﻿REPORT 
  -OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  289 
  

  

  The 
  English 
  sparrow 
  was 
  observed 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  them 
  continuously 
  in 
  some 
  

   places, 
  while 
  in 
  others 
  the 
  occurrence 
  was 
  rather 
  rare. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  B. 
  Smith 
  

   has 
  recently 
  stated: 
  "This 
  bird 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  intense 
  hatred 
  for 
  the 
  

   insects, 
  attacking 
  and 
  pulling 
  them 
  to 
  pieces 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  wanton 
  manner. 
  

   Near 
  the 
  large 
  cities 
  where 
  the 
  sparrows 
  are 
  numerous, 
  entire 
  broods 
  

   have 
  already 
  been 
  destroyed." 
  Other 
  birds 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  named 
  as 
  feed- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  Cicada 
  are: 
  the 
  cuckoo, 
  king-bird, 
  oriole, 
  sparrows, 
  cat-birds, 
  

   thrushes 
  and 
  ground-bird. 
  Even 
  the 
  common 
  land 
  turtle 
  was 
  tempted 
  

   to 
  include 
  the 
  pup^ 
  in 
  its 
  brief 
  bill-of-fare. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  insect 
  enemies 
  that 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  Cicadas 
  were~ 
  

   species 
  of 
  ants. 
  They 
  probably 
  did 
  not 
  often 
  molest 
  the 
  living, 
  but 
  con- 
  

   tented 
  themselves 
  with 
  preying 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  or 
  dying. 
  

  

  The 
  fungus, 
  Massospora 
  cicadina, 
  was 
  found 
  destroying 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  

   widely 
  different 
  localities. 
  At 
  New 
  Windsor, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  many 
  old 
  males 
  

   were 
  found 
  infested. 
  The 
  same 
  conditon 
  was 
  reported 
  at 
  Nyack 
  and 
  at 
  

   Clermont; 
  at 
  the 
  latter, 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  possibly 
  a 
  few 
  females 
  were 
  

   similarly 
  affected. 
  The 
  infestation 
  was 
  also 
  observed 
  at 
  Bay 
  Chester 
  

   and 
  Clarksville, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  in 
  many 
  

   instances 
  at 
  Morristown, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  at 
  New 
  Brunswick. 
  The 
  

   fungus 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  at 
  New 
  Haven, 
  Conn. 
  Failure 
  to 
  learn 
  of 
  

   it 
  in 
  other 
  localities, 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  implies 
  its 
  absence, 
  but 
  merely 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  not 
  seen. 
  

  

  Preventives 
  of 
  Injury. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  practically 
  impossible 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  Cicada 
  from 
  ovipositing 
  in 
  

   the 
  twigs 
  of 
  trees, 
  unless 
  they 
  are 
  small 
  and 
  their 
  value 
  would 
  warrant 
  

   the 
  expense 
  of 
  enclosing 
  them 
  with 
  fine 
  netting 
  or 
  light 
  cloth 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   exclude 
  the 
  insect 
  during 
  the 
  egg-laying 
  period. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  greatest 
  injury 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  young 
  trees, 
  much 
  loss 
  could 
  be 
  

   avoided 
  by 
  refraining 
  from 
  setting 
  out 
  new 
  stock 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   years 
  preceding 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  brood. 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  

   of 
  special 
  importance 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  forests, 
  or 
  on 
  land 
  which 
  had 
  borne 
  

   a 
  growth 
  of 
  trees 
  at 
  the 
  previous 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  that 
  had 
  suffered 
  

   from 
  its 
  attack. 
  In 
  such 
  localities 
  it 
  would 
  be' 
  well 
  not 
  to 
  prune 
  older 
  

   trees 
  the 
  spring 
  before 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada, 
  unless 
  the 
  pruning 
  

   be 
  made 
  so 
  severe, 
  as 
  to 
  leave 
  no 
  slender 
  tips 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  an 
  invitation 
  

   for 
  the 
  insect's 
  oviposition. 
  

   20 
  

  

  