16 
binder margin. The terminal space is more or less giay. Outer 
margin regularly excavated below the apex. Fringes, pale metallic I 
lead color. Hind wings, pale fuscous with lighter fringes. Under 
side of the body and all the wings, pale fuscous. 
HabitatMaine, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Missouri." 
DISTRIBUTION. 
From the observations here recorded, it is rendered probable that 
this species is distributed generally throughout Central Illinois at | 
least, having been actually received by us -from Henry, Macon, j 
McLean, and Livingston counties. 
LIFE HISTORY. 
The small size of the individuals observed earliest in the season per¬ 
haps makes it possible that they came from the egg last spring; and 
the brood represented in our collections must have completed its de¬ 
velopment by the end of July. Whether a second brood appears is 
altogether uncertain. 
The injuries inflicted occur so early as to permit replanting in 
most seasons in case they should prove to be of serious import; 
and this species is consequently to be classed with the cutworms so 
far as the effect of its injuries to corn are concerned. 
NATURAL ENEMIES. 
With the exception of the mites which attack the living pup* in 
our breeding cages, and which were probably responsible at least in 
part for the death of most of the larvae which we tried to rear, the 
only natural enemy of this species observed by us was a common 
predaceous ground beetle, Pterostichus sayi, of which there were 
numerous examples in an infested field near Dwight. The crop of 
one of these contained a black fluid and no solid structures, (an 
indication that the beetle had recently drained some insect of its 
juices), and the other was full of fragments of a dark, thin-skinned 
caterpillar with but few hairs. This was probably a web worm, as 
these beetles had been noticed, by the owner of the field, abundant 
in badly injured hills infested by those insects. 
ARTIFICIAL REMEDIES. 
Kespecting artificial remedies, I can at present make only a few 
suggestions. When corn is replanted on account of the ravages oi 
this web worm, the second planting is liable to be attacked and 
destroyed in turn, since the larval life of the brood lasts too long 
to permit a postponement of the replanting until the injuries of the 
insect are arrested by pupation. As the larvae are all collected in 
the old corn hills, it is clearly inexpedient that this corn be plowed 
up until the cultivation of the field positively requires that tins 
should be done. As long as it is left for the larvae to feed on, the} 
are little likely to desert it for the new planting, and they, may 
even remain feeding on it until their active larval life is practically 
completed and their season’s mischief finished. 
