﻿660 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY, 
  

  

  leached 
  tlaetn, 
  and 
  I 
  feel 
  safe 
  in 
  saying 
  to 
  you 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  of 
  ten 
  miles 
  from 
  Worth- 
  

   ington 
  there 
  will 
  scarcely 
  be 
  an 
  egg 
  left 
  by 
  to-morrow 
  night. 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  n 
  bottle 
  

   herewith 
  containing 
  the 
  cones 
  and 
  the 
  parasites. 
  We 
  could 
  scarcely 
  find 
  i 
  cone, 
  or 
  

   sack, 
  except 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  parasite 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  ; 
  and 
  each 
  cone 
  

   which 
  was 
  not 
  entirely 
  destroyed 
  had 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  fifty 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  laborers 
  at 
  work 
  

   upon 
  the 
  eggs. 
  We 
  found 
  scores 
  of 
  cells 
  with 
  no 
  eggs 
  left 
  except 
  the 
  shells. 
  As 
  fast 
  

   as 
  the 
  bug 
  finishes 
  one 
  cone, 
  it 
  srarts 
  upon 
  an 
  expedition 
  for 
  new 
  worlds 
  to 
  conquer, 
  

   and 
  it 
  instinctively 
  finds 
  and 
  conquers 
  the 
  new 
  world. 
  I, 
  of 
  course, 
  informed 
  our 
  

   station-agents 
  and 
  others 
  at 
  HerSey 
  and 
  Heron 
  Lake 
  of 
  this 
  discovery, 
  and 
  they 
  also 
  

   promised 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  thorough 
  investigation, 
  as 
  I 
  will 
  do 
  here, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  will 
  be 
  

   reported 
  forthwith. 
  If 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  general, 
  deliverance 
  is 
  nigh. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  stopped 
  

   for 
  fifteen 
  minutes 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Wilder, 
  where 
  Section-Foreman 
  Smith 
  

   took 
  me 
  to 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  his 
  farm 
  where 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited. 
  We 
  could 
  find 
  none 
  

   by 
  general 
  digging; 
  but 
  wherever 
  we 
  found, 
  as 
  we 
  frequently 
  did, 
  the 
  red 
  parasite 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  cone 
  beneath, 
  with 
  the 
  parasite 
  at 
  work 
  consuming 
  the 
  eggs. 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  that 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  this 
  parasite 
  was 
  found 
  working 
  upon 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  at 
  Madeira 
  and 
  other 
  places, 
  but 
  here 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  remedj'- 
  almost 
  a,s 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  axe 
  laid, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  instances 
  the 
  parasite 
  was 
  only 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  bright 
  red 
  and 
  oblong 
  oval, 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  engraving. 
  The 
  Taeliina 
  

   fly 
  {TacMna 
  anonyma 
  Riley) 
  attacks 
  the 
  locust, 
  depositing 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  the 
  back, 
  at 
  the 
  insertion 
  of 
  the 
  wings. 
  The 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  is 
  

   a 
  large 
  white 
  maggot. 
  (See 
  Plate 
  LXEII, 
  Fig. 
  3a, 
  for 
  the 
  maggot 
  of 
  a 
  

   similar 
  fly.) 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  Tacliina 
  maggot. 
  — 
  The 
  following 
  description 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  three 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Whitman, 
  of 
  Saint 
  Paul, 
  Minn., 
  and 
  said 
  by 
  him 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  a 
  grasshopper 
  (C. 
  spretus). 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  liattened, 
  cylin- 
  

   drical, 
  tapering 
  suddenly 
  toward 
  each 
  end, 
  the 
  head-end 
  being 
  more 
  pointed 
  than 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  extremity. 
  The 
  segments 
  are 
  quite 
  distinct, 
  with 
  raised 
  ridges. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  

   minute, 
  one-third 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  the 
  segment 
  behind, 
  with 
  two 
  black 
  hooks, 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  man- 
  

   dibles. 
  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  lack 
  the 
  little 
  slender 
  tubercles 
  forming 
  the 
  rudi- 
  

   mentary 
  anteunse 
  atid 
  mouth 
  parts 
  seen 
  in 
  Anthomyia 
  and 
  Murca. 
  Length, 
  .35 
  inch. 
  

