[69] Report of the State Entomologist. 211 



ing been carried with me in the Adirondack mountains, that particu- 

 lar specie of poplar, at times, could not conveniently be obtained. 



The following is the account of the successive stages of Mamestra 

 grandis as observed by me : 



The egg. — The egg is round, ribbed with about twenty-four lines 

 and punctured in the intermediate depressions. Color, a pale purple, 

 an elongate deep purple dash at the apex, and a purple band near the 

 summit not entire. The colors were probably the result of the larva 

 partly showing through the translucent shell, as the hatching was 

 near at hand, and the empty egg-shells were left nearly colorless. 



Larva in first stage. — The larvae were hatched on the fifteenth of 

 June. They were quite small, slender, elongated, with long legs and 

 numerous black spots from which long hairs proceeded. They are 

 very active in their movements. When ready for their molting, they 

 are of a pale, watery-green color, with three pale (whitish) stripes on 

 each side; between the two lower is a dusky stigmatal stripe. The 

 black, setiferous, trapezoidal spots are quite distinguishable, and of 

 these the two anterior ones of the central segments, are about one- 

 half as far apart as the hinder pair. Length when fixed for molting, 

 0.3 inch. Four pairs of prologs are used in walking in this stage. 



Second larval stage. — The first molting was on June twenty-second. 

 The head is flat, pale brown, with a few dark spots. The body, blu- 

 ish-green; a narrow, whitish, dorsal line; two lateral lines, then a dark 

 stigmatal one, having a white stripe below. Ventral region pale 

 green. The fifth pair of prolegs are partly developed, but not 

 employed in locomotion, as the larva still loops. 



Third stage. — Commencement of second molting not noticed, but 

 was on or about the twenty-seventh of June. General color, darker 

 green; a whitish dorsal stripe, a similar lateral one, a broad dark 

 green stigmatal one, below which is a pale green stripe, 

 bordered on each side with white. Head, brown, flat, bilobed, with 

 numerous hairs. Body tapering anteriorly from the eleventh seg- 

 ment; the setiferous spots with comparatively shorter hairs. Of the 

 five pairs of prolegs, the anterior pair is used in walking, but as 

 they are shorter than the others, the larva still has a looping gait. It 

 feeds principally at night; when disturbed, it coils up and bends its 

 head on one side. At this stage, it eats holes in the body of the leaf, 

 and not from the edge as before. Length when in readiness for its 

 next molt, 0.7 inch. 



Fourth stage. — Molted on or about July second. Color, pale brown; 

 a whitish dorsal line, two obscure lateral ones, and a stigmatal and 



