91 



At Savoy, in Champaign county, they were found June 1 

 moving from grass into corn, and completely devouring the latter 

 as they went, their mode of attack being much like that of the 

 army worm. The area then invaded was about forty rods long 

 by twenty wide. One hundred and twenty worms were counted 

 about a single hill, and during a warm rain the ground was nearly 

 covered by them. The mode of feeding was here seen to be dif- 

 ferent from that of the cutworms generally, the corn leaf being 

 seized by the pendent tip, drawn down, and eaten from tip to base. 

 These larvse were nearly all full grown, but a few remained not 

 more than a third the size of the largest. In gardens they were 

 at this time especially destructive to sweet potatoes. Evidences .of 

 disease were here apparent, many cutworms being pale and limp, 

 and others shriveled and blackened. 



June 3, they were still active in Champaign county in corn fields, 

 about four acres of one field near Philo having been lately de- 

 stroyed by larvse which were mostly full grown, some here having 

 already shortened for pupation, but others being not more than 

 half size*. 



June 10, they were still rarely seen in potato fields, cutting off 

 the plants at the base, but in corn their work seemed to be at 

 an end. 



June 12, they were still abundant and destructive in beans on 

 the experimental farm at Urbana. 



June 18, their earthen cells were found one to three inches be- 

 low the surface in clover fields previously denuded. 



In the breeding cages, specimens from Southern Illinois received 

 April 23 and 28, about full grown when taken, reared on clover 

 (which they selected from a sod of clover and blue grass mixed), 

 were full grown May 18. June 9 a few were still feeding, al- 

 though nearly all had entered the earth and shortened up for 

 pupation. 



June 17, only shortened larvse were found in the cells examined, 

 as again August 6; but September 23 the first imagos appeared. 

 September 27 many more were out, and numerous eggs were found 

 on the dead leaves and stems of clover in the breeding cage. 

 October 4, several others had emerged, and still a few more by 

 October 13. Our miscellaneous electric light collections yielded 

 the imago of this species from September 15, 1886, to September 

 24; and again from September 12, 1887, to September 20 and 21, 

 at which time collections ceased. At the latter dates they were 

 seemingly increasing in abundance. f 



*It was their habit in corn fields to make a short burrow, usually opening at the base of a stalk, 

 the terminal portions of whose leaves would commonly be found eaten away. 



tAgriciiltural correspondents reported to the State Department of Agriculture and to the 

 "Farmers' Review'" ot Chicago, that cutworms (whose habits make it likely that reference was had 

 chieily to this species) occurred in destructive numbers in Williamson, Wayne, and Jackson counties 

 in May; and in Brown, Cass, Christian, Coles, Douglas, Kord, Franklin, Grundy, Iroquois, Jasper, Jef- 

 ferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Menard, Morgan, Moultrie, Schuy- 

 ler, Scott, St. Clair, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, and Wayne counties in 

 June, — the damage commonly being to clover and grass, or to corn following these crops. In July 

 similar reports came in from the northern counties of DuPage, Winnebago, and DeWitt, and al.«o 

 from Richland county southward. 