   The 
  egg 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  Eiley 
  to 
  be 
  "oval, 
  white, 
  and 
  opaque, 
  and 
  quite 
  tough." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  this 
  fly 
  probably 
  which 
  attacks 
  the 
  locust 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  Terri- 
  

   tories, 
  and 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  its 
  habits 
  given 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Eiley 
  (Seventh 
  Eeport, 
  p. 
  ]78), 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  

   Lieutenant 
  Carpenter,, 
  dated 
  Camp 
  Eobinson, 
  Nebraska, 
  December 
  27, 
  

  

  1876: 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  often 
  observed 
  a 
  fly, 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  blow-fly, 
  of 
  a 
  greenish 
  mottled 
  color 
  

   with 
  the 
  abdomen 
  tipped 
  with 
  red, 
  annoying 
  Caloptenus 
  spretus. 
  It 
  would 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground 
  just 
  behind 
  the 
  grasshopper, 
  and 
  the 
  instant 
  it 
  took 
  Aving 
  would 
  pounce 
  

   upon 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  roll 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  struggling 
  for 
  several 
  moments, 
  

   when 
  the 
  fly 
  would 
  release 
  the 
  grasshopper. 
  I 
  have 
  caught 
  them 
  both 
  in 
  this 
  act, 
  and 
  

   upon 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  grasshopper, 
  always 
  found 
  the 
  little 
  red 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  This 
  fly 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  Eiley 
  to 
  be 
  common 
  and 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers. 
  Mr. 
  Whitman 
  writes 
  me 
  regarding 
  its 
  occurrence 
  in 
  Minne- 
  

   sota 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  opened 
  six 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty-four 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  [spretus) 
  ; 
  nine 
  of 
  these 
  contained 
  grubs 
  (of 
  the 
  Tachina 
  fly 
  prob- 
  

   ably) 
  and 
  ten 
  had 
  hair-worms." 
  

  

  The 
  locust-egg-eating 
  maggot. 
  — 
  Another 
  fly 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  useful 
  from 
  

   its 
  habit 
  of 
  devouring 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  is 
  the 
  Anthomyia 
  radicum 
  

   var. 
  calovteni 
  of 
  Eiley. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  onion-maggot 
  and 
  

   radish-fly, 
  both 
  in 
  its 
  maggot 
  and 
  winged 
  states. 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  of 
  the 
  maggots 
  froai 
  Mr. 
  Whitman 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  among 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  locust. 
  I 
  give 
  the 
  following 
  description 
  of 
  them 
  : 
  

  

  Larva 
  of 
  Anthomyia 
  radicum 
  calopteni 
  (Plate 
  LXIII, 
  Fig. 
  2). 
  — 
  Body 
  long 
  and 
  slender, 
  cyl- 
  

   indrical, 
  soft, 
  elongate-conical, 
  tapering 
  gradually 
  toward 
  the 
  minute 
  head 
  ; 
  the 
  seg- 
  

   ments 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  convex 
  ; 
  beneath 
  they 
  are 
  thickened 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  feet. 
  Tlie 
  

   antennae 
  and 
  maxillaj 
  form 
  slender 
  pointed 
  tubercles 
  much 
  as 
  in 
  Musca 
  domestica. 
  The 
  

   prothoracic 
  spiracles 
  are 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  hinder 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  segment, 
  and 
  are 
  remark- 
  

   ably 
  long 
  and 
  slender. 
  The 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  full 
  and 
  rounded, 
  fla,tteued 
  conical 
  ; 
  the 
  

  

  