49 



Indeed, tlieii' st.i'ipes luid colors (n;d\(( llieiii dilliciill lo disliii^nisli ;uii()ii^' 

 llieii- food |)l;iii(s, :iiid l.lieir luihil of di'oppiiig when disiiirb(!(l s(!rvos still 

 riirtlier lo coiiceid llieiii. Their ordinnry injiiri(!,s thus puss unnoticed 

 ;uid tlieir presence undetected unless (he <;niss is so hiully (hitnajijod as 

 to turn brown in patches, when a closer (!xainin;it-ion may disf^lose \]]0H\ 

 in tlieir retreats. 



'Hmr travoliuj;' lialiil , which has ^ivcMi t.lieui their connnon iinnu!, can 

 scarcely be called noinial to the species, since they resort to it only uiidcir 

 circumstances which arc;, i'or them, litlJe less than (lesp(U'ate. When, 

 by extraordinary nuiltiplication, they Ix^cotne so tuunerous in tJieir 

 breeding:; f^round as to devour their own food supply Ixiion; they have 

 attained their ^i-owt.h, tliey uuist scai-ch for moi'(! food elsewhere. Un- 

 like m;iiiy insects under similai- circumstances, they exhibit a gregarious 

 hnbit, ;uid instc.'id of dispersing se])arately in (;very direct-ion, as would 

 seem to be the more; rational cours(!, they mov(! off tog(!tlier in a definite 

 direction in niniost solid phalanx, putting tJiemsolves thus to t,he serious 

 iiicon\'eiiience of traveling great distances t-o find tJieir nec(>ssary food, 

 ;ind exposing tJiemselves likewise to whokisak; dest, ruction by birds 

 nnd other enemies and t.o whokisaki inlVistation by ins(!ct, parasit(!S. 

 I'or-tunately for ;igricult,nre, they likewise; expose; tlu;mselves by this 

 sjune act- to d(;slru(;tion by th(; farmcsr, who can annihilate a compact 

 mass of t-ravcling cat(!rj)illars although he might Ik; helpless against 

 their attack if th(;y separated and disf)ers(;d to nil p;u't-s of the comf)ass. 



Feeding ordinarily upon grasses, they picler th(;s(! and grass-like 

 grains, even on their desperate marches. 'J'hey seem to cat with almost 

 e(|u:d relish blue-grass, timothy, wheat, oats, corn, rye, and barley, and 

 will likewise reiidily t,ak(! soi'ghiuu, Hungarian grass, milk;t., and flax. 

 In conlinement, they li;iv(! grown and compkited their transformations 

 when fe(| ex(;lusiv(;ly on poppy, be(;t, lettuce;, cabbage, ras[)l)ei"rv, onion, 

 piusnip, ra-dish, (;arrot,, or pea, but have; desclined cotton and grape. 

 ( )rdinarily clove;r is ne)t e;a,t.en by th(;m, anel it is said tluit the; timothy in 

 a mixeid field is ofte-n e>ate;n to the- ground, leaving uninjm-ed the ck»ve'r 

 scattereel thre)ugh it. A re'tnarkabk; (;x(;(;[)tion is rc;pe)ite!(l, he)vv(;ver, 

 from N(;w Jersey, where in ISSO clover was generally eaten by army- 

 we)rms in some localitie's. in the- field, be;sides the plants above men- 

 tione'd, the-y have; also e;at,(;ii e;ranbe;ri'y, strawberry, be;ui, sugar-beet, 

 swe'e;t potato, parsk;y, watermelon, cue-umber, apple, pepper, honey- 

 sue-kle, ragweeel, wikl Solan.uni, and jimaranfh. 



Whe-n the'y etde'r a fiekl of yoiuig e-orn th(;y first e-limb uj) t,lie; plants, 

 eating the binders of the k;av(;s on each sieU; of the mielrib, but i)resently, 

 as the;y become' metre nbniidant, tlie-y may virtually ele;ve)ur the- whetk' 

 I)lant te) the- suiiae-e; e>f the gre)unel. " l''ully te) re^alize the destrue;tive 

 capal)ilit,ie-s of this insect," says Slinge-rland, " one- must see (no descrip- 

 tion will sullice') ;ui arm\' of the worms on the- m;ue-li ;ind ;it w<»rk. In 



