﻿NATURAL 
  ENEMIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  261 
  

  

  exceptional 
  individuals 
  as 
  should 
  not 
  develop 
  till 
  two, 
  three, 
  or 
  more 
  

   years 
  after 
  a 
  locust 
  invasion 
  might 
  stand 
  a 
  much 
  better 
  chance 
  of 
  find- 
  

   ing 
  appropriate 
  food 
  and 
  of 
  thus 
  perpetuating 
  the 
  species. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  

   and 
  in 
  most 
  other 
  cases 
  of 
  retarded 
  development 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  

   familiar, 
  the 
  exceptional 
  retardation 
  may 
  and 
  does 
  become 
  a 
  benefit 
  to 
  

   the 
  species, 
  enabling 
  it 
  to 
  bridge 
  over 
  periods 
  of 
  adversity. 
  And 
  we 
  

   can 
  see 
  how, 
  by 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  such 
  favored 
  individuals, 
  the 
  habit 
  

   of 
  irregular 
  development 
  may 
  have 
  become 
  fixed 
  in 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  a 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  of 
  surrounding 
  conditions 
  and 
  circumstances 
  which 
  render 
  it 
  

   advantageous. 
  

  

  Soldier-beetle 
  larvae. 
  — 
  We 
  are 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  early 
  larval 
  

   characters 
  of 
  these 
  beetles 
  have 
  ever 
  before 
  been 
  observed. 
  Since 
  our 
  

   First 
  Report 
  was 
  written 
  we 
  have 
  obtained 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  

   Soldier-beetle 
  (Chauliognathus 
  jiennsylranicns, 
  De 
  Geer) 
  and 
  hatched 
  the 
  

   young 
  larvre 
  and 
  fed 
  them 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  nearly 
  full 
  grown. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  deposited 
  loosely 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  irregular 
  batches 
  very 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  way 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  blister-beetles, 
  but 
  are 
  readily 
  distinguished 
  

   from 
  these 
  last 
  by 
  being 
  almost 
  spherical 
  or 
  but 
  very 
  slightly 
  longer 
  than 
  

   wide. 
  They 
  are 
  pure 
  white 
  aud 
  opaque, 
  the 
  shell 
  being 
  tolerably 
  firm 
  

   and 
  having 
  no 
  sculpture. 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  G. 
  Hubbard, 
  whom 
  we 
  charged 
  with 
  

   rearing 
  the 
  larvaB, 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  feu 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  insects, 
  but 
  showed 
  

   a 
  great 
  preference 
  for 
  those, 
  like 
  fly 
  maggots 
  for 
  instance, 
  which 
  have 
  a 
  

   soft 
  integument. 
  They 
  molt 
  quite 
  frequently, 
  huddling 
  together 
  during 
  

   the 
  process, 
  which 
  would 
  indicate 
  that 
  in 
  their 
  earlier 
  stages 
  at 
  least 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  gregarious. 
  We 
  quote 
  Mr. 
  Hubbard's 
  notes 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  Chauliognathus 
  pennsylvanicus, 
  which 
  you 
  gave 
  me 
  at 
  Savannah, 
  hatched 
  

   •during 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  August 
  9. 
  The 
  young 
  larvae 
  were 
  silver-gray 
  in 
  color. 
  They 
  

   were 
  very 
  timid, 
  hut 
  sucked 
  up 
  the 
  juices 
  of 
  plant-lice, 
  the 
  hodies 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  

   •crushed 
  for 
  them 
  against 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  hreeding-jar. 
  August 
  12 
  the 
  larvae 
  retreated 
  

   to 
  the 
  hottom 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  the 
  hottle, 
  and 
  curled 
  up 
  in 
  clusters. 
  In 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   hours 
  they 
  had 
  moulted, 
  and 
  immediately 
  became 
  very 
  active, 
  climbing 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  jar. 
  The 
  anal 
  prop-leg 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  sucker, 
  aud 
  enables 
  them 
  to 
  adhere 
  to 
  

   the 
  glass 
  in 
  any 
  position 
  while 
  sweeping 
  the 
  body 
  around 
  in 
  every 
  direction 
  in 
  search 
  

   of 
  food. 
  I 
  gave 
  them 
  crushed 
  maggots 
  of 
  Phora 
  alctice, 
  and 
  they 
  sucked 
  the 
  juices 
  

   greedily. 
  They 
  became 
  bolder, 
  and 
  attacked 
  the 
  uninjured 
  maggots, 
  but 
  were 
  unable 
  

   to 
  pierce 
  the 
  skin. 
  August 
  15 
  I 
  gave 
  them 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  large 
  red 
  Aphis 
  found 
  on 
  cockle- 
  

   bur, 
  but 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  relish 
  them, 
  and 
  ate 
  but 
  little. 
  They 
  also 
  ate 
  sparingly 
  of 
  

   ■crushed 
  Aletia 
  larvae, 
  but 
  preferred 
  the 
  Phoras 
  to 
  everything 
  else. 
  August 
  17 
  they 
  

   retired 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  jar, 
  and 
  remained 
  torpid 
  two 
  days. 
  August 
  19 
  all 
  had 
  

   completed 
  their 
  second 
  moult. 
  They 
  were 
  now 
  quite 
  bold 
  and 
  strong, 
  and 
  able 
  to 
  

   pierce 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  Phora 
  maggots 
  given 
  them 
  for 
  food. 
  In 
  feeding, 
  the 
  maggot 
  is 
  

   punctured 
  by 
  the 
  sharp 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  jaws, 
  which 
  are 
  then 
  used 
  as 
  hooks 
  to 
  draw 
  in 
  a 
  

   fold 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  held 
  between 
  the 
  molar 
  lobes 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  mandibles, 
  and 
  

   the 
  juices 
  are 
  sucked 
  by 
  the 
  pumping 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  oesophagus, 
  which 
  is 
  thrown 
  into 
  

   peristaltic 
  waves. 
  The 
  large 
  mentum 
  is 
  very 
  elastic 
  and 
  mobile, 
  and 
  evidently 
  per- 
  

   forms 
  the 
  usual 
  office 
  of 
  a 
  lower 
  lip. 
  An 
  occasional 
  quick 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  jaws 
  is 
  

   made, 
  either 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  squeeze 
  with 
  the 
  molar 
  surfaces, 
  or 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  better 
  hold 
  with 
  

   the 
  hooked 
  tips. 
  

  

  The 
  basal 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  antenna 
  is 
  very 
  elastic, 
  and 
  enables 
  the 
  larva 
  to 
  elongate 
  

  

  