114 



THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



fested, auJ that Sir. Fori-is unconsciously selected 

 his best IVieuds to be banished to the Far West, 

 when he picked out the smallest specimens he 

 could find to scud me, leaving such full-sized worms 

 as were not infested by parasites, by way of seed 

 for another year. 



But besides these Tachina flies, which, except 

 in the tip of the abdomen never being red, are 

 scarcely distinguishable from the species (^Exorista 

 militaris "Walsh) infesting the true Army-worm, 

 there is an Ichneumon fly which also preys upon 

 this enemy of the Apple-tree in the State of New 

 York, but apparently only to a limited extent. 

 For, from a lot of about 50 cocoons sent me by Mr. 

 Ferris, I bred one male and two females of an un- 

 described species of Pimpla, very closely allied to 

 P. mekmocejihala Brull6. but difl"ering from that 

 species in the head being red and not black. Hence, 

 as there are two distinct parasites now proved to 

 infest this insect in New York, we can readily un- 

 derstand, why in particular years it is very scarce 

 there, and in other years occurs in destructive 

 swarms. 



The moths produced from the above cocoons, 

 which came out from July 10th to July 24th, are 

 exceedingly variable in coloration, ranging from 

 buff to brown, and some specimens having the 

 "broad red-brown band across the front wing," no- 

 ticed by Harris as an occasional characteristic of 

 the species, and others being entirely without that 

 band, with all the intermediate grades in both cha- 

 racters. On the closest comparison with a speci- 

 men of the moth formerly received by me from 

 Eastern New York, and probably reared upon some 

 forest-tree, I can detect no specific distinctions 

 whatever. Possibly there may exist constant dis- 

 tinctive characters in the larvae of the several races, 

 feeding respectively on Oak, on Walnut, and on 

 Apple-tree and other trees ; but upon this point I 

 am not at present prepared to give an opinion. 

 Certainly, the Apple-tree feeding larvse agree suf- 

 ficiently well with the descriptions of Harris and 

 Fitch, which are probably based upon larvse feed- 

 ing on Oak or Walnut-trees. 



Evidently, as with the common Tent-caterpillar, 

 the cheapest and easiest and most convenient way 

 of getting rid of this pest is to cut ofi" and destroy 

 the bunches of eggs in the dead of the year, when 

 the leaves are ofi' the trees and when farm work is 

 not usually pressing. In badly infested Orchards 

 this, however, will be found to be a considerable 

 task ; for, according to Mr. Ferris, in such cases 

 from fifty to one hundred rings of eggs are often 

 found on a single tree. And, after all, to make 

 this plan thoroughly eS'ectual, whole neighborhoods 

 should unite in carrying it out; otherwise one is 

 liable to have a fresh crop of eggs laid every sum- 

 mer upon one's apple-trees, by the moths reared by 

 less careful neighbors. 



It will now, I hope, bo clearly perceived that the 

 true Army-worm is as distinct from this Tent-cater- 

 pillar of the Forest, which has been misnamed 

 "Army-worm," as a Hog is from a Dog. The for- 

 mer lives exclusively upon herbaceous plants and 



chiefly upon the grasses; the latter lives exclusive- 

 ly upon the leaves of trees. The former is an Ow- 

 let-moth; the latter is a Spinner. The former 

 goes underground to pass into the pupa state ; the 

 latter spins a silken cocoon in the open air. The 

 former is the special enemy of the Grain-farmer 

 and Stock-farmer; the latter of the Orchardist. 

 Finally, the former can be attracted in the night 

 by sugary substances, having a long tongue adapt- 

 ed for sucking up honey ; the latter cannot be thus 

 attracted, having only a slwrt rudimental tongue, 

 which is incapable of reaching the nectaries of ho- 

 ucy-bearing flowers. It would be easy to point out 

 a whole host of other structural diflTerences ; but 

 for the general reader the above will probably be 

 sufiioient. It would puzzle many a farmer to cata- 

 logue more points of difi"erence between a Dog and 

 a Hog. He will exclaim, perhaps, that the gene- 

 ral appearance of a Dog is entirely different from 

 that of a Hog, while in his eyes a Tent-caterpillar 

 and a true Army-worm look almost alike. But this 

 is only because he has studied one group of ani- 

 mals, and has paid but little attention to the other. 

 For, in the eyes of an Entomologist, the one kind of 

 larva has an entirely difierent appearance from the 

 other ; and the same may be said of the Moths 

 produced from the two larvte. 



By way of illustration of the confusion between 

 difi'ereut kinds of so-called Army-worms, I subjoin 

 a paragraph, which appeared recently in the Neio 

 York Tribune, (June 25, 1867.) The insect here 

 referred to is manifestly the same Tent-caterpillar 

 of the Forest as has been illustrated above. But, 

 as will be seen, the Editor doubts whether it is the 

 real Army-worm of the South, and, if not, he thinks 

 it must be the so-called Caterpillar of New En- 

 gland. In point of fact, it is neither. 



The Army Worm. — In Niagara County, Western New 

 York, the Army-worm is committing dreadful ravages 

 among the orchards. In places, the whole population 

 turns out to do battle to save their fruit and gardens. 

 They attack a tree in such numbers as to cover the leaves 

 and fruit, which they utterly destroy. If the trunk of a 

 tree is covered with tarred paper they cannot ascend it, 

 and they start for another orchard. It is doubtful whether 

 this is the real Army-worm of the South, but it is prob- 

 ably the Caterpillar of New England. If it is the Army- 

 worm, its progress can be stopped by plowing furrows 

 and then digging ditches eight inches deep with straight 

 sides. Into this they will crawl, and only with great dif- 

 ficulty can they get out. Then strew straw over them, 

 set it on fire, and their day is done. 



The "tarred paper" can evidently be efiectual 

 only in preventing these caterpillars from migrat- 

 ing from tree to tree along the ground. And as 

 to digging ditches to stop them, it would be neces- 

 sary also to tear down the board fences ; for ac- 

 cording to Mr. Ferris, they commonly make a road- 

 way of the cap-board. B. D. W. 



» 



THE LITTLE TURK AND ITS CRESCENT. 



[From a letter from Franklin C. Hill, ok Ohio.] 



In one of the late numbers of the Practicai. 

 ENTOiMOLOGisT, you have a very thorough article 

 on the Curculio, ivhich I read with much interest; 

 but yesterday, having the chance to see no loss 

 than four jspocimens in the act, I foel called mi to 



