at night and lie 

 hid during the day-time. The habits of most cut- worms are as follows : — The eggs are 

 laid in spring, summer or autumn, and the insects pass the winter either in the perfect 

 moth state, as a half -grown caterpillar, or as a chrysalis. Those which hibernate as 

 moths, lay eggs in the spring and moths are produced in the autumn. The eggs which 

 are laid in summer and autumn hatch soon after, and the caterpillars either become full 

 fed the same season and pass the winter underground in the chrysalis state, or, after feed- 

 ing for a short time, become torpid, and so pass the winter beneath stones, heaps of dead 

 vegetation, or in cells beneath the surface of the ground. The injury done by the young 

 caterpillars in the summer and autumn is seldom noticed at those seasons, on account of 

 the abundant vegetation ; but, in the spring, not only are the caterpillars larger and 

 capable of more mischief, but the land is cleared of all • vegetation other than the crop 

 which is to be grown. They are then particularly troublesome in gardens, cutting 

 off young cabbages, tomatoes, and other plants as soon as they are pricked out. When 

 full fed, these caterpillars burrow into the ground to a depth of some inches and turn to 

 brown chrysalids inside a smooth cell or a light cocoon, Fig. 6. From these, after a few 

 weeks, the perfect moths emerge. They are very active at night, and, when disturbed, 

 have a habit of dropping to the ground and remaining per- 

 fectly still as if dead, where, from their dull colors, they are 

 difficult to detect. When at rest, their wings lie horizontally 

 over their backs, and the upper ones entirely cover the 

 lower pair. The upper wings are generally crossed with one 

 or more waved lines, and always bear two characteristic 

 marks — one about half way down the wing, orbicular in 

 the tip, reniform or 

 shows "The Gothic 



Fig. 6— Cocoon. 



I 



Fig. 7— Gothic Dart Moth. 



shape ; the other nearer 

 kidney shaped. Fig. 7 



Dart Moth " (Agrotis subgothica, Haw.,) with 

 wings closed and expanded ; this is a very com- 

 mon and injurious species, the caterpillar of 

 which is too well known as the " Dingy Cut- 

 worm." 



Cut-worms may be divided into three 

 classes, according to their habits, and remedies 

 must be applied in a slightly different manner 

 for each. These classes are : — 



1 . Climbing Cut-worms, or those which climb trees and destroy the buds. 



2. Surface Cut-worms, or those which live on the surface of the ground and cut off 

 herbaceous plants just beneath the surface of the soil. 



3. Those which combine both of these habits. 



Of the first class, a good representative is the 



Climbing Cut-worm (Agrotis scandens, Riley). The 



Dingy Cut-worm, the caterpillar of the Gothic Dart 



Moth (Fig. 7) belongs to the second class, and the 



" Variegated Cut-worm " (Agrotis saucia, Treit.), and 



the " Yellow-headed Out-worm," which turns to the 



"• Amputating Brocade Moth " (Hadena arctica, Bois.) 



(Fig. 8) are good representations of the third class. 



Fig. 8— Amputating Brocade Moth. Remedies. — There are several remedies which may 



be used for cut-worms. For the climbing kinds, the best remedy is to place round the 



stem of the tree or bush to be protected, a strip of tin four inches wide, the lower edge 



