﻿2IO 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  are 
  the 
  red-tailed 
  Tachina-fly, 
  Winthemia 
  a^-pustulata 
  (Fabr.), 
  formerly 
  

   known 
  as 
  Nemorcea 
  leucanicB 
  (Kirk.), 
  but 
  which 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  found 
  

   identical 
  with 
  this 
  European 
  species; 
  and 
  the 
  yellow-tailed 
  Tachina-fly, 
  

   which 
  was 
  described 
  as 
  Exorista 
  flavicaiida 
  by 
  Riley, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  recently 
  

   been 
  pronounced 
  identical 
  with 
  Belvoisia 
  unifasciata 
  Desv., 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Coquillett. 
  These 
  two 
  flies 
  are 
  frequently 
  seen 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  fields 
  

   where 
  the 
  army-worm 
  is 
  numerous. 
  They 
  are 
  often 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  

   their 
  buzzing 
  reminds 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  bees. 
  Their 
  conspicuous 
  white 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  usually 
  deposited 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  or 
  thoracic 
  segments 
  of 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillar, 
  where 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  reached 
  by 
  the 
  jaws 
  of 
  the 
  victim 
  for 
  their 
  

   removal; 
  occasionally 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  anterior 
  abdominal 
  

   segments. 
  As 
  many 
  as 
  eighteen 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  counted 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  

   caterpillar, 
  but 
  tne 
  average 
  is 
  about 
  five. 
  The 
  eggs 
  soon 
  hatch 
  and 
  the 
  

   young 
  maggots 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  their 
  host, 
  where 
  they 
  

   revel 
  in 
  its 
  juices 
  and 
  eventually 
  cause 
  its 
  death. 
  This 
  Tachina 
  oviposi- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  not, 
  however, 
  necessarily 
  fatal 
  to 
  the 
  larvae, 
  for 
  if 
  it 
  occurs 
  at 
  near 
  

   the 
  molting, 
  the 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  cast 
  with 
  the 
  skin 
  before 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  their 
  

   hatching. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  caterpillars 
  parasitized 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Albany, 
  was 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  small, 
  probably 
  about 
  8 
  per 
  cent., 
  but 
  

   in 
  the 
  central 
  and 
  western 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  these 
  

   parasites 
  were 
  comparatively 
  abundant. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  flies 
  have 
  been 
  reared 
  from 
  the 
  army-worm 
  : 
  Cisiogaster 
  

   immaculata 
  Mcq., 
  Ocyptera 
  eucheno7' 
  Wlk., 
  Miltogramma 
  argentifrofis 
  

   Twns., 
  My 
  aphasia 
  cBuea 
  Wied,, 
  Sajrophaga 
  helicis 
  Twns., 
  Sarcophaga 
  

   oedipodinis 
  Twns., 
  Sarcophaga 
  (two 
  species), 
  Liicilia 
  ccEsar 
  (Linn.). 
  It 
  is 
  

   more 
  than 
  probable 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  true 
  parasites. 
  

  

  Next 
  in 
  importance 
  perhaps 
  to 
  the 
  Tachina 
  flies 
  as 
  parasites, 
  are 
  the 
  

   minute 
  four-winged 
  Microgasters, 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  parasitic 
  

   on 
  the 
  army-worm. 
  The 
  most 
  abundant 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  military 
  Micro- 
  

   gaster, 
  Apanteles 
  militaris 
  (Walsh), 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  present, 
  wherever 
  the 
  

   army-worm 
  abounds. 
  From 
  sixty-two 
  to 
  ninety-six 
  of 
  its 
  larvae 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  one 
  caterpillar. 
  Its 
  whitish 
  cocoons 
  are 
  often 
  

   attached 
  to 
  the 
  grass, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  of 
  sticks, 
  stones, 
  etc., 
  in 
  small 
  

   masses 
  surrounded 
  by 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  loose 
  silk. 
  Apanteles 
  limmitidis 
  (Riley) 
  

   is 
  another 
  species 
  parasitic 
  on 
  the 
  army-worm. 
  Unfortunately, 
  these 
  

   two 
  beneficial 
  insects 
  are 
  in 
  turn 
  parasitized 
  by 
  a 
  Chalcid, 
  Glyphe 
  

   viridascens 
  Walsh, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  Ichneumonid, 
  Mesochoriis 
  vitreus 
  

   Walsh. 
  Haltichella 
  perpulchra 
  (Walsh), 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  parasite 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   Microgasters 
  above-named. 
  Another 
  smaller 
  parasite 
  of 
  the 
  army-worm 
  

   is 
  the 
  wingless 
  Fezomachus 
  minimus 
  Walsh, 
  which 
  in 
  turn 
  has 
  its 
  Chalcid 
  

  

  