1 196 Rural School Leaflet 



NOTES 



The Editors 



Among the insects given for recognition is the cankerworm. In locali- 

 ties in which this insect is found, nearly all the boys and girls are familiar 

 with the larval form. In directing the observational work of the pupils, 

 the following will be helpful: 



1. The adult is a moth. The male has wings; the female is wingless. 



2. The larva is one of the measuring worms. If the tree on which 

 the larvas are feeding is jarred, they will make silken threads by means 

 of which they suspend themselves. 



3. There are two species of cankerworms. In one the greater number 

 of moths mature in the fall, and hence the name fall cankerworms ; in 

 the other the insects emerge as moths in the spring and are called spring 

 cankerworms. 



4. The pupal state of the cankerworm is passed under the surface of 

 the ground. 



5. The wingless female crawls up the trunks of trees in order to deposit 

 her eggs in a suitable place. The eggs hatch into the "worms," that in 

 many localities do much damage to orchards and to shade trees. 



6. Since the female is wingless and therefore has to crawl up the tree 

 in order to lay her eggs, sticky bands are placed about the tree trunk 

 so as to prevent her from reaching the twigs; printer's ink is sometimes 

 used on the bands. 



7. The common birds feed on the cankerworms, the chickadee being 

 foremost in active service. The birds eat many of the eggs also. 



Another insect to be recognized in this year's work is the horsefly. 

 This is a well-known pest of stock and it is most abundant and annoying 

 during the hot summer days. Some points of discussion that may be 

 of interest in connection with the horsefly are as follows: 



1. That it is common in woods as well as about stock. 



2. That it has great rapidity of flight. 



3. That it is the female which sucks the blood of animals. When she 

 cannot obtain blood she takes the sweets of plants. 



4. That the male feeds on the nectar of flowers and on sweet sap. 



5. That the larvas of the horsefly feed on small animal forms such as 

 snails, the larva? of insects, and the like. (Sec Manual for the Study of 

 Insects, Com stock, page 453.) 



