Tlie first recognizable notice of the species in American litera¬ 
ture which I am able to find, occurs in the issue of the “Prairie 
Farmer” for August, 1851, where, in an editorial article entitled 
“A String of Bugs” (in which are discussed the principal insect 
pests of that time), the following paragraph appears: 
“The Leaf Holler. —One of the insects of this tribe is now 
very common in all this region and needs more attention than he 
has yet received. In the Spring the insect is easily discernible by 
the little tuft of dry leaves which he has rolled, up and cemented 
together for his winter quarters. In each tuft will be found a very 
small worm, and sometimes a half dozen of them, and the tree will •, 
be covered with their habitations. Later, and when the leases 
appear—some of which are always near the house of the worm 
one is laid hold of, drawn to the cell, and gradually devoured. 
The worm at this time, July 1st, is perhaps three fourths of an 
inch long; encased in a sort of tube made of leaves, web, and jj 
cement. Out of this he will stretch himself fai enough to get 
hold of his food, and remain during the remainder of the time at 
leisure at home. In the spring, before the new leaves appear, the 
insects are easily found; and that is the proper time to attend to 
their case by picking off their nests and burning them. They 
fasten themselves on almost all fruit trees indiscriminately, but a 
seem to prefer the apple, quince, and plum. 
The next authoritative notice of the injuries of this insect ap¬ 
pears in the “Prairie Farmer” for September, 1853 (p. 330), in an 
article by Dr. Wm. LeBaron of Geneva, Ill., entitled “Observa¬ 
tions upon two Species of Insects ^ Injurious to Fruit Tiees. 
After treating at some length the life history and habits ot the 
apple leaf hopper (Empoci alb op i eta , Forbes), the writer continues: 
“The other injurious insect above mentioned is a leaf-rolling 
caterpillar, which I have seen briefly referred to in several num¬ 
bers of the “Prairie Farmer”, and which, therefore, I suppose to be 
somewhat extensively distributed throughout the West. 
“This insect passes the winter in a half-grown larval state, and 
is rendered very conspicuous at this season, by the little clusteis 
of dried leaves attached to the twigs of the apple- and plum-trees 
in which the larva? lie concealed,—sometimes singly, but often) 
two or three in company. Besides the covering of dead leases 
each larva is enclosed in an elongated, conical, and somewhat 
twisted case, rough externally, but of fine texture and polished 
surface within. 
“As soon as the foliage expands in the spring,, the caterpillarJ 
begins to devour the leaves in its immediate vicinity, diawing, 
them in around itself and confining them there by thieads of. 
web. It is thus enabled to feed at ease by protruding its body 
partially from the larger and open extremity of its case. 
“The larva arrives at maturity about the end of June. It is 
then about two thirds of an inch long, sixteen-footed, pale du 
green, with a brown head. It now slightly closes the mouth ot its 
