292 BOAFxD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



in other places were: the chipping sparrow, Enc;lish field 

 sparrow, song sparrow, robin, flicker, bluebird, blackbird, 

 king bird. We also found the brown thrasher and the 

 towhee apparently feeding on the caterpillars, and people 

 reported the cow bird, cat bird, pheasant, yellow-legs and 

 Upland Plover feeding upon them. Robins appear to be 

 among the most efl'ective of all, and the English sparrows 

 were quite numerous in the browned fields, and were seen 

 time after time feeding on the caterpillar. 



The nearly extinct heath hen has increased under protec- 

 tion so that there are hundreds of them now on ^Marthas 

 Vineyard. They receive food in the infested fields in some 

 numbers, and apparently were feeding on the army worm, 

 but we could not get near enough to be positive of this 

 even with our glasses." 



In addition, poultry and toads appear to consider tliis 

 insect an excellent food, and devour many of the cater- 

 pillars. 



Numerous insects are also enemies of this pest. Among 

 them are several kinds of Tachina flies, which are sometimes 

 so numerous in the fields when the army worms are abun- 

 dant as to attract notice by their buzzing. They lay their 

 eggs on the caterpillars, usually just behind the head, where 

 they show as small whitish oval bodies. The maggots 

 which hatch from these eggs burrow into the caterpillars 

 and feed upon them and finally kill them, though not until 

 much if not all of the feeding they will do has been com- 

 pleted. These flies and their eggs have been noticed in a 

 great many cases this season. In addition, several hymen- 

 opterous parasites are known and several kinds of beetles 

 feed upon the caterpillars. 



OUTBEEAKS IX FrTURE. 



Various theories as to the causes determining outbreaks 

 of the army worm have been oflered, but none are wholly 

 satisfactory. Those places where outbreaks have occurred 

 this season are not liable to have another for a number of 

 rears. This seems to be a general rule. Even the genera- 



