415 



wheat was sowed ((luring- August), so that the Hessian fly might find 

 an early place for oviposition, giving the parasites a good chance. Mr. 

 Ashmead swept volunteer wheat in the immediate vicinity of the straw 

 stack, and also swept the adjoiniug field, at that time in winter wheat. 

 He was in the field but a single day, and among the lot of parasites 

 which he took from his beating net, and whicli consisted mainly of one 

 of our commonest American parasites of the Hessian fly, Plafyfjasfer 

 Jierriel-ii Pack., was found a single male specimen of Entedon epigonns. 

 The presence of this single living- specimen indicates that the para- 

 site has established itself to a certain extent, and it is greatly to be 

 hoped that subsequent visits will show it to be present in mimbers. 

 Mr. Euock, by the way, has written us that the figure of the male 

 abdomen, published on page 35G, is incorrect. It is too nnich drawn up 

 posteriorly, and he sends us beautiful mounted slides to inwove his point. 

 The figure was drawn from dried specimens which were naturally some- 

 what shriveled, but it is valuable for comparison with dry mounts in 

 the cabinet. As Mr. Enock expresses it, it appears as though the 

 insect from wliich it was drawn had a severe case of colic. 



CUTWORM.S AND THE AKMY-AVOmr HABIT. 



The close relationship of the ordinary army worm [Leucania unipuneia) 

 to the cutworms has often been mentioned, as well as the fact that in 

 years of comparative army worm scarcity this insect feeds by night 

 like the ordinary cutworm and remains hidden in tufts of grass or 

 under the surface of the ground during the day. There is, tlierefore, 

 little to distinguish it from ordinary cutworms except the fact that it 

 occasionally becomes extremely abundant and then is forced to travel 

 in search of food, its great numbers making it conspicuous, and the 

 rapidity with which available food is devoured forcing it to travel by 

 day as well as by night. There is, therefore, no reason why, should 

 any of the other cutworms become equally immerous, they should not 

 take on the army-worm habit of traveling by day and exiwsing- them- 

 selves to the attacks of natural enemies. In fact, several such instances 

 have occurred. 



In 1881 the black cutworm (Xoetiia fennim) appeared in euiirmous 

 numbers in Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and parts of Canada, and 

 assumed the army-worm habit. The present spring two other species, 

 for some unexplained reason, hibernated in enormous numbers in many 

 localities and were found to be marching- like army worms, and, in fact, 

 were sent to this office as genuine army worms. The most abundant of 

 these was the Western striped cutworm {Feltia herilis) which has been 

 frequently referred to in the Western papers during the spring of 1895, 

 and of which we have received specimens with accounts of marching 

 armies from Byrneville, Vevay, Mitchell, Pekin, and Oatsville, Ind.; 

 IMaysville, Pussellville, and Scottville, Ky. ; Jackson, Tenn., and Mex- 

 ico, Mine la ]Motte, and St. Louis, Mo. Some accounts of serious dam- 

 age by Af/rotis saucui^ the variegated cutworm, have also come from 



