63 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Although the cabbage looper remained undescribed until 1870, and 
there is no doubt that it is a native species, it has now become widely 
distributed throughout that part of the United States lying east of the 
Rocky Mountains, together with Utah, and from Maine to the Gulf. 
It is probably of somewhat remote southern origin, and is much more 
destructive in the southern portion of its range than in the most north- 
ern, if we except a few localities like New Jersey and Long Island, where 
it is periodically troublesome. We have no reports of destructive 
occurrence in Maine, and it is possible that the species is recorded only 
from fugitives there; and the same applies to some other northern 
localities which appear in our divisional records. The moth appears 
to be a strong flyer, and has been recorded as far north as Winnipeg, 
Manitoba (Hanham), from captures; but it does not seem probable 
that injury has been committed there 
RECENT INJURY. 
During the past three years much complaint has been made of the 
ravages of cabbage u worms," but, as a rule, the letters of complaint 
have not been accompanied b}^ specimens, and we have thus not been 
able to identify the species. It seems probable, from the abundance 
of the cabbage looper, that this insect was often the cause of injury, 
although attack is frequently complicated by the presence of Pieris 
rapse, the common imported cabbage worm, and other species. 
During the year 1899 we received complaints of this looper from 
Athens and Montreal, Ga., and Rollover and China Spring, Tex. Mr. 
James I. Todd, of Athens, Ga. , reported that in his locality this cater- 
pillar fed mainly on the older and lower leaves of cabbage, turnip, and 
rutabaga, but did nearly as much damage during 1899 as Pionea rimo- 
salis, which is treated in another paper in the present bulletin. At 
Evansville, Ind., where Mr. J. B. Walsh reported this species as 
injurious during the same "year, it was currently reported that the gar- 
deners of that vicinity considered the species new as a cabbage pest. 
During the next two years we received complaints, accompanied by 
specimens, from Mr. J. L. Phillips, Blacksburg, Va., who stated that 
this looper was doing considerable damage to peas near Norfolk, hav- 
ing almost displaced the destructive green pea louse in point of injuri- 
ousness. Specimens were also received from Carterton, Va., and Cor- 
pus Christi, Tex., in both cases complaint being made of injury to 
cabbage. In the latter locality this insect was called the common cab- 
bage worm. In the vicinity of the District of Columbia the writer 
and Mr. Pratt at different times found this larva attacking pea, aspara- 
gus, common pigweed (Amaranthus retrqflexus) growing between rows, 
lambV-quarters (Chenojjodhim album), mullein, plantain, and tomato. 
