588 



Natural Enemies. Up to the present time the home of this fly- 

 has not been discovered, consequentially its true parasite is not 

 known. 



PLAGUE LOCUSTS. 



Plague Locusts. Every rural resident is, perhaps, familiar with 

 the appearance of grasshoppers. But there are many kinds of 

 these insects, representing at least two distinct families. The 

 family Acridid&, or Locust, include those grasshoppers in which 

 the antennae are shorter than the body, and in which the ovipositor 

 of the female is short, and made up of four separate plates. It is 

 to these insects that the term locust is properly applied. The 

 locusts of which we read in the Bible, and in other books published 

 in olden times in Europe, are members of this family. It is 

 unfortunate that there are some writers who apply the term locust 

 to the cicada, an insect which belongs to another order, and not to 

 the locust. 



The term " plague locust" has been applied to many species of 

 locust, both in this and other countries. This would lead some to 

 believe that there is only one species which becomes a plague, 

 where, as a matter of fact, there has from time to time, both in 

 Australia and other countries, been many species which have 

 become so numerous that they are plagues of the worst type, from 

 a farmer's standpoint. 



In this State 

 there are several 

 species of locusts 

 which cause con- 

 siderable damage 

 to both crops and 

 pasture but the 

 one which the 

 term plague has 

 been applied to is 

 Pachytilis Aus- 

 tralis, Br. 



However, it- 

 makes very little 

 difference to the 

 average farmer 

 what species it is 



Female locust in the act of laying eggs. (After Biley.) 



that causes the destruction of his crops ; what the farmer wants to 

 know is how best to handle them, and prevent the destruction of 

 his crop. To accomplish this, many experiments have been carried 

 out in various countries. 



Locusts lay their eggs in oval masses, and cover them with a 

 tough substance. Some species lay their eggs in the ground. 

 The female makes a hole in the ground with her ovipositor ; and the 

 operation is a very interesting one to watch. The female will press 



