112 



service. Several specie.s of tiger beetles are also common. Their 

 larvae nest in burrows in the soil about the plants, no doubt destro}^- 



ing an occasional Jarva, which for some 

 reason or another finds itself upon the 

 ground. The most abundant of these 

 are Tetracha Carolina Linn, and Cicin- 

 dela vulgaris Say. 



Several large predaceous Hemiptera 

 known to destroy caterpillars are often 

 seen in cotton fields, but none of them 

 have actually been seen b}^ us in the act 

 of devouring a bollworm. The follow- 

 ing list includes the more important 

 members of this group: 



Fig. 18. — Calosovia calidum: beetle and 

 larva (from Riley). 



Metapod'ms femoratus Fab. (PI. XVIII, 



fig. 5). 

 Sinea diadema Fab. 

 Melanolestes picipes H.-Sch. 



Apiomerus crassipes Fab. 

 Arilus cristatus Linn. 

 Podisus spinosus DaW. (fig. 19). 

 (Ebalus pugnax Fab. 



In addition to the aforementioned enemies, the "devil's horse" 

 {Stagmoiiumtis Carolina Burm.) may be mentioned as an activel}' pre- 

 daceous insect frequenting the fields. 



Among the vertebrate enemies, the common 

 toad {Bufo lentiginosus and B. valiceps) stands 

 out as rather important. Although feeding 

 upon almost any living insects which it can 

 capture, sometimes at least boll worms form a 

 considerable portion of its diet. On September 

 14, 1904, Mr. C. R. Jones collected at German- 

 town, Ark., a number of toads from a field of 

 late cotton badly infested by the bollworm. 

 The toads in the field at that time were exceed- ' z 

 ingflv numerous, and nine were sent in for ^^^- ^^■—'Podi%us jiyinoms: 



,. . .11 /. n - adult, egg, and nymphs 



dissection, with the following results: (fromRiiey). 



Table XLIII. — Stomach contents of toads from cotton field at Germantown, Ark., 



September 14, 1904- 



Toad. 



Number of bollworm.s. 



Miscellaneous insects. 



No.l.. 

 No. 2.. 



No. 3.. 

 No. 4. . 

 No. 5.. 

 No. 6.. 



No. 7. 

 No. 8. 

 No. 9. 



. None.. 

 .1 do. 



Two: ^-inch and ^-inch 



None 



....do 



Four: Full grown, li-inch, 

 f-inch, piece of large 

 worm. 



One: f-inch 



Two: i-inch and ^-inch 



One: Hnch 



Small ant; Aletia larva, J-inch. 



Aletia larva, 1-inch; two ladybirds; a Sciara; a small Chry; 



melid beetle. 

 Chrvsopa larva, Scydmsenid, and Chrysomelid. 

 Aletia larva, ^-inch, and a small Carabid. 

 Aletia larva, full grown; a few small Coleoptera. 

 None. 



Do. 

 Miscellaneou.s bits. 

 Several small Coleoptera. 



