February, ’18] 
KING: BIOLOGY OF ANGOUMOIS MOTH 
89 
surrounding country much of the wheat is in head as early as June 1, 
but bloom does not follow until about the 4th, continuing over varied 
conditions until about the 15th. However, most of the grain is well 
set before this latter date. 
At this time a large series of experiments were conducted to determine 
if the adults would oviposit on green wheat, and what stages in the 
growth of the grain would be necessary for the sustenance and develop¬ 
ment of the newly hatched larvae; also, to determine if oviposition 
naturally occurred in the field upon the green heads. Single female 
moths, accompanied with two or three males, were confined in small 
tarlatan bags, and placed over the heads of growing wheat, which was 
in varying stages of growth—from pre-bloom to well-set, milky grain. 
In all but three cases out of forty the moths so confined deposited their 
eggs upon the heads of green wheat. The eggs were commonly found 
carefully inserted under the protecting outer and empty glumes; also, 
along the edge of the glumes covering the seed. However, this place¬ 
ment of the eggs is not unerring, as eggs are sometimes placed between 
the spikelets and the main stalk. 
The eggs are sometimes deposited singly, but clusters of four to 
sixteen are not uncommon. The total number of fertile eggs per 
individual ranged from thirty-six to one hundred and forty-six. The 
average total egg production in the case of four moths under obser¬ 
vation was ninety-two, in which case 44 per cent were deposited the 
first day (24 hours) after mating, and 19 per cent the second day. 
Later egg production decreased suddenly, falling to 3 per cent on the 
fourth day. Under the warm temperature of mid June, the egg stage 
lasts from seven to nine days. Moths in tarlatan bags in the field 
lived three to eight days, having an average longevity of five and two- 
fifths days, whereas those protected from the rigors of the weather 
lived an average of seven days. 
Habits of the First Stage Larv.®. —Wheat in all stages of devel¬ 
opment, from the incipient seed before pollination to the green grain, 
in the milk is subject to the attacks of the larvae. However, in nature 
few larvae appear early enough to attack the heads before pollination. 
The larvae after leaving the eggs immediately distribute themselves 
over the head on which the eggs had been deposited, and almost in¬ 
variably but a single larva enters each grain. The larvae enter the 
grain by gnawing through the soft pericarp, either near the proximal or 
distal end of the grain, or through the longitudinal furrow. At first 
larval growth seems slow, and only slightly impedes the growth of the 
grain, but ultimately, as the larvae become mature, the entire wheat 
grain is hollowed out. 
Length of Life Cycle. —Larvae which entered wheat while in 
