66 



The hrst recognizable notice of the species in American litera- 

 ture which I am able to find, occurs in the issue of the "Prairie 

 Farmer" for August, 1851, where, in an editorial article entitled 

 "A String of Bugs" (in which are discussed the principal insect 

 pests of that time), the following paragraph appears: 



"The Leaf Kollee. — One of the insects of this tribe is now 

 very common in all this region and needs nior6 attention than he 

 has yet received. In the spring the insect is easily discernible by 

 the little tuft of dry leaves which he has rolled up and cemented 

 together for his winter quarters. In each tuft will be found a very 

 small worm, and sometimes a half dozen of them, and the tree will 

 be covered with their habitations. Later, and when the leaves 

 appear— some of which are always nea-r the house of the worm — 

 one is laid hold of, drawn to the cell, and gradually devoured. 

 The worm at this time, July 1st, is perhaps three fourths of an 

 inch long; encased in a sort of tube made of leaves, web, and 

 cement. Out of this he will stretch himself far enough to get 

 hold of his food, and remain during the remainder of the time at 

 leisure at home. In the spring, before the new leaves appear, the 

 insects are easily found; and that is the proper time to attend to 

 their case by picking off their nests and burning them. They 

 fasten themselves on almost all fruit trees indiscriminately, but 

 seem to prefer the apple, quince, and plum." 



The next authoritative notice of the injuries of this insect ap- 

 pears in the "Prairie Farmer" for September, 1853 (p. 330), in an 

 article by Dr. Wm. LeBaron of Geneva, III., entitled "Observa- 

 tions upon two Species of Insects Injurious to Fruit Trees." 



apple leaf hopper {Empoa alhopi/Aa, Forbes), the writer continues: 



"The other injurious insect above mentioned is a leaf -rolling 

 caterpillar, which I have seen briefly referred to in several num- 

 bers of the "Prairie Farmer", and which, therefore, I suppose to be 

 somewhat extensively distributed throughout the West. 



"This insect passes the winter in a half-grown larval state, and 

 is rendered very conspicuous at this season, by the* little clusters 

 of dried leaves attached to the twigs of the apple- and plum-trees 

 in which the larvj^e lie concealed, — sometimes singly, but often 

 two or three in comijauy. Besides the covering of dead leaves 

 each larva is enclosed in an elongated, conical, and somewhat 

 twisted case, rough externally, but of fine texture and polishetl 

 surface within. 



"As soon as the foliage expands in the sprinj?, the caterpillar 

 begins to devour the leaves in its immediate vicinity, drawing 

 them in around itself and confining them there by threads of 

 web. It is thus enabled to fee<l at ease by protruding its body 

 partially from the larger and open extremity of its case. 



"The larva arrives at maturity about the end of June. It 

 then about two thirds of an inch long, sixteen-footed, pale dull 

 gi'een, with a brown head. It now slightly closes the mouth of its 



After treating at some 



habits of the 



