: 35 
In a Chicago newspaper clipping received in August mention is 
made of an ‘‘outbreak of sparrows” in one portion of Chicago where 
they were attracted in thousands by ‘‘ grub worms.” It seems prob- 
able that they were also destroying fall army worms which were ray- 
aging the lawns in that city at the time. 
September 1 Mr. Deering, of Chicago, wrote that the larve had 
nearly all disappeared at that time, evidently having gone into the 
ground, and that birds, especially flickers, were very efficacious in 
lessening the numbers of the pest. 
Among larve that were received at this office from Rives, Md., were 
a few that were parasitized, as was shown by the eggs of a Tachinid 
fiy present on their bodies on or near the thoracic segments. From 
these the adults were obtained from the 4th to the 9th of September, 
and were identified by Mr. Coquillett as Winthemia quadripustulata 
Weid.,! or red-tailed tachina fly, a species of wide distribution in the 
United States and Europe and a well-known parasite of this pest. 
During the fall of 1884 at least 50 per cent 
of the larvee collected in Illinois showed the 
eggs of this parasite. 
This Tachina fly is figured herewith (fig. 5). 
Until comparatively recent times the Ta- 
china flies were generally believed to be 
among the most effective destroyers of the 
common army worm and related species, but — 
observations have now shown the fallacy of — Fr6.5.—Winthemia 4-pustulata fly, 
this belief. On this head Dr. Howard has bara a0 Sone eine: 
written”® that he had searched for hours in — army worm with Tachina eggs 
> 2 : : attached below—somewhat en- 
grass fields overrun with army worms without j,yeea (from Comstock. 
finding a single specimen of the ‘* worm” 
which did not bear upon its back the eggs of Winthemia 4-pustulata, 
but that a very large proportion of these eggs failed to hatch through 
the molting of the caterpillars attacked. He cites observations made 
by Professor Fernald and his assistants in their work upon the gypsy 
moth in Massachusetts. In the case of 235 caterpillars of this moth, 
which bore from 1 to 33 eggs on each individual, 226 produced moths, 
and only 4 of the dipterous parasites were obtained from the entire 
number. The caterpillar which had 33 eggs upon it molted before any 
of them hatched, and eventually emerged as a moth in good condition. 
1This Tachinid is the same as described by Dr. Williston under the name Evorista 
infesta in Professor Forbes’s report on the fall army worm (25, p. 65), and is also 
_ known to attack the common army worm and the larve of various cutworms and 
other injurious Noctuidee and Bombycidee. The list included up to 1896 fourteen 
hosts. This list is given in full in Bulletin No. 7, technical series, of this Division 
(pp. 21, 22), where also its distribution, characters, and synonymy are discussed. 
2 Tech. Series, No. 5, Div. Ent., p. 51. 
