922 
Annual Report of New York 
CCRRAMT-WORM. REMAIKB LATER IN DAMP THAN IK DRY SITCATIONSi 
present some time, and was then accidentally found. I first discov¬ 
ered it in my own garden on the 18th of June. Being engaged in 
weeding under a currant bush, I noticed that the leaves had been 
cleanly eaten from a twig which was hid from view underneath the 
foliage. Surprised and wondering what currant insect there was 
that could have done this, in looking further I espied a cluster of 
worms occupying the leaves of two other twigs contiguous to this 
one, from one to a half dozen worms standing upon the underside 
of each leaf. It required but a slight inspection to assure me they 
were the larvm of this Currant saw-fly about two-thirds grown. 
Hereupon examining all my bushes I found a spot denuded of 
leaves and indicating that a small flock of worms had been feeding 
there and had probably got their growth and gone into the ground. 
Another defoliated place was found, where were eleven mature 
worms, mostly scattered one upon a leaf, the remainder of this 
flock having no doubt buried themselves. These defoliated spots 
were in hidden situations and of such small extent that probably 
one fly produced them, dividing her eggs into separate parcels for 
the better concealment and security of her young, instead of depos¬ 
iting her whole stock in one place. A currant bush growing alone 
in my yard was also found to have about a third of its foliage 
consumed, and thirty-one worms were counted, scattered every¬ 
where over it, one or two upon a leaf, some of them small, others 
mature, and others no doubt had finished feeding and buried them¬ 
selves. No worms as yet occurred upon my gooseberries, these 
furnishing no places for them to feed in such perfect concealment 
as they found upon the currants. Every leaf upon which a worm 
was detected was picked and dropped into pots of earth to be fed, 
that I might observe their further growth and transformations. 
From this time onwards, none of these larvse were seen upon my 
bushes, until the middle of August, when, around the same places 
where they had previously occurred, were found a number of them 
half and two-thirds grown, scattered and but one or two upon a 
leaf. The annual fall of the leaves from the currant bushes was 
then taking place, whereby no considerable number of larvse could 
find sustenance upon them. I think in moist situations and soils 
of clay loam the currant and gooseberry retain their leaves to a 
much later period than they do when growing in more elevated, 
dry, gravelly loam, thus enabling the autumnal broods of these 
