REPORT OF TIIE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



297 



(1818), p. 154, and placed it in the genus Agrotis. The original descrip- 

 tion was drawn up by Mr. Brace from moths bred from pupa' found in a 

 cabbage field, and there remains but little doubt that it is a true cabbage 

 insect. 



The larva of this species was unknown until 18G9, when we published 

 a full description of it {loc. cit., p. 83). The larva from which this de- 

 scription was taken was found May 1 under a wild endive, the leaves 

 of which it had evidently been eating*. It was about half grown. In 

 the breeding-jar to which it was transferred, it burrowed immediately 

 under ground and fed until the time of its transformation entirely on 

 grass-roots, although other food was plentiful. On June 19 it changed 

 to a pupa, and came forth as a moth July 7. 



Mr. Brace's account of its life-history was to a certain extent errone- 

 ous. He stated that the moth lays its eggs in the autumn, near the 

 ground and at the roots of trees ; that the eggs hatch the following May 

 and the worms attain their growth in four weeks, remain in the pupa 

 state four weeks longer, and come forth as moths about the middle of 

 July. Dr. Harris, however, justly criticises this statement in the fol- 

 lowing words: "From what is known respecting the history of the 

 other kinds of Agrotis and from the size that the Cabbage Cut- worms are 

 found to have attained in May, I am led to infer that they must gener- 

 ally be hatched in the previous autumn, and that, after feeding awhile 

 on such food as they can find immediately under the surface of the soil, 

 they descend deeper into the ground and remain curled up in little cavi- 

 ties which each one makes for itself in the earth till the following 

 spring." 



The Glassy Cut worm (Plate III, Fig. 3) may at once be distinguished 

 from the other cut- worms which we have described by its translucent, 

 glassy-green body, in contrast with the very distinct, hard, polished, 

 dark-brown cervical shield, and a bright Venetian red head. 



The moth (Plate III, Fig. 4) resembles in general appearance Agrotis 

 messoria, previously described, the ground color being the same. It is 

 larger in size, the wavy, transverse lines are more nearly equidistant, 

 the arrow-shaped spots which emanate from the outer line are darker 

 and more distinct, and the outer edge of the large kidney-shaped spot 

 is almost always quite white. These are the superficial characters by 

 which they may be distinguished, as by their structural characters they 

 are placed in different genera. No description of the eggs Las been 

 published. 



THE VARIEGATED CUT-WORM. 

 (Larva of Agrotis saucia Treitschke.) 

 [Plate III; Figs. 1,2.] 



This cut-worm was treated of in our First Missouri Entomological 

 Report (pp. 72-74) under the name of Agrotis biennis Harris. It is a 

 common species throughout North America and Europe, and has been 

 found in the islands of Madeira and Teneriffe. It is a very general feeder. 

 Kaitenbach mentions it as feeding upon Stellaria, Litorella, Plantago, 

 and Bumex in Europe. In this country we have found these larvae 

 abundantly in cabbage patches, and have fed them in confinement upon 

 cabbage, grape leaves, strawberry leaves, and the leaves of Eupatoriuin, 

 and also of White mulberry. We also, upon one occasion, found a sin- 

 gle larva climbing in a willow tree in the day-time, and this specimen 



