The Audubon Societies 



401 



In fact, you would never know from the 

 appearance of vegetation that there was 

 a worm on the place. I have taken extra 

 pains this year to attract the birds, and 

 they have eaten a great many of the 

 worms. Thirty or forty rods away from 

 my place the worms are beginning to be 

 destructive, and in other parts of the 

 town they have done a good deal of harm. 

 They have done no appreciable injury 

 on other farms where I have put up nest- 



this year, birds were very plentiful, as the 

 boxes were nearly all occupied, and they 

 were feeding on the army-worm in large 

 numbers. Recently I saw here quite a 

 number of Heath Hens apparently feeding 

 on the army-worm. Where poisoned bran 

 was used in trenches to kill the worms on 

 a large estate formerly owned by Professor 

 Shaler, very few birds were seen, and we 

 had several reports that dead birds had 

 been found along the trenches, but I got 



-z 



THE ARMY-WORM 



I. Caterpillar; 2. Chrysalis; 3. Adult Moth {Leucania unipunctala) 



ing-boxes in quantities. In Martha's 

 Vineyard, the army-worms have cut corn- 

 crops to the ground. It is rather signifi- 

 cant that the worms have done the most 

 harm where poisons have been used to 

 check them. Where no poison has been 

 used, and where the birds have been 

 attracted, the worms (although very 

 numerous) have not done very much harm. 

 "On the state reservation, where the 

 Heath Hen has been protected, and where 

 a great many nesting-boxes were put up 



there about a week too late and did not 

 see any personally. I hear that a good 

 many Blackbirds and Robins have been 

 poisoned, and that Quail have disappeared 

 where the poison has been used." 



In another letter Mr. Forbush adds: 

 "I am under the impression that if 

 fresh grass were sprayed at night for the 

 worms, it would be just as effective as 

 the bran, and there would not be so much 

 risk of the poisoning of birds. Some of the 

 entomologists recommend this." 



