89 
nent, embracing the piliferous tubercles, the series connected by 
i median longitudinal dusky line, or light line bordered with 
lusky, darkest at the sutures—that is at the apex of each V. 
Sides above stigmata dusky, mottled with gray, darkest above. 
Substigmatal band dusky mottled with gray, below this a 
larker band, venter paler. Anal plate dusky, at least at center; 
3ervical shield shining, dusky; each with a lighter median line. 
Piliferous spots shining black or dark brown, those just behind 
the spiracles very prominent and large; anterior spiracles in a 
large coriaceous brown patch. 
Head sometimes nearly uniform dark brown, usually whitish, 
shining, with a dark • brown band each side of the middle, and 
lark brown lines and blotches near the ocelli, the remaining space 
:eticulate with brown. Clypeus with a median brown band, an- 
:ennal joints one, two, and three, white, black, and brown, respec¬ 
tively. Legs tinged with smoky brown on the outer sides. Spira¬ 
cles black. 
Length 1.25 inches; width of head 4 mm; widest part of body 
3 mm. 
The Western Striped Cutworm. 
(Agrotis herilis, Gr.) 
This species I mention merely to record the fact that it was 
found September 5 feeding in the field on leaves of white clover 
ind water-melon, and that larvae afterwards bred were still feeding 
tune 2(3, July 7, and August 3, but had transformed to the imago 
September 21; while another example found on clover roots be- 
leath the surface May 20 was still in the larval state June 11, 
The Clay-backed Cutworm, y 
(Agrotis morrisonicma , Riley.*) 
( Agrotis gladiaria, Morrison.) 
. (Plate V., fig. 2.) 
This, as already remarked, the most abundant and by far 
he most destructive cutworm of Illinois in 1887, was bred by 
Riley in 1874 (see foot note below), but described by him only 
is an adult, and without record of its life history or food or feed- 
ng habits. 
*The species as above named, not distinguishable by the published descriptions, are considered 
aentical b} r Riley, as he informs me by letter, January 26,1839. Thesynonymical history is peculiar, 
he species was described by Morrison as A. gladiaria (Proc. Boston Soc. CSfat. Hi 9 t. xvii, 
3'5, pp. 162,163), but so briefly that the description was rejected, with several others, by Grote in 
>81, as “inadequate’’ (Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr, vi, No. 1, p. 151). It was again described by 
Morrison (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, xvii, 1875, p. 214) as ll A. morrisoniana, Riley,” with the 
emark that it “vvill be described at length by Prof. Riley, who has bred it for several years and is 
cquainted with its larval and pupal stages.” This second description also came under Grote's con- 
lemnation, above, for “inadequacy.” The first of these descriptions occupies four lines of text and 
he second five. 
Riley’s promised description appears on a later page (286) of the same volume as Morrison’s 
econd, above mentioned, and agrees moderately well with our bred specimens,—one of which has 
S. E,—7a 
