THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



251 



Larva; of all kinds are more quickly affected than 

 images. Termites, owing probably to their tender 

 bodies, are instantly affected and soon killed. 

 Spiders resist longer than anything else. They 

 sometimes change their skins when dusted with 

 the powder. Copris and P/iaiucus are slightly 

 affected, and long resist the action of the powder. 

 Si-olopL'iidridie, affected similarly to spiders. Bugs, 

 slightly affected, especially the large and heavily 

 armed predaceous species. Large grasshoppers, 

 slightly affected. Roaches, very violently af- 

 fected. These observations refer to the imme- 

 diate action of the dry and undiluted powder, and 

 are comparative only. There is no doubt that 

 insects often recover from slight applications. — 

 U. G. Hubbard, Centerville, Fla., Aug. 25, 1880. 



Modification observable in Locusts. — (F.di- 

 pot/ii iitiv.r (C(imnii/a pcllucija) shows indications 

 of a transformation (if I may use the term) into a 

 true migratory species ; the posterior abdominal 

 segment of the male is becoming more elongated 

 and tapering, and a terminal notch is appearing 

 more distinctly than in specimens I have hereto- 

 fore examined. The wings of specimens just 

 received from Mr. Lemmon appear to me longer 

 than in specimens previously observed. — Cyrus 

 Thomas, Carbondale, 111., Sept. 7. 



Plant-feeding Ground-beetles. — The other 

 day at Ammendale, Md., large numbers of a black 

 predaceous beetle (Hai-palus caliginosus Say) 

 were noticed in rather tall plants of the common 

 ragweed (Ambrosia artemisi,rfoiia), and, suppos- 

 ing that they had ascended the plants to prey on 

 some herbivorous insect, or possibly on insects 

 that might be attracted to the flowers, I looked 

 to see what they were after, as I knew that they 

 sometimes leave the ground in search of food. 

 Judge of my surprise at seeing them busily en- 

 gaged in eating the contents of the partly-grown 

 fruit of the plant ! Several of them were watched 

 as they busily gnawed out the Heshy albumen of 

 the seed, so that I am sure of the fact. Is it 

 usual for these beetles, that are commonly sup- 

 posed to be purely carnivorous, to indulge in 

 vegetable food ? 



The same fact was also observed by my friend, 

 C. S. Sheldon, at the same time. — Wm. Trelease, 

 Washington, D. C, Sept. 13, iS8o. 



Ants vs. Aletia again. — Aug. 23. — Put many 

 chrysalides of Alclia at the openings of ant-hills 

 of all the species I could find, including the noted 

 "Agricultural Ant" (Pogonomyrmex barbatus), 

 which is quite common here. When first put 

 down the ants tugged at the small extremities of 

 the chrysalides a few moments, after which thej' 

 left them undisturbed. In not one of the species 

 was there evinced a disposition to break the 

 shells. Finally I crushed several chrysalides 

 until the juices appeared ; these the ants of each 



species worked upon vigorously until they were 

 devoured or dragged piecemeal into the formi- 

 cary. I placed a full-grown boll-worm in the 

 thickest of a strong colony o( P. barbatus. The 

 ants ran over the larva, and a few seemed to give 

 it a bite, but they showed no disposition to over- 

 power it, allowing it to crawl off in its lubberly 

 way, and escape. 



In the evening I visited a strong colony of /'. 

 barbatus, where I had left many chrysalides, in- 

 cluding a number still rolled up in the leaves. 

 The ants were found busily engaged cutting the 

 dried leaves to pieces, evidently with the inten- 

 tion of removing the rubbish from their "clear- 

 ing," for they keep everything cleared away for a 

 space ten or twelve feet around their entrance, 

 not even sparing cotton plants. Several leaves 

 had already been removed, but the chrysalides 

 which the leaves had contained were lying upon 

 the ground undisturbed, they being too heavy to 

 remove, and the ants, from some cause or other, 

 having declined to cut them in pieces. 



Aug. 24. — Visited the ants early to learn what 

 they had done about the chrysalides. Many of 

 the'smaller species were out and at work, but the 

 "Agriculturals" had not yet opened their doors, 

 which they close up regularly every night ; but 

 all the chrysalides were gone ; — where and by 

 what taken I have no idea. 



Aug. 26. — Offered many eggs to the ants, but 

 did not succeed in getting them to take a single 

 egg from a leaf, although they would seize upon 

 it and carry it off if I broke it loose for them. I 

 do not believe ants will break an egg from a leaf. 

 Until broken loose or crushed by me I can not 

 get them to notice the eggs in the least. — J. P. 

 Stelle, Calvert, Tex. 



London Purple in Texas. — Wherever the 

 London Purple was used it was most decidedly 

 approved as being the speediest, the cheapest, 

 and the least hurtful to the growing crop and 

 the persons applying it ; some of both classes of 

 laborers affirming that sores on their hands had 

 been healed by the time they got through with 

 their work, and I could hear of no injury to man 

 or beast. I did not find a solitary exception to 

 this view of the case. The London Purple, upon 

 your endorsement, was more extensively used in 

 this quarter than any other portion of the State. 

 — William J. Jones' report from the Colorado 

 Bottom, Texas. 



Road Dust vs. Cotton Worms. — A much 

 traveled road runs east and west through the 

 field ; on the south side of it the cotton is badly 

 eaten by worms, while for forty feet along the 

 north side it does not seem to have been much 

 disturbed. I investigated for the cause of this 

 exemption, and found it to be the result of a 

 south wind blowing the dust stirred up in the 



