207 
In the last mentioned report he gave the insect the name malzi , as 
a variety of an European species, agrotis nigricans. Of the doubt that 
has existed in relation to Dr. Fitch’s maizi , Mr. J. A. Lintner, of the 
New York State Museum of Natural History, kindly sends me the 
following note, under date of January 21st, 1878, and from him I ob¬ 
tained a female specimen of the moth from which the specific descrip¬ 
tion is taken. Mr. Lintner says : 
‘‘Fitch’s A. nigricans , v. maizi, I find to be A. tessellata, Harr. There 
has been a doubt, up to the present, what his nigricans was, but I 
have satisfactorily determined it, and will probably publish a note in 
relation to it in some papers of mine now going through the press.” 
In relation to the habits of this cut-worm Dr. Fitch says : 
‘Tn June, severing the young indian corn, and other plants, half an 
inch above the ground, by night, and by day hiding itself slightly un¬ 
der the surface ; a thick, cylindrical gray worm, an inch and a quarter 
long, with rather faint, paler and darker stripes, the top of the neck 
shining black, with three whitish stripes.” 
This habit of drawing its food to the mouth of its retreat is not 
confined to this species, but is common to many whose rapid growth 
during the latter part of the larva state seems to require that their 
food be taken oftener than it would be if they ate only during the 
night. 
The following is Dr. Harris’ general description of the moth : 
“Fore wings dark ash colored, and exhibit only a faint trace of the 
transverse, double, wavy bands; the two ordinary spots are large and 
pale, alternate with a triangular and and a square, deep black spot ; 
there is a smaller black spot near the base of the wing. The hind 
wings are brownish gray in the middle, and blackish behind. It ex¬ 
pands one inch and one quarter.” 
The moths appear about the first of July, and the eggs are soon 
after laid on the ground at the roots of grass, weeds or other vege¬ 
tation, upon which the young are to feed the rest of the season. By 
the time the frosts and cold nights of fall occur, the worms are about 
half grown. They now descend several inches into the ground, where 
they remain torpid during the winter to come forth when the warm 
days’ of spring, that have started vegetation, have also warmed them 
into life. 
Spec. Char. Larva. —“Cylindrical, usually about an inch in length 
when disinterred beside plants in our gardens and corn-fields, upwards 
M an inch and a quarter when fully grown. Ground color dirty 
white or ash grav, occasionally slightly tinged with yellowish ; the 
tops of its neck shining black, with three white or pale longitudinal 
stripes; a whitish line along the middle of the back, between two 
dark ones; on each side three dark stripes, separated by two pale 
3nes, whereof the lower one is broader; often a somewhat glancous 
white stripe below the lower dark one, and all the under side below 
this dull white. Head and neck shining black, inverted V mark 
white, and continuous across the shield; on each side of the neck a 
dull whith stripe; legs and prolegs mottled with brown.”—Fitch. 
Moth .—Expanse of wings 1.30 inches. Ground color of fore wings 
dark ash gray, marked with black and tinged with brown beyond the 
transverse shade. Basal t. a. and t. p. lines double, the last only 
faintly so; the sub-terminal line light gray, shaded each side with 
a 
