12 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



it is necessary to remember that the Horn fly does not in any case breed (ihat is, pass its 

 preliminary stages) on or in the cattle ; but the eggs are laid on freshly dropped cow 

 dung; the young maggots hatch within 24 hours and live until full grown in the moist 

 excrement ; this takes about a week ; they then burrow down a short distance into the 

 ground and assume the pupal foi-m, from which, in about another week, in summer, the 

 perfect flies issue. The last brood of autumn passes the winter beneath the ground 

 within the puparia. The flies are extremely active and swarm on cattle, biting them and 

 giving them much annoyance from the irritation of their bites. The name Horn fly is 

 applied to this insect from its habit of clustering upon the horns of cattle. Here they 

 are out of the reach of the animal's tail and are not easily dislodged. They do no 

 injury whatever to the horns. 



Remeilies. Tlie remedies are simple, but require constant attention to be effective. 

 Almost any greasy substance rubbed over the parts of the animal usually attacked will 

 prevent the flies from biting for two or three days. For this purpose " tanners' oil" or 

 any other cheap fish oil is satisfactory, and if a small quantity of carbolised oil, which 

 can be prepared in a short time by any druggist, be added, the effect will be more lasting 

 and the application will have a healing eff'ect upon any sore which may have been made 

 by the animal rubbing or licking itself. An easily applied remedy, which has been found 

 etfective by most who have tried it, is the kerosene emulsion, which is practically a 

 mixture of soapsuds and coal oil in the proportion of two of coal oil to one of soapsuds. 

 To make the emulsion, boil half a pound of any common hard soap in one gallon of 

 water; when all is dissolved, and while boiling hot, pour it into a large tub containing 

 two gallons of coal oil, then chui'u this well with a syringe or force-pump for tive 

 minutes, when the mixture will be smooth like cream. This emulsion cools into a jelly- 

 like mass, and may be kept for any length of time if placed in a cool cellar. When 

 required for use, it may by diluted with cold water to the strength required. One part of 

 the emulsion to nine of water works well. It is easily applied to the animals by means of 

 a force pump and spray nozzle. While the flies are bad, it shoiild be applied every other 

 day for a fortnight ; after that the odour of the accumulated coal oil will keep them off" 

 for a longer time. There certainly is a goo 1 deal of work about this application which 

 farmers may object to, but so long as the flies are as numerous as at present, it vvill be 

 necessary to take these extra precautions if they wish to protect their cattle and 

 their own interests. It is well to mention, however, that in all the districts in 

 the United States where three or four years ago this insect was extremely abundant, it 

 has decreased greatly in numbers, and there is every reason to anticipate that this will 

 be the case here too. 



Throughout all the western portions of the Province a large amount of loss has been 

 caused by locusts. All the specimens sent to me have belonged to three different species, 

 which are always common, viz., the Ked-legged Locust {Melaywplus femur-rubruyn, DeG.) 

 Fig. 8. The Lesser Migratory Locust {Me'anoplus atlanis, Riley) and the Two-striped 



Locust (Melaiioplus hirittatas, Say.). The Red-legged 

 Locust has a very wide range and istcommon in all parts 

 of the country. It attacks all kinds of Tegetation, and 

 has a })articularly bad habit, wdiich has been much 

 noticed this year, of biting off" thi; heads ot oats just 

 before they ripen. The Lets^r Migratory Locust resem- 

 bles the last named very much. It is, as a rule, rather 

 larger and. brighter in colour. It his longer wings and 

 can alwavs be separated from it by the sharply-pointed sternum or breast-b jne, that of 

 Jenuir-rubrum being spatulate or enlarged at the apex. This species is migratory in its 

 habits, like the Rocky Mountain Locust, and frequently is the cause of great injuries to 

 crops, not only in the North-west, but in Ontario and New England ; in fact, Prof. 

 Bruner credits it with being the species which most frequently does the locust injury in 

 the New England States. 



The Two-striped Locust is a large, heavy-bodied and voracious species, which destroy.'^ 

 a great amount of vegetation. It generally frequents rank growing plants in low 

 ground, but as often occurs in garden^, where it is very troublesome. 



