374 



are bard and fast rules for eveii this one locality, and we should certainly expect a 

 variation with climate. The Meloloniha vulgaris is said to remain three years in the 

 larval stage in South Europe, and four years in North Europe. — [February, 1890.] 



Parorgyia on Cranberry in "Wisconsin. 



I wish to call your attention again to some insects sent by my brother to you last 

 summer. They were a lot of caterpillars. One species especially had done great 

 damage on a neighboring cranberry marsh. The caterpillar was of a mouse-gray 

 color, 1£ inches long, provided with feelers or horns. On his back there was a tuft 

 of fur or hair, resembling the hump on a camel. You called it a species of Parorgyia. 

 I also sent specimens to Professor Henry, at the Madison (Wis.) Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. In his absence Mr. E. S. Goff replied. He called the insect that I 

 speak of Arctia, and said that it is an enemy of the cranberry. In the interest of the 

 Wisconsin Cranberry Growers' Association I respectfully ask for a little more light, 

 if you can shed any from the above description or your personal experience. How 

 do they pass the winter? And when does the moth deposit the eggs that furnish the 

 brood which does the damage in July ? The vine and fruit worm moths we success- 

 fully catch at night by means of lamps set in tin pans containing water, and a little 

 kerosene oil on top. It kills them as soon as they strike the water in the pau. Now, 

 is the moth of the former-described caterpillar of nocturnal flight ? If so, they can 

 be caught the same as the fruit moth. I will be thankful for any information that 

 will enable me (not being an entomologist) to study their habits and mode of breed- 

 ing. I have succeeded in raising a moth from the caterpillar. I wanted it to exhibit 

 to the association last January or I would have sent it to you ; perhaps then you 

 <;ould have readily given me the information I now seek. — [H. O. Exuschke, Deuster, 

 Juneau County, Wis., February 24, 1890. 



Reply. — The moth sent by your brother last summer has been reared and proves, 

 as I surmised, to be a species of Parorgyia, but the precise species can not be deter- 

 mined at this moment. An allied species lays its eggs late in July and the larvae 

 attain full growth by fall, hibernate in a web, transform to pupse in the spring and 

 issue as moths in early summer. The larvse received from your brother, however, 

 were nearly full-grown August 1, and the solitary moth which we bred issued August 

 21. This would seem to indicate either two broods or the hibernation of the partly- 

 grown larvse, moths of which emerge in August. Most of the larvse which he sent 

 were parasitized. The moths are night-flyers and would probably be captured by the 

 same traps which you use for the vine and fruit worm moths. It is doubtful, how- 

 ever, whether this capturing of the moths will do much good, as careful examination 

 of specimens so captured shows that the vast majority are males, or females which have 

 laid their eggs. The best remedy will be to apply Paris green or London purple, as 

 I suggested in my letter to your brother August 3, last. — [February 27, 1890.] 



Helomyza sp. found in Mayfield Cave, Ind. 



To-day I send you by mail a number of flies taken in Mayfield Cave on December 

 28, 1885. They were found under stones on the bottom of the cave, and sticking to 

 the sides of the cave in sheltered places. They were not very torpid, as when I lifted 

 up the stones they would generally commence to move. In the above cave they are 

 abundant. I expect they may be found in other caves around here in equal numbers, 

 although I have not hunted for them. You may keep them or else turn them over to 

 the Smithsonian.— [C. H. Bollman, Bloomington, Ind. 



Reply. — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter and specimens and to state 

 that the flies which you found in Mayfield Cave belong to two different species, both 

 apparently belonging to the genus Helomyza. Neither of the species is contained in 

 the collection of the National Museum, and they may be both possibly new, although 

 this is only probable. 



