25 



cannot give any account of our own respecting it; we take pleasure/however, in tran- 

 scribing from the pages of the Canadian Entomologist (vol. ii., p. 126), the following excel- 

 lent account furnished by our esteemed co-adjutor, Mr. Saunders : — 



" While looking over some apple trees, on the 23rd of May, I observed the work of s&- 

 small case-making larva, which I had never noticed before. Its case resembled a long 

 miniature horn, wide at one end, tapering almost to a point at the other, and frequently 

 twisted in a very odd manner. There were generally portions of dead leaves fastened 

 around the case, so as to partially conceal it, and a firm base of attachment was made for 

 it by gnawing off the young bark from the twig on which it rested, and then firmly glue- 

 ing it with some glutinous secretion to the spot thus laid bare. The case was curiously 

 constructed of silk, interwoven very cleverly with the excrement of the artificer, and had 

 a smooth, whitish surface internally, with an exterior also smooth, but of a yellowish 

 brown color. 



The larva lives inside this curious structure, coming out only when it wants food, and" 

 quickly retreating when danger threatens. Its length, when full grown, is about six-tenths 

 of an inch, with a body tapering slightly towards the hinder extremity. Its head ia 

 medium sized, rather flat, dark reddish brown, with a dull roughened surface, mandibles 

 or jaws dark shining brown. 



The body above is dark, dull brown, with a slight greenish tint, the second segment 

 being nearly covered above with a horny looking plate, similar in appearance to the head, 

 but a little paler, and edged behind and at the sides with a darker shade — on each side* 

 below this plate is a flattened, blackish prominence — on each side of third segment is also 

 placed a small, shining, black tubercle. On each segment from the third to terminal 

 inclusive, are several very minute blackish dots, from each one of which arises a single pale 

 brown hair. 



The under surface is a little paler than the upper, with a more decided greenish tint, 

 feet green banded, and tipped with brownish black, pro-legs dull greenish brown. 



It changes to a chrysalis sometimes, and I think usually within the case. I found 

 them thus changed in some cases on the trees, but one or two of the specimens among those 

 brought home and fed, came out of the case, and changed to a pupa on the outside. The 

 chrysalis was about four-tenths of an inch long, and of a reddish brown color. One 

 specimen was observed to effect its change on the 8th of June, and produced the winged 

 moth on the 21st of the same month, showing the duration of the pupa stage to Jbe about 

 thirteen days. 



On examination, the moth proved to be the Phycita nebulo (Walsh), to which he has; 

 given the significant common, name of "The rascal leaf crumpler." In Mr. Walsh's excel- 

 lent Report on the noxious insects of Illinois, he states that this larva affects the plum and! 

 wild crab, as well as the cultivated apple. The young larvae appear late in the summer 

 and construct their little cases, surrounded with portions of dried leaves, in which they 

 pass the winter in a torpid state, awakening to activity and resuming their depredations 

 as soon as the young foliage expands in spring. He was of opinion that this insect was 

 confined exclusively to the North Western States ; its occurrence in Canada shows that 

 in this his views were incorrect. Although he had bred a number o<: specimens, he had 

 never found them preyed on by any species of ichneumon fly, whereas in my own case, 

 although I only bred seven or eight,. one of them produced an interesting ichneumon, the 

 name of which has not yet been determined. 



The moth is a pretty little thing; its wings measure, when expanded, about seven- 

 tenths of an inch. Its fore-wings are pale brown, with patches and streaks of silvery 

 white; the hind wings are plain brownish white; the under side of both wings is pale 

 whitish brown, the hind wings p.vter than the fore-wings. It is figured and described by 

 Mr. Walsh, in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, vol. 9, p. 312-8. 



The amount of damage done by this insect in my own case was not great j their num- 

 bers were not sufficient to cause much alarm ; but when they are very numerous, one can 

 easily imagine that their destructive powers would be very considerable, for besides con- 

 suming the foliage, their pernicious habit of gnawing away all the young bark from and 

 about the spot to which the case is attached, would, in all probability, lead sometimes to> 

 the girdling of the young branches, and their consequent death. The little bunch of dead 



