80 



ment, embracing tlie piliferoiis tubercles, tlie series connected by 

 a median longitudinal dusky line, or light line bordered with 

 dusky, darkest at the sutures — that is at the apex of each V. 



Sides above stigmata dusky, mottled with gray, darkest above. 



Substigmatal band dusky mottled with gray, below this a 

 darker band, venter paler. Anal plate dusky, at least at center; 

 cervical shield shining, dusky; each with a lighter median line. 

 Piliferous spots shining black or dark brown, those just behind 

 the spiracles very prominent and large; anterior spiracles in a 

 large coriaceous brown patch. 



Head sometimes nearly uniform dark brown, usually whitish, 

 shining, with a dark brown band each side of the middle, and 

 dark brown lines and blotches near the ocelli, the remaining space 

 reticulate with brown. Clypeus with a median brown band, an- 

 tennal joints one, two, and three, white, black, and brown, respec- 

 tively. Legs tinged with smoky brown on the outer sides. Spira- 

 cles black. 



Length L25 inches; width of head 4 mm; widest part of body 

 6 mm. 



The Western Striped Cutworm. 



{Agrotis herilis, Gr.) 



This species I mention merely to record the fact that it was 

 found September 5 feeding in the field on leaves of white clover 

 and water-melon, and that larvae afterwards bred were still feeding 

 June 2o, July 7, and August 3, but had transformed to the imago 

 September 21; while another example found on clover roots be- 

 neath the surface May 20 was still in the larval state June 11, 



The Clay-backed Cutworm. 

 (Agrotis morrisoniana, Riley.*) 

 (Agrotis gladiaria, Morrison.) 



(Plate v., flK- 2.) 



This, as already remarked, the most abundant and by far 

 the most destructive cutworm of Illinois in 1887, was bred by 

 Ptiley in 1874 (see foot note below), but described by him only 

 a-s an adult, and without record of its life history or food or feed- 

 ing habits. 



*The species as above named, not distinguishable by the published descriptions, are considered 

 identical by Riley, aa he informs me by letter, January 2(5, 1889. Thesynonymical history is peculiar, 

 I he species was described by Morrison as A. gladiaria (Proc. Boston Soc. TS[at. Hist, xvii, 

 i5, pp. IW, lfi3), but so briefly that the description was rejected, with several others, bv Grote in 

 -(1, as "inadequate"' (Bull. U. S, Geol. Surv. Terr, vi, No. 1, p. 151). It was again described by 

 -Morrison (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, xvii, 1875, p. 214) as "-A. morrisoniana, Riley," with the 

 remark that it "will be described at length by Prof. Riley, who has bred it for several years and is 

 acqnamted with its larval and pupal stages." This second description also came under Grote's con- 

 demnation, above, for "inadequacy."' The first of these descriptions occupies four lines of text and 

 the second five. 



Riley's promised deaciiplion, appears on a later page (288) of the same volume as Morrison's 

 aeco.id, abov - mentioned, aid agrees moderately well with our bred specimens,— one of which has 



a K— 7a 



