December, '19] BROOKS: millepid migration 463 



Early in July, 1918, the local newspapers published accounts of "a 

 great army of worms" which was causing much discomfort and excite- 

 ment in the vicinity of the village of Littleton, which is situated on the 

 Grafton-Wheehng division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The 

 writer, being in the locaHty, took the trouble to investigate, and, on 

 July 13, found a remarkable occurrence of millepeds, specimens of 

 which have been determined by Popenoe as Fontaria virginiensis 

 Drury, The army had first been observed about four weeks previously 

 moving in a southerly direction over the farm of two brothers, L. L. 

 and James Fox, about one mile from Littleton. At least seventy-five I 

 acres of field and woodland had been covered with the millepeds, " 

 which, in the opinion of the Fox brothers, came from a tract of wood- 

 land nearby, known as the Welsh Woods. Both the brothers stated 

 that a small barn on the farm was at one time covered with a solid 

 mass of the creatures from the ground to the tip of the roof and that 

 they formed in heaps about every decaying stump and piece of moul- 

 dering wood. The spring from which the families obtained water was 

 filled to a depth of six or eight inches with drowned millepeds and 

 water for all uses had to be carried from without the infested area. 

 Cattle refused to graze on pastures invaded by the army, and, in 

 cultivating corn, the workmen declared they were nauseated and made j 

 dizzy by the constant odor arising from the millepeds crushed by the 

 hoes. This odor, they describe as being like that of cherry bark, but ! 

 much more offensive. It was stated that during the warmer part 

 of clear days masses half as large as a barrel would collect in damp and 

 shady places, but that in cloudy weather and at night the army was 

 moving constantly. 



At the time the writer visited the Fox farm the army had passed on 

 and only a few living millepeds could be found. Old stumps, posts, 

 rails and decaying boards, however, bore evidence of the invasion for 

 they were in many places gnawed white and were covered with small 

 dots of earth-like excrement. From information given by the Fox 

 brothers and many other persons, together with what the writer 

 himself saw of the army, it was estimated that the army was composed 

 of not fewer than 65,340,000 millepeds. 



When seen In' the writer the army had migrated about a mile from 

 the Fox farm and the main part of it was centered about the home of 

 M. Ci. McDougle, which is at the foot of a higii cliff of rocks beside 

 the railroad track. In its movement the army liad come to the top of 

 the ciilT and the millepeds luul descended by crawling or rolling to the 

 bottom. Mr. McDougle stated that on the morning following the 

 coming of tiie army to iiis home he opened a screen door between his 

 kitchen and back porch and tiiat the door in swinging back swept 



