﻿PACKARD.j 
  ENEMIES 
  AND 
  PARASITES 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  659 
  

  

  one 
  particular 
  source 
  of 
  food-supply, 
  which 
  such 
  course 
  would 
  entail, 
  would 
  go 
  for 
  

   nothing 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  advantages 
  that 
  might 
  result. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  the 
  

   suggestion 
  hastily, 
  nor 
  without 
  due 
  consideration, 
  backed 
  by 
  personal 
  observation, 
  and 
  

   fortified 
  by 
  logical 
  induction. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  always 
  slow 
  to 
  acquire 
  exact 
  and 
  full 
  information 
  respecting 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  which 
  surround 
  us, 
  notwithstanding 
  that 
  many 
  or 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  quadrupeds, 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  insects 
  hold 
  toward 
  us 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  utmost 
  economic 
  importance, 
  and 
  in 
  

   spite 
  of 
  the 
  unquestionable 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  agricultural 
  interests 
  hinge 
  upon 
  the 
  solution 
  

   of 
  the 
  problems 
  involved. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  cock-of-the-plaius 
  (CeHfrocercfts 
  uro- 
  

   j)lumanus) 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  feed 
  chiefly, 
  if 
  not 
  exclusively, 
  upon 
  wormwood. 
  I 
  have 
  

   killed 
  them 
  to 
  find 
  nothing 
  but 
  insects 
  in 
  their 
  crops. 
  Hawks, 
  particularly 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Bnteo, 
  presumed 
  to 
  feed 
  mainly 
  upon 
  small 
  quadrupeds 
  and 
  birds, 
  are 
  immense 
  

   consumers 
  of 
  grasshoppers 
  in 
  the 
  West, 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons. 
  

  

  One 
  thing 
  is 
  certain, 
  that 
  if 
  we 
  are 
  to 
  use 
  birds 
  in 
  our 
  war 
  against 
  the 
  invading 
  

   hosts, 
  we 
  must 
  employ 
  our 
  own, 
  and 
  no 
  imported 
  ones. 
  The 
  expensive, 
  uncertain, 
  and 
  

   difticult 
  experiment 
  of 
  introducing 
  any 
  alleged 
  '' 
  acridophagous" 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  

   World 
  will 
  never, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  amount 
  to 
  much. 
  Moreover, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  technically 
  

   considered 
  " 
  insectivorous 
  " 
  birds 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  turn 
  our 
  attention 
  hopefully. 
  Though 
  

   many 
  of 
  these 
  small 
  species 
  feed 
  habitually 
  upon 
  grasshoppers 
  in 
  season, 
  their 
  col- 
  

   lective 
  efiQciency 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  destruction 
  appeared 
  to 
  be, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  is, 
  

   comparatively 
  insignificant. 
  At 
  present 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  birds 
  capable 
  of 
  rendering 
  more 
  

   efficient 
  service 
  than 
  the 
  grouse. 
  

  

  Young 
  locusts 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  by 
  Professor 
  Green, 
  of 
  Lawrence, 
  

   Kans., 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  various 
  birds, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  red-eyed 
  wood- 
  

   pecker, 
  yellow-billed 
  cuckoo, 
  cat-bird, 
  red-eyed 
  vireo, 
  great 
  crested 
  fly- 
  

   catcher, 
  and 
  crow- 
  blackbird. 
  The 
  hair-worm 
  {Gordius) 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  

   parasite 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  as 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  grasshoppers. 
  Mr. 
  Eiley 
  

   states 
  that 
  many 
  predaceous 
  beetles 
  attacked 
  them, 
  but 
  few, 
  if 
  any, 
  

   ichneumon-flies 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  them, 
  these 
  beneficial 
  insects 
  con- 
  

   fining 
  their 
  attention 
  chiefly 
  to 
  caterpillars, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  northern 
  army- 
  

   worm, 
  &c. 
  But 
  the 
  mite 
  and 
  Tachina 
  flies 
  are 
  universally 
  prevalent, 
  

   and 
  all 
  writers 
  agree 
  are 
  useful 
  in 
  reducing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  locusts 
  in. 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  district. 
  

  

  June 
  2, 
  before 
  reaching 
  Kansas 
  City, 
  I 
  found 
  on 
  stepping 
  off 
  from 
  

   the 
  cars 
  at 
  different 
  stations 
  that 
  the 
  weak, 
  feeble 
  locusts 
  were 
  infested 
  

   by 
  large 
  red 
  mites 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  un- 
  

   der 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wings. 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  red 
  mite, 
  which 
  has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  such 
  a 
  benefactor 
  to 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  does 
  not 
  apparently 
  differ 
  from 
  those 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  

   red-legged 
  locust 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States 
  in 
  size 
  or 
  form. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  six- 
  

   legged 
  young 
  of 
  some 
  four-legged 
  garden-mite, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been, 
  

   reared 
  to 
  adult 
  life, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  Tromhldium 
  gryllaria.* 
  

  

  The 
  scarlet 
  siR-y 
  mite. 
  — 
  Another 
  mite, 
  which 
  is 
  possibly 
  the 
  parent 
  

   of 
  the 
  minute 
  red 
  six-legged 
  parasitic 
  mite, 
  is 
  the 
  scarlet 
  silky 
  mite 
  

   {Trombidium 
  sericeum 
  Say, 
  Plate 
  II, 
  Fig. 
  4). 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  lines 
  in 
  length, 
  

   and 
  has 
  been 
  abundant 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  in 
  Minnesota, 
  eating 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  

   the 
  locust. 
  As 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  beneficial 
  nature, 
  I 
  insert 
  the 
  following 
  

   extract 
  fiom 
  a 
  western 
  paper: 
  

  

  Governor 
  Miller, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  Windom, 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  Last 
  evening, 
  when 
  wo 
  reached 
  Worthington 
  from 
  Lake 
  Shetek, 
  there 
  was 
  quite 
  

   an 
  excitement 
  in 
  Worthington, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  citizens 
  were 
  generally 
  con- 
  

   vinced 
  that 
  a 
  red 
  parasite 
  was 
  destroying 
  the 
  grasshopper-eggs. 
  I 
  examined 
  the 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  carefully 
  myself, 
  and 
  became 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  that 
  

   immediate 
  vicinity 
  was 
  well 
  assured 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  determined 
  not 
  to 
  write 
  you 
  and 
  excite 
  ■ 
  

   any 
  hopes 
  until 
  a 
  further 
  and 
  more 
  complete 
  examination 
  could 
  be 
  had. 
  We 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  furnished 
  our 
  Bohemian 
  friends 
  with 
  a 
  bottle 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  their 
  pests, 
  and 
  the 
  

   commission 
  left 
  in 
  high 
  spirits. 
  We 
  postponed 
  further 
  investigation 
  until 
  this 
  morn- 
  

   ing, 
  when 
  I 
  left 
  and 
  prosecuted 
  the 
  examination 
  with 
  vigor. 
  The 
  farmers 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  knew 
  nothing 
  of 
  these 
  signs 
  of 
  deliverance 
  until 
  the 
  visitors 
  from 
  Worthington 
  

  

  *Astoma 
  locustarum 
  of 
  Walsh 
  (no 
  descr.); 
  Astoma 
  gryllaria 
  of 
  LeBaur; 
  Astoma 
  gryl- 
  

   laria 
  of 
  Riley. 
  

  

  