ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 63 



is not reached till spring, five or six months afterwards, they live a free-swimming aquatic 

 life. To obtain their liberty, they first free themselves from their cysts in the liuing of 

 the intestines and pass into the intestinal cavity of the fish, whence they are carried out 

 with the foeoes into the water. Hare remarkable changes take place. Mr. Villot says: 

 "The numerous transverse folds of the b )dy disappear and the worm becomes twice as 

 long as before: its head armature disappears; the body becomes swollen, milky and pulpy. It 

 remains immovable in the water for a variable period and then increases in size The 

 integument grows harder and when about two inches long the worm turns brown and 

 begins to move." 



At this point in the life history of these creatures all actual observation ceases, and 

 it is only a matter of conjecture how these parasites can find their way into the bodies 

 of such insects as locusts, tree crickets and beetles, many of which live preferably in dry 

 places. It has been suggested that the worms can travel long distances on foliage and 

 other surfaces when wet with rain or dew. It must be acknowledged that there is room 

 for much careful investigation as to the habits of these useful allies of the farmer. What 

 is well known, however, is that they are certainly parasites which oocur frequently inside 

 the bodies of many of our injurious locusts, aid during the past season were so abundant 

 in some places — as at Ottawa — that they could be found in varying numbers from one to five, 

 generally two or three, in almost every large-bodied locust that was examined during the 

 months of September and October. 



With the dark- colored Gordius worms are usually found inside the same hosts some 

 smaller and slenderer white specimens which are very similar in general appearance ; they 

 belong to another genus (Mermis) differing in many respects as to structure and some 

 stages in their life histories, but equally useful with them from their habit of living as 

 parasites inside and ultimately destroying locusts and grasshoppers as well as other insects. 



In connection with grasshoppers mention must be made of the rather serious ravages 

 of the Gray Blister beetles (Macrobasis unicolor, Kirby), fig. 56. These have been abundant 

 in some localities during the past season and have infested fields of potatoes and beans; they 

 were also troublesome on the Siberian Pea tree (Caragana), now grown considerably for 

 hedges, also on the large-leaved and ornamental Aralias, A. spinosa and A. Chilians is. In 

 the larval form these beetles are parasites in the egg pods of locusts, so that an abundant 

 occurrence of blister beetles indicates that the armies of destructive grasshoppers are 

 much smaller than they would have been but for this good feature in the habits of these 

 otherwise injurious insects. The blister beetles generally appear suddenly and in large 

 numbers, and if they are not attended to at once they quickly do much harm to a crop. 

 Prompt spraying or dusting with Paris green are effective and where practicable great 

 numbers may be beaten into pans containing water and coal oil. A long piece of Cara- 

 gana hedge was saved in this way by giving it two beatings a day for a week in a locality 

 where Paris green could not be obtained. 



There have been other injuries to fodder crop3 : The Clover Root-borer (Flylesinus 

 trifol'd, Miller) occurred at one locality in the County of York, and the Clover-seed Midge 

 (Cecidomi/ia leguminicola, Lintner) was rather more destructive than usual in the clover 

 seed growing districts. Even in the eastern part of the Province its presence was 

 clearly discernable by the appearance of the fields at the time of blooming. Reports vary 

 as to the prevalence of the pea weevil, but, on the whole, while it seems to have been less 

 injurious in the west, specimens have been found this year in pease grown as far east as 

 Ottawa, which is a very rare occurrence. 



Root Crop3. — The rootcrops have been affected somewhat both by weather and insects. 

 There has been mention of white grubs ( Laehnosterna) Fig. 64, in potato and carrot fields, 

 and, as mentioned above, grasshoppers and blister oeetles have done their share of injury. 

 The outbreak of mo3t interest under this head was of the Clover Out-worm ( Marw.stra tri- 

 fol'd, Esp), which appeared during August in large numbers in the district lying around 

 Rice Like. The crops attacked were turnips, mangels and peas. The ioss wa* greatest 

 in pea fields, the leaves and even the fleshy tissues on the outside of the pods being entirely 

 consume!. The caterpillars which vary very much in color and ornamentation first 

 appeared about the first of August, and were in such numbers that they had to migrate 



