205 
Agrotis tricosa, Lintner.—The Perplexing Dart. 
This species forms a connecting link between the Gothic Dart and 
the Master Dart, the three forming a group that are closely related. 
Of the larval history of this I know nothing, but presume it differs 
very little from the larvse of the other species of the group. The fol¬ 
lowing description is from a specimen kindly furnished me by Mr. 
Lintner of the New York State Museum. 
Spec. Char. Moth .—Expanse of wings 1.50 inches. Ground color of 
fore wings a little darker than subgothica , marked the same with this 
difference : the costa is dark but the space below, including the open 
orbicular, is light gray; the median vein not white ; the reniform paler 
buff; the hind margin without 'white scales, but the basal half of 
marginal space blackish ; the claviform broader, indistinct beyond 
the t. a. line ; the terminal space but little darker than the ground 
color; the anteapical supplemented by a purple shade towards the 
base of wings. The hind wings are smoky white with the outer 
border smoky black, occupying a fourth of the wing. 
Agrotis herilis, Grote.—The Master Dart. 
The larvae is the Western Striped Cut-worm. 
This caterpillar, resembling the Striped or Corn Cut-worm, described 
by Dr. Fitch, was named the Western Cut-Worm by Prof. Riley, not 
because it was confined to the west, for it is commonly distributed;, 
but to distinguish it from the other species. It is about an inch a nd 
a quarter long, of a dirty white or ash gray, inclining to buff on the 
back, with three broad dark lines and two narrow light ones on the 
sides, and a light one, edged on each side with dark, along the middle 
ot the back. The moth resembles the preceding species, with the ex¬ 
ception of the posterior and outer portions of the fore wings being 
dark lilac-gray, and the hind wings nearly uniform smoky black. 
This species may be found in fields and gardens in the spring, but 
they enter the ground and change to chrysalids in May or June, from 
which the moths emerge the fore part of September. 
Spec. Char. Larva .—Length 1.25 inches ; general color dirty white or 
ash-gray, inclining, in some instances, to carneous ; dorsal line whit¬ 
ish, edged on each side with dark ; three lateral dark, broader stripes, 
the lower one the broadest, separated by two pale ones. Quite often 
an indistinct glaucous white stripe under the lower broad dark one; 
pilifierous spots good size, either black or brown, from each arises a 
short, stiff hair ; a few hairs from other parts of the body ; head shiny 
black, or in some individuals finely speckled with white, especially 
at the sides, with the usual inverted Y mark. Cervical shield of the 
same color as the head, with a white stripe in dorsal and sub-dorsal 
regions. Under side dull white; legs marked with smoky brown. 
Moth .—Expanse of wings from 1.40 to 1.60 inches. Ground color of 
fore wings, dark lilac-gray. The marks similar to the two preceding 
