Hydrœcia rutila, Gn.

This was the next discovery of the season, and as work in former years had never unearthed more than one new larval condition per seasou, it became evident 1899 was being especially fortunate. We may well say unearthed, as it was actually necessary to do considerable digging to get at these fellows, so far down were they in roots below the surface. The preferred food-plant is Solidago sempervirens, a plant particularly local to the Atlantic seaboard, and it was naturally supposed we had to deal with an insect thus restricted in its range. Other things conspired to get ideas rather elevated, for it was not known, of course, before the moth appeared what species the larva might prove. There seemed an unusual feature in that among the numerous stems arising from one root cluster, when one was found infested, there would surely be two examples—no more, no less—found in the bunch. This happened in every case, and occurs so often as to lose the aspect of being any coincidence. Many times but one larva would be found at first; further searching, however, always disclosed a mate. Burrowing well down in the roots, they still have quite an extended gallery high up in the stem.