THE CORN GORTYNA. 
439 
the first and of the last rings black, and with a double row, 
across each of the other rings, of small, smooth, slightly- 
elevated, shining black dots. With a magnifying-glass a few 
short hairs can be seen on its body, arising singly from the 
black dots. This mischievous caterpillar is not confined to 
Indian corn; it attacks also the stems of the Dahlia, as I am 
informed both by Mr. Leonard and by the Rev. J. L. Rus¬ 
sell, both of whom have observed its ravan-es in the stems of 
this favorite flower. It has also been found in the pith of the 
elder, and the same species of moth was produced from it, 
early in August, as from the spindle-worm of corn. The 
chrysalis, which is lodged in the burrow formed by the cater¬ 
pillar, is slender, but not quite so long in proportion to its 
thickness as are those of most of the Nonao-rians. It is 
o 
shining mahogany-brown, with the anterior edges of four of 
the rings of the back roughened with little points, and four 
short spines or hooks, turned upwards, on the hinder extrem¬ 
ity of the body. The moth produced from this insect differs 
from the other Nonagrians somewhat in form, its fore wings 
being shorter and more rounded at the tip. It may be called 
Gortyna * ZecB (Plate VII. Fig. 9), the corn Gortyna; Zea 
being the botanical name of Indian corn. The fore wings 
are rust-red; they are mottled with gray, almost in bands, 
uniting with the ordinary spots, which are also gr5y and 
indistinct; there is an irregular tawny spot near the tip, and 
on the veins there are a few black dots. The hind wings 
are yellowish gray, with a central dusky spot, behind which 
are two faint, duskv bands. The head and thorax are rust- 
red, with an elevated tawny tuft on each. The abdomen is 
pale brown, with a row of tawny tufts on the back. The 
wings expand nearly one inch and a half. 
In order to check the ravages of these insects they must 
be destroyed while in the caterpillar state. As soon as our 
cornfields begin to show, by the withering of the leaves, the 
* Gortyna, in ancient geography, was the name of a city in Crete, so called 
from its founder. 
