﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I9OO 
  995 
  

  

  and 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  crossing 
  the 
  walk 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  or 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  night. 
  One 
  or 
  two 
  strings 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  

   mornings 
  of 
  several 
  successive 
  days. 
  These 
  strings 
  or 
  masses 
  were 
  12 
  to 
  

   20 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  larvae 
  at 
  the 
  head, 
  tapering 
  

   down 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  tail 
  rarely 
  composed 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  layer 
  of 
  

   insects. 
  They 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  but 
  one 
  place 
  near 
  a 
  well 
  kept 
  lawn, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  liberally 
  manured 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  They 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  

   trees 
  and, 
  when 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  succumbed 
  in 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  hours. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  pleasant 
  duty 
  to 
  place 
  on 
  record 
  these 
  interesting 
  observations 
  so 
  

   willingly 
  communicated 
  by 
  Mr 
  Chamberlain. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  S 
  c 
  i 
  a 
  r 
  a 
  larvae 
  live 
  in 
  decaying 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  masses 
  observed 
  by 
  Mr 
  Chamberlain 
  had 
  

   lived 
  in 
  the 
  lawn 
  and 
  were 
  impelled 
  by 
  some 
  cause 
  or 
  other, 
  possibly 
  the 
  

   desire 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  more 
  favorable 
  place 
  for 
  undergoing 
  their 
  final 
  trans- 
  

   formations, 
  to 
  forsake 
  it 
  when 
  about 
  full-grown. 
  These 
  tender, 
  moist 
  

   larvae 
  are 
  very 
  susceptible 
  to 
  sun 
  and 
  dryness, 
  and 
  their 
  peculiar 
  method 
  

   of 
  progression 
  reduces 
  these 
  perils 
  very 
  largely. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  

   the 
  head 
  of 
  this 
  snakeworm, 
  literally 
  worm 
  snake, 
  had 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  10 
  or 
  

   12 
  insects, 
  showing 
  that 
  these 
  larvae 
  were 
  crawling 
  over 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  

   hinting 
  at 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  forming 
  such 
  a 
  curious 
  body. 
  Such 
  insects 
  

   naturally 
  prefer 
  to 
  crawl 
  over 
  a 
  moist 
  surface, 
  and 
  a 
  cause 
  leading 
  to 
  

   the 
  common 
  movement 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  would 
  most 
  probably 
  result 
  in 
  

   one 
  larva 
  crawling 
  over 
  another, 
  and 
  an 
  aggregation 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  would 
  attract 
  

   others. 
  Thus 
  the 
  natural 
  law 
  which 
  leads 
  animals 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  to 
  move 
  

   along 
  lines 
  of 
  least 
  resistance 
  would 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  these 
  

   masses. 
  The 
  direction 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  migrations 
  would 
  be 
  determined 
  

   largely 
  by 
  the 
  primary 
  leaders. 
  A 
  line 
  once 
  established 
  would 
  naturally 
  

   progress 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  direction 
  unless 
  prevented 
  by 
  an 
  obstacle. 
  These 
  

   assemblages 
  are 
  remarkable, 
  but 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  explained 
  as 
  the 
  normal 
  

   result 
  of 
  certain 
  causes, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  necessity 
  of 
  assuming 
  that 
  the 
  

   individuals 
  possess 
  some 
  unknown 
  sense 
  or 
  intuition. 
  

  

  These 
  peculiar 
  aggregations 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  in 
  Europe 
  for 
  many 
  

   years, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  interesting 
  superstitions 
  in 
  connection 
  with, 
  

   them. 
  They 
  are 
  known 
  under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  Heer 
  Wurm, 
  army 
  worm, 
  and 
  

   in 
  Norway 
  as 
  orme 
  drag. 
  Snakeworms 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  yards 
  in 
  length 
  have 
  

   been 
  noticed, 
  and 
  M. 
  Guerin-Meneville 
  records 
  columns 
  30 
  yards 
  in 
  

   length. 
  The 
  European 
  species 
  possessing 
  this 
  habit 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  positively, 
  but 
  it 
  passes 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  ofSciara 
  thomae 
  

   Linn, 
  or 
  S. 
  militaris 
  Now., 
  probably 
  the 
  latter 
  according 
  to 
  Baron 
  

   Osten 
  Sacken. 
  

  

  