28 
found in the ends of ears into which ants have entered, but the condi- 
tion of the worms plainly indicates that they had not been bitten or 
tormented to death. In fact, worms under similar conditions, except 
the absence of the ants, are often found, but from which parasites are 
usually bred. A nearly grown Boll Worm was placed in the path of a 
great army of ants, but was not caused any great inconvenience by 
them. Sometimes an ant would run up on the back of the worm, but 
the twisting, jerking, and rolling of the worm soon displaced the in- 
truder and the worm escaped uninjured. 
Of the three parasites, the one attacking the eggs (Trichogramma 
pretiosa) is most important, though there are at least three others at- 
tacking the worms. A small Chalecid* was bred in great numbers from 
a Boll Worm captured in the field and transferred to a breeding cage 
torear. The worm had been dead for a day or two before the para- 
sitic larvee issued from its body. These did not form silken cocoons 
but pupated nakedly on the side of the glass bottle. At least two 
species of Tachina deposit their eggs on the backs of the worms. The 
one deposits a pure white egg, the other a deep brown or black one.t 
Both kinds are of the usual form and size of Tachina eggs. Great 
difficulty has been experienced in rearing the dipterous larve after 
issuing from the dead body and I have thus far obtained no adults. 
As already stated, the most important parasite is the small T'richo- 
gramma of the egg. The number of eggs which were found to be de- 
stroyed by this parasite was simply amazing. In small patches of corn 
near cotton fields it was noticed that of the many eggs found on the 
husks and blades but a few retained their normal color, but soon tarned 
dark or entirely black. Of the 57 eggs taken from some 8 or 10 corn 
silks from this field October 18 only 7 hatched. The remainder were 
kept in a vial for a time, when later the parasites issued in abundance. 
In this-instance 84 per cent of the eggs had been destroyed by the 
parasites. This per cent may be a little too high for the average, but 
judging from the large majority of eggs seen on the plants, which were 
black and evidently parasitized, it is certainly conservative to say that 
during the Fall season 75 per cent of the eggs are destroyed through its 
agency. 
INSECT RAVAGES EASILY MISTAKEN FOR THOSE OF THE BOLL 
WORM. 
Owing to the fact that many planters attribute all of the shed forms 
or bolls which show any signs of insect attack to the work of the Boll 
Worm, it seems advisable to treat briefly of « few other insect depreda- 
tions which are not well understood by them, and whose marks upon the 
fallen squares may readily be mistaken by an inexperienced eye. 
*This was Hexaplasta zigzag, and is a parasite of Phora and not of Aletia, Phora 
being a scavenger on dead larvee of all kinds in the South.—C. V. R. 
tNo black Tachinid eggs are known, and these were doubtless the eggs of Hu- 
plectrus comstockii.—C. V. R. 
