15 



marked, the burning over of grass and waste lands annually deserves 

 to be more generally practiced. 



The particular attention of cranberry growers is called to the fact 

 that the eggs are almost invariably laid upon grass-like plants, and 

 that these plants are the normal food of the caterpillars. Therefore, 

 the growers who keep their bogs free from these weeds and their 

 ditches clear of all rushes and sedges are not likely to suffer from the 

 attacks of this pest. 



Fig. 7.— Army Worm. 

 Nemorosa leucan'ue, one of the pari^sites of the Army Worm, showing the larva, 

 puparium, and the adult; also the fore part of a caterpillar showing the eggs of the 

 parasite. (From Dept. Agr. Report, 1879.) 



The Army Worm has a large number of natural enemies. It is 

 greedily devoured by poultry and by all insectivorous birds, and frogs 

 and toads find it dainty food. A dozen or more species of predaceous 

 beetles are known to feed upon the caterpillars, and a large propor- 

 tion of them become parasitized by flies of different kinds. Many of 

 the caterpillars reared at the Insectary yielded friendly Tachina flies 

 instead of moths. The eggs of these flies are almost without excep- 

 tion placed upon the head and thorax. AVhen they hatch, the young 

 maggots bore into the body of the caterpillar and nearly alw:iys cause 

 its death. The different stages in the life of the most common one 

 of the parasites is shown in Fig. 7. 



