— 40 — 



are ftliform, like the parent, at once worm themselves to the 

 surface, and enter, as parasites, various soft insects, and mostly 

 those that are found under leaves, moss, etc., near the ground." 



From the above described life-history of Meniiis it will 

 readily be seen how adaptable it is to that of the locust. Each 

 female Mennis if similar to Gordius, lays millions of eggs. In 

 spring, after the rains have moistened and mellowed the 

 ground the little larval worms w^ork their way to the surface 

 by myriads; and where they happen to come in contact with a 

 manga of 3'oung locusts some of them succeed in gaining an 

 entrance. Once within the body cavity of the host they begin 

 feeding upon its fluids and, growing ver}' rapidl}', soon filling 

 the space occupied by them. Tliis drain on the insect's vitalit}^ 

 soon causes death, in many instances even before the parasite 

 has attained its growth. Others of the hosts, although becoming 

 enfeebled and ceasing to feed, do not perish till after the fully 

 grown Avorms have left their bodies and entered the groitnd. 



So near as I have been able to ascertain, tliis parasite, when 

 infesting the saltonas is invariably fatal. The time they entered 

 the saltonas the present season must have been soon after 

 hatching, for the insects began dying in large numbers 

 during their 3f^i stage; and a few only oftliose attacked reached 

 the 4iii saltona stage. 



When attacking the voladoras this parasite does not seem to 

 at once cause the host to lose its vitality, as the latter 

 frequently makes long flights with one or two nearh^ full-grown 

 mermids within its body. In this manner the parasites become 

 widely dispersed over the country. An infested insect as a rule 

 does not develop and deposit eggs, but dies without leaving 

 progeny. 



It will therefore be seen that this parasite of our locust is a 

 very important one — one tnat does much during some seasons 

 towards the extermination of the pest. Still, from its nature, and 

 the way it lives, we are unable either to prevent its increase 

 or to make artificial use of it in fightmg the enemv. It is one of 

 nature's own remedies which is beyond our interference. 



Whether or not there is more than a single species of hair 

 worm concerned in the destruction of our locust, I cannot sa}-, 

 but it is quite evident that both the saltona and voladora are 

 attacked. It is also certain that the worms found in the volado- 

 ras are much larger than those that occur in the bodies of tlie 

 saltonas. 



