Grasshoppers 



in the seventies. Infested grasshoppers have a pale, sickly appearance 



and are more or less sluggish in their movements. 



Ground beetles are also often infested. Figure 17, Page 107 shows 



a common species just as the hair worm is emerging. Figure 18, Page 



108 shows the worm after freeing itself from the beetle. Figure 16, 



Plate IV, Page 17 repre- 

 sents a mature male hair 

 worm taken from a ground 

 beetle. 



Birds 



A discussion of the natural 

 enemies of the grasshopper 

 would not be complete with- 

 out mention of some of the 

 many birds which assist in 

 holding this pest in check. 



The list of birds which 

 render a real service to agri- 

 culture by destroying grass- 

 hoppers includes some which 

 are not in very good stand- 

 ing because of occasional 

 damage to crops or raids 

 upon the poultry yard or 

 orchard, and because of a 

 lack of knowledge of their 

 feeding habits throughout 

 the entire year. 



Generally speaking, all owls are looked upon as undesirables and 

 as the legitimate prey of the hunter. As a matter of fact, with the 

 exception of the great horned owl, these birds do far more good than 

 harm. The occasional young chicken or turkey which they steal is small 

 pay for the many mice, ground squirrels and other injurious rodents 

 which they kill, to say nothing of the grasshoppers which some destroy. 



The long-legged burrowing-owl, which inhabits deserted prairie dog 

 burrows, feeds very largely upon grasshoppers during those months when 

 these insects are plentiful. As individuals they are among the most 

 effective feathered grasshopper destroyers. 



While blackbirds are not so effective as individuals, their great 

 numbers make them of even greater value than the burrowing-owls. 



The red-headed woodpecker is quite generally condemned for peck- 

 ing holes in buildings, eating fruit and occasionally damaging other crops. 

 Despite his bad habits, this bird is not without good points. Over 

 seventy different kinds of insects enter into this bird's bill-of-fare, which 

 includes many crop pests, among them large numbers of grasshoppers. 



Together with the owls, hawks enjoy a bad reputation among rural 

 communities. It has been stated that of over seventy species of hawks 



108 



Fig. 18. The Hair Worm shown in Figure 17, 

 after it had escaped from the Beetle 



