344 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEYV-YORK 
APPLE. LEAVES. 
worms, I obtained last winter. They appeared to be identical 
with a very common European species, named Orthosia instabilis , 
but as authors speak of that insect as feeding only upon oak 
leaves, I was in doubt whether I would be justified in pronouncing 
this which feeds upon the apple to be the same. In April, how¬ 
ever, on going by night into a forest chiefly of oak trees, this same 
moth was discovered quite common there. It was clinging around 
the wounds made in the sugar maples, drinking the sap which 
flowed therefrom, and instead of flying away when the light of the 
lantern approached, it merely dropped itself among the dead 
leaves for concealment, frequently falling into the vessels of sap 
and drowning therein. It was evident that these moths had come 
from worms which had fed on the foliage of the surrounding oaks. 
All doubts of the insect in question being identical with that of 
Europe were thus resolved. The larva is described in books as 
being green, with a white line upon the back and a pale yellow 
one upon each side. It is when it is young and small that it 
answers to this description. When larger it commonly presents 
five white lines and the surface becomes freckled with white dots. 
I once was not a little vexed with myself on finding my memo¬ 
randa of one of these worms which I was feeding, to be very 
incorrect; but subsequent observations showed that it was the 
worm that had changed. The species may well be called unstable, 
as not only the larva but the moth also is extremely variable; 
insomuch that authors have heretofore named and described a half 
dozen species from what are now regarded as mere varieties of this 
insect. It is commonly of an ash-gray color, varied more or less 
with rusty. Near the middle of the fore wings is a faint round 
spot and behind it a kidney-shaped one, of a blackish-gray color 
margined by a whitish line, the space between these spots rusty 
and often extended into a band crossing the wing. Towards their 
hind edge is a rusty transverse streak on the middle, and in a line 
with it a spot of the same color upon the outer and another upon 
the inner margin. Width of the spread wings, 1.50. 
42. Palmer worm, Chatochilus Pometellw, Harris. (Lepidoptcra. Tineida:.) 
Appearing the latter part of June, at times excessively nume¬ 
rous, residing in worm-eaten leaves drawn together by silken 
