41 
teristics more completely, and to illustrate these by reference to con¬ 
generic species. I do this because it is difficult to determine a 
species, particularly of the moths, from a single description, without 
a possibility of reference to the descriptions of other species, especially 
when specimens of the same genus are found in the same sections. 
Although the Cabbage Plusia appears every year in greater or less 
numbers, it does not appear to be generally so injurious as to require 
any special effort for its destruction; its development in injurious 
numbers being only occasional, and then only in places where large 
quantities of cabbages are raised, as in the vicinity of larger cities. 
The moth may be readily distinguished by the following character¬ 
istics, vhich are generally quite uniform. Expanse of the wings 1.25 
to 1.50 inches. Front wings narrow and wedge-shaped, as is usual in 
this group; of a dark, grayish-brown color, a pale spot near the base 
between the prominent veins; near the middle, two small silvery-white 
spots, the inner one, which is the larger, of an irregular U-shape, 
with the opening forward, the interior space usually marked with a 
slender fulvous line; the outer one close to the base of the former, and 
sometimes connected with it, is round or oval in form. These spots 
are usually very distinct, and bright silvery-color, but occasionally are 
dull, and sometimes scarcely distinguishable, but seldom, if ever, en¬ 
tirely wanting in both wings. Usually a scarcely distinguishable band, 
slightly paler than the ground color, crosses the wing towards its outer 
margin; the fringe of the outer margin is of the same color as the 
wings, and is dentated. Hind wings smoky, with a coppery lustre, 
darkest toward the outer margin; fringe pale or whitish, with darker 
inner line. Underside smoky, that of the front wings darkest, with 
a pearly, varying on the hind wings to a slightly coppery lustre. 
The thorax dark grayish-brown; abdomen more or less fulvous; that 
of the male with a very distinct tuft of bright fulvous or yellowish 
hair on each side of the fifth segment, folding over the back of the 
following segments. 
The larva or caterpillar, which when fully grown is usually a little 
over an inch long, has but twelve feet, the three pairs of anterior or 
true feet on the first three segments behind the head, two pairs of 
abdominal feet situated far back, and the two on the last segment. 
Its general color is pale yellowish green, with about six or eight 
longitudinal paler lines on the dorsal portion of the body and extend¬ 
ing back to the tenth segment; the posterior extremity of the body 
is the thickest, from whence it tapers gradually to the head; the anal 
segment sloping abruptly downward. The pale lines are not always 
distinct. 
When fully grown they form a very loose white silken cocoon, so 
delicate that the chrysalis is distinctly visible through it. The chry¬ 
salis is rather slender and varies in length from .60 to .15 of an inch; 
the dorsal portion olive or brown, the ventral pale yellowish-white; 
the proboscis case is very distinct, extending back of the wing cases 
to the seventh segment. 
I have failed to notice the eggs, but they are doubtless similar to 
those of the closely allied European species, Plusia gamma , Linn, 
which are turnip-shaped, or oblate spheroids, with delicate ribs and 
sculpturing, and according to Curtis, are generally attached to the un¬ 
derside of a leaf, in considerable clusters, though Sepp represents 
them as laid singly. The larvae of this species, as is the case with 
