Twelfth Report of the State Entomologist 209 



allies in fighting an army of these caterpillars. Most, if not all, of the 

 insectivorous birds feed readily on them. Some of the most serviceable 

 are the boboHnk, blackbird, robin, and meadow lark. The English 

 sparrow should be credited with feeding on the army-worm to a certain 

 extent. Others that have been observed are the king-bird, blue-jay, 

 golden-winged woodpecker, phoebe, cow-bird, Baltimore oriole, chip- 

 ping sparrow, chickadee, and quail. Frogs and toads devour them with 

 a relish, the remains of as many as fifty-five having been found in the 

 stomach of one garden toad. 



A number of predaceous insects are known to prey on the caterpillars. 

 The more common and perhaps the most important belong to the family 

 of Carabidce^ or ground-beetles, which may be found under stones and 

 other shelters in the fields. One of the most efficient of these in this 

 State, is the fiery ground-beetle, Calosoma calidum (Fabr.). This fine 

 beetle may be easily recognized by the six rows of large coppery-red, or 

 golden spots on the wing-covers. Both the beetle and its larva, are fierce 

 enemies of the ordinary cut-worms, as well as army-worms. In the 

 Southern States, the allied Calosoma scrutator (Fabr.), wiih its bright 

 green wing-covers margined with a resplendent coppery-red, is an equally 

 deadly enemy of the army- worm. Two other species of this genus, C. 

 externum (Say) and C. Wilcoxi Lee, have also been observed preying on 

 the caterpillars. A common tiger-beetle in this State, Cicindela repanda 

 Dej., is another of its deadly foes. Besides these, the following ground- 

 beetles have been observed preying on the caterpillars : Elaphrus rus- 

 cariiis Say, Pasimachus elongatus Lee, Pterostichus sculpitis Lee, Amara 

 angustata Say, Platynus shiuatus (Dej.), Craiacanthns diibiiis (Beauv.), 

 Harpalus caliginosus (Fabr.), H. PentisylvaJiiais (DeGeer), Selenophorus 

 pedicularius ( Dej . ,) and Anisodactylus rusticus (Say ") . A large southern bug, 

 Metapodius femoratus (Fabr.), has been observed in large numbers sucking 

 the juices from the army-worms. This rapacious insect, it is said, has 

 the peculiar habit of hanging the caterpillar skins after it has sucked them 

 dry, in the crotches of May-weed in the infested field. 



The large ground spiders are said to prey freely on the army-worms, 

 and the spinning forms often entrap the moths in their webs for their food. 



Parasites. 



The army-worm is subject to the attacks of a large number of true 

 parasites, several of which are very destructive to the caterpillars, and may 

 be classed with natural enemies, having an important part in keeping the 

 insect from becoming excessively abundant. The most important of these 



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