52 ; S 7 
to the green. Amongst the first things that I heard of was that the whole locality 
was overrun by the army worm, that they had eaten up every green thing and 
were now devouring the Canada thistles for want of something better, and what- 
ever was to become of the crops next year they did not know. On the first 
opportunity I made personal observation—sure enough the thistles gave ample 
evidence that they had been greviously ill-used, many of them with every leaf 
gone and nothing but the bare ster left, and caterpillars everywhere. In one 
locality where the road allowance ran between two farms with snake fences on 
each side, there was, on the one hand, an old pasture feld, very brown and deso- 
late to look at, on the other was a summer fallow, which had in places a luxuriant 
srowth of Canada thistles, and I saw the worms crossing the road, in single and 
double file, in colums and squares, platoons, companies and battalions of them, and 
a toilsome march they had of it, especially when crossing the road-bed, which 
was deep with hot dust, leaving the dried up pasture field and all making direct 
for the fallow, apparently with a full knowledge of the fact that there was food 
to be got when they reached it; and I observed that the thistles in the fallow 
were being visibly reduced day by day. But it turned out that this all devour- 
ing host which had been causing such consternation in that locality, was composed 
entirely of the larvae of Pyrameis cardut, or the thistle butterfly ; and no doubt 
but they had rigidly confined themselves all the time to their own natural and 
proper diet. In due time they disappeared and nothing was heard of them 
afterwards. 
The following is Mr. Ashmead’s account of the outbreak of the army worm 
above referred to: 
In accordance with Professor Riley’s instructions, on May 31, accompanied 
by Mr. Albert I. Hayward, of the Maryland Agricultural College, I started for 
Salisbury, Wicomico County, and Princess Anne, Somerset County, Md., to make 
such observations on the army worm (Leucania wnipuncta), then depredating in 
the vicinity of these places, as the limited time at our disposal should permit. 
During our journey we ascertained, in conversation, that the worms were 
most numerous in the immediate vicinity of Princess Anne, and we took the most 
direct route for that place. 
As we approached our destination we began to see the effects of the worms’ 
work ; just before entering the town we passed by a large field of corn, owned 
by Mr. H. H. Deshields, containing about twelve acres, that had been devastated 
by them, and only a few green plants could be detected here and there in the 
field. 
This field was in marked contrast with another corn-tield adjacent, which 
had been saved from attacks by ditching, as recommended ia the third report of 
the U.S. Entomological Commission. Another thing observed was that this field 
was flanked behind with a wood that evidently prevented their ingress that way, 
whereas the former was contiguous to grass and wheat fields, in which the worms 
are said to originate, 
Just before entering the town we passed another ten-acre corn-field, owned 
by Mr. John L. Lormer, that but a short time previously presented a most pro- 
mising appearance, but which to-day is completely “cleaned out” by the worms. 
It may be worthy of record, as the theory has been advanced that insects originate 
in just such places, that in an adjoining field were three old hay-stacks, Contrary 
to our expectations we found the reports of their numbers not at all exaggerated, 
and the damage done is even worse than we anticipated—the wheat, corn, barley 
and timothy of many of the farmers being totally ruined by them. 
