266 



THE AMERICAN 



the figure (1C8) , is especially fond of them. The 

 most common parasite which occurs abundantly 

 ill the West, as well as in the East, aud which 

 we have bred from several other caterpillars, is 

 a maggot producing a Tachina-fly, which difTers 

 only from the Red-tailed Tachina-fly {Exorista 

 leucania;, Kirk.), which infests the Army-worm, 

 in lacking the red tail.* The other parasite 

 which infests it in the East, but which we have 

 not yet met with, is a species of Pimpla very 

 closely allied to P. melanocephala, Brulle, but 

 diflering from that species in the head being 

 red and not black. f 



SUMMARY. 



The Tent-caterpillar of the Forest ditlers from 

 the common Orchard Tent-caterpillar priiici- 

 lially in its egg-mass being docked ofl' squarely 

 instead of being rounded at each end; in its 

 larva having a row of spots along the back 

 instead of a continuous narrow line, and in its 

 moth having the color between the oblique lines 

 on the front wings as dark or else darker, in- 

 stead of lighter than the rest of the wing. It 

 feeds on a variety of both forest and orchard 

 trees; makes a web which from its being usu- 

 ally fastened close to the tree is often over- 

 looked; is often very destructive, and is most 

 easily fought iu the egg state. 



'Exorista leucanim, Kii-kpatrick=E. mililaris, Wulsll We 

 have bred the varic y lacking the red .it tip of abdomen fi-ora 

 liirvaj of Attacus cecropia^ Lian. jDatana minutra, Ui-iiry, 

 yljro/isinermjs, Riley, and ot two undetermined Agrotidiaiis. 



tPractical Entomologist, U, p lU. 



A Pla(;ue ok Beetles. — A very serious plague 

 of small brown beetles lias occurred in Yorkshire, 



and (Inrin;: the Iiisl few duvs tin' SuiMlc-tuniip 

 (•roll lias lir.'ii <lc>lr..vc(i. Tlii^ i- i-|i.-.i,-il!v >,> 

 in till' Wol.i (li-.|i-iri, nmnv Ihrnis liaviii- im. plaiils 

 ivinaiiiini;. Al Malloii, cmi Salui(la\ . Ilic larnnTs 

 <il.taiiiciln.'\v>I.H'ks,.l',Mrd.aii.|iT-;.i\\in-\vnulil 

 coiniuciir,. ,;n .M..n;la\. The ImvIIi's iu iiiviia.ls 

 havf also allark,.,! tiii' tare and pra .Tops.' The 

 long drought is supposed to have tiivorod this 

 destructive visitation of insect life. 



[We find the above in a late number of Scien- 

 tific Opinion; but why talk about such an un- 

 usual visitation without even hinting at the 

 species? — Ed.] 



A correspondent of the 2few Ewjiand Fanner 

 says that last year he saved his onions from the 

 maggot h\ removing the earth from the bulbs 

 with his lingers, being careful not to disturb the 

 roots wliile weeding thein. A pound of copperas 

 dissolved in a pailful of soft soap, and, when 

 thinned with water, applied to the onions, is 

 good to keep oft' the maggot, and to promote the 

 growth of the onions. I 



TO COLLECT AND STUDY INSECTS-No. 4. 



IIY F. n SANEORX, DOSTON, MASS. 

 [Fig. IBO ] 



There may be something under this old slab, 

 which lies so flat on the surface of the ground ; 

 turn it over carefully. Sure enough, besides the 

 earthworms of all sizes and ages that retreat 

 hastily from the garish light of day into their 

 smooth, cylindrical burrows, and the active 

 spider that scampers off in the grass, here are 

 some little whitish insects — a whole colony of a 

 hundred or more — many upon the under surface 

 of the slab, which seems to be channeled and 

 gi'ooved shallowly, exposing tlie cleaner color of 

 the wood ; and many more moving briskly about 

 in corresponding channels on the grouml, occa- 

 sionally disappearing down the holes. 



These are the " White Ants," as they are im- 

 properly termed, Termes flavipes of KoUar. 

 Those stupid and clumsy ones, with immense 

 heads and long black jaws, are called soldiers; 

 touch this one with a spear of grass and see how- 

 he rushes to seize it, snapping his jaws aud ex- 

 hibiting every sign of anger and ferocity. There 

 is always a regiment of these soldiers or fighting 

 men attached to every respectable colony of 

 Termites, and their mission is solely to defend 

 their weaker vessels, the workers, against ma- 

 rauders of all kinds. These round-headed ones 

 are the workers, and those tiny, white, helpless 

 fellows are the young. Notice, if you please, 

 how indefatigably the workers are seizing the 

 little ones, one by one, in their mandibles, and 

 carrying them carefully below to some place of 

 security. They pinch up their tender skins on 

 the back, with just sufiicieut force to get a good 

 hold without harming the tender little creatures, 

 and lifting them up, as a cat carries its kittens, 

 convey thcni safely away. What are these long. 



