82 AGROTIS YPSILON. 
with a black streak beyond the reniform ; the claviform small 
and black ; all these markings are much obscured in the darker 
specimens. Hind wing more or less suffused with fuscous 
brown with a dark marginal line. Expanse of wings 42—56 
millim, 
For diagrams of the larvaand moth, see /ujurzous Insects, 
Pi, Vibl > fig 25 a, 65: 
Life History. 
The eggs of this pest are laid in small batches and often in two 
or three layers covered sparsely with long scales from the abdo- 
men of the female moth. These eggs are laid near the ground 
on twigs and branches of trees away from the food plant of the 
young larve which have therefore to seek their food plant 
when they hatch out. The eggs are also probably laid at times 
on the bare ground. The larva can be recognised by its colour 
and by the fact that it rolls itself up into a ball when disturbed. 
They are enormous feeders and devour and destroy young 
plants on a large scale. When full fed the caterpillar buries 
itself from 2 to 8 inches deep in the soil and there constructs a 
firm, irregular, oblong cell of earth, in which it pupates. The 
period spent in this state will probably vary in different parts 
of the country. The moths fly only in the dusk or at night, and 
except that they lay the eggs which give rise to the cut worms, 
do not themselves injure plants. , wi 
It is probable that this pest passes through at least two, 
if not more, generations in the year in the warmer parts of the 
country. Inthe North-West Provinces and Bengal the winter 
one has long been known, Young larve appear early in 
November and continue feeding until February when they pu- 
pate, this stage lasting rather less than a month. The moths 
appear on the wing in February and are to be found often in 
enormous numbers up to the middle of March. 
A larva sent from Kurseong, Eastern Himalayas, in May 
changed into a pupa on the 17th, and a moth on the 28th of that 
month in the Indian Museum, Calcutta ; whilst another from the 
Jessore district, Bengal, changed into a moth in September, It 
is these September moths which give rise to the November larve, 
[It would thus appear that there may be three generations in part 
