ATTACKING THE LEAVES, 327 



This caterpillar is not confined to the strawberry, but feeds 

 also on the leaves of the grape, apple, peach, raspberry, 

 willow, and on the common smart-weed, Polygonum punc- 

 tatum. Being such a general feeder, it is never likely to 

 become injurious. It is preyed upon by several parasitic 

 insects, which no doubt render material aid in keeping it 

 within due limits. 



No. 195. — Cut-worms. 



Under No. 45, among the insects injurious to the apple, 

 the reader will find reference made to those species of cut- 

 worms which are noted for climbing trees and devouring the 

 foliage. These climbing cut-worms eat also anything on 

 the ground which may come in their M^ay. There are, how- 

 ever, a number of species which do not climb trees, and it is, 

 as a rule, among these that we find the greatest enemies to 

 strawberry-plants. These larvae, or '^ worms/^ as they are 

 called, all have a general resemblance to one another, being 

 smooth and of some shade of greenish gray or brown, with 

 dusky markings, or occasionally almost black. Both the 

 larvae and the moths are nocturnal in their habits, and secrete 

 themselves during the day, the moths in crevices of the bark 

 of trees or other suitable hiding-places, while the larvae bury 

 themselves under the ground in the neighborhood of the 

 scene of their depredations. Their life-history is briefly 

 told under No. 45, and need not be repeated here. It will 

 suflSce in this connection to refer to several representative 

 species of the class which do not climb. 



The Greasy Cut- worm, Agrotis Ypsilon (Eott.). This larva, 

 which is shown in Fig. 338, is of a deep dull-brown color, 

 inclining to black, with paler longitudinal lines, a faint, 

 broken, yellowish-white line along the back, and two other 

 indistinct pale lines on each side; there are also a few shining 

 black dots on each segment. When full grown, it is about 

 an inch and a half long. 



