16 



violet plant in Plate I. A few days later it usually seeks concealment 

 by drawing together by means of its fine silken webbing portions of 

 a leaf or of two leaves that happen to be contiguous. 



The terminal leaves of such creeping plants as the wandering jew 

 appear most subject to attack, while the lower leaves of taller plants 

 are most injured. As in the case of many other greenhouse insects, 

 the larva? prefer secluded places, and plants growing in shady loca- 

 tions are most affected. 



When full grown the larva prepares for pupation in different ways. 

 Sometimes it will spin up between two leaves, but more often rolls up a 

 pupa case at the edge of a leaf, if the leaf be large, cutting a slit usually 

 on one or both sides before drawing the leaf over itself. The interior it 

 lines with a thin silken membrane, and within the cocoon thus formed 

 changes to pupa. In figure 1, g, a pupal case showing slit on one side 

 is illustrated. 



Individuals that were observed in May would be feeding one day 

 and the next would form their pupa case and the same or the next day 

 would transform. 



HABITS OF THE MOTH. 



As has already been stated, the moths fly just before sundown. 

 Indoors they rest during the daytime on the lower surface of the 

 leaves of their food plants and other low-growing plants and doubtless 

 remain thus for many hours at a time unless disturbed. When dis- 

 turbed they fly only a very short distance before they alight and at 

 once seek the underside of a leaf again. The}' fly low and if along the 

 ground they alight only to again fry up until the underside of a leaf is 

 found. In these habits the}' resemble many other moths that could 

 be mentioned. The position taken by the moth when at rest on the 

 under surface of a leaf is shown in figure 1, h. 



DEVELOPMENT AND GENERATIONS. 



It will be noted, in Buckler's account of the development of the 

 egg of the European Phlyctcmia ferrugalis, that hatching took place 

 on the tenth day. With our native leaf-tyer, eggs that were found on 

 rolled violets in a rearing jar in which moths had been placed May 11, 

 and which were presumably laid on that date, hatched May 23, or in 

 twelve days. 



The oldest larva? of this lot attained full growth and began crawling 

 about the rearing jar, June 10; on the 11th began spinning, and on the 

 following day had pupated, thus giving twenty days as the duration of 

 the larval stage. The individuals which developed into pupa? June 12, 

 transformed to imago June 19, giving seven days as the duration of 

 the pupal period for th is time of the year. The weather averaged about 

 normal, the temperature being 75-86° F. 



