﻿4:0 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  These 
  minute 
  mites 
  are 
  very 
  active, 
  and 
  from 
  hunger 
  or 
  by 
  instinct 
  

   soon 
  crawl 
  upon 
  tlie 
  bodies 
  of 
  locusts, 
  where 
  they 
  fasten 
  themselves 
  to 
  

   the 
  wings 
  and 
  softer 
  parts 
  and 
  fill 
  themselves 
  with 
  the 
  locust's 
  juices. 
  

   Being 
  now 
  aboard, 
  when 
  the 
  locusts 
  start 
  out 
  on 
  their 
  migrations, 
  these 
  

   unwelcome 
  and 
  dangerous 
  passengers 
  are 
  carried 
  by 
  them 
  to 
  their 
  

   new 
  breeding 
  grounds. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  little 
  fellows 
  have 
  sufficiently 
  

   gorged 
  themselves 
  they 
  let 
  go 
  their 
  hold 
  and 
  drop 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  where 
  

   they 
  betake 
  themselves 
  to 
  some 
  sheltered 
  place 
  and 
  continue 
  to 
  grow 
  

   and 
  change 
  their 
  form. 
  By 
  this 
  time 
  their 
  adopted 
  hosts 
  have 
  gone 
  to 
  

   work 
  and 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs. 
  They 
  now, 
  or 
  early 
  the 
  following 
  spring, 
  

   crawl 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  mucous 
  substance 
  which 
  fills 
  tlie 
  upper 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  hole 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  until 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  

   eggs, 
  when 
  they 
  begin 
  their 
  good 
  work 
  by 
  devouring 
  them 
  one 
  after 
  

   another. 
  

  

  The 
  bird 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  locust's 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  numerous 
  j 
  and 
  in 
  

   many 
  instances, 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  farmer, 
  they 
  scratch 
  out 
  and 
  

   devour 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  principal 
  mode, 
  however, 
  in 
  which 
  

   they 
  work 
  is 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  plow 
  and 
  harrow 
  and 
  eat 
  the 
  eggs 
  after 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  turned 
  up 
  and 
  partiallj^ 
  exposed 
  to 
  view. 
  Blackbirds, 
  crows, 
  

   and 
  many 
  small 
  birds, 
  with 
  poultry, 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  active 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  

   of 
  destroying 
  eggs. 
  Mice 
  and 
  shrews, 
  too, 
  are 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  locust 
  eggs, 
  

   and 
  quite 
  frequently 
  have 
  I 
  seen 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  dug 
  up 
  and 
  eaten 
  

   them. 
  In 
  localities 
  adjoining 
  low, 
  wet 
  places 
  instances 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  are 
  

   quite 
  common, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  localities 
  I 
  have 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  sur- 
  

   prised 
  and 
  disturbed 
  these 
  small 
  mammals 
  while 
  apparently 
  at 
  this 
  good 
  

   work. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  or 
  larvae 
  are 
  equally 
  and, 
  if 
  anything, 
  more 
  sought 
  after 
  

   and 
  devoured 
  by 
  these 
  various 
  classes 
  of 
  enemies. 
  Birds 
  will 
  live 
  on 
  

   them 
  alone 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  their 
  ordinary 
  food, 
  while 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  

   of 
  beetles, 
  tlies, 
  wasps, 
  &c., 
  will 
  eat 
  them 
  ravenously. 
  In 
  fact 
  so 
  greed- 
  

   ily 
  are 
  they 
  sougjit 
  for 
  by 
  these 
  animals 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  really 
  surprising 
  that 
  

   a 
  single 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  attains 
  maturity. 
  It 
  is 
  due 
  only 
  to 
  their 
  great 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  and 
  to 
  their 
  habit 
  of 
  secreting 
  themselves. 
  

  

  Neither 
  are 
  the 
  mature 
  locusts 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  these 
  various 
  

   enemies, 
  but, 
  having 
  increased 
  so 
  much 
  in 
  size, 
  it 
  requires 
  fewer 
  of 
  them 
  

   to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  apx)etites 
  of 
  this 
  reducing 
  army. 
  Nevertheless 
  millions 
  

   of 
  these 
  too 
  have 
  been 
  permitted 
  to 
  mature^pnlj^ 
  to 
  be 
  eaten 
  ere 
  they 
  

   make 
  provision 
  for 
  a 
  future 
  generation 
  by 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  internal 
  parasites 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  are 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  

   Tachina 
  and 
  flesh 
  flies. 
  These, 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  both 
  

   the 
  Permanent 
  and 
  Temporary 
  Regions, 
  do 
  much 
  towards 
  diminishing 
  the 
  

   otherwise 
  large 
  increase 
  of 
  this 
  dreaded 
  pest. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  person- 
  

   ally 
  concerned, 
  I 
  must 
  confess 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  bred 
  more 
  than 
  about 
  

   a 
  dozen 
  of 
  these 
  flies 
  from 
  locusts. 
  These 
  were 
  about 
  equally 
  divided 
  

   between 
  two 
  species, 
  viz., 
  Tachina 
  anonyma 
  Biley, 
  and 
  Sarcophaga 
  

   carnaria 
  L. 
  I 
  have, 
  however, 
  seen 
  hundreds 
  of 
  their 
  maggots 
  creeping 
  

  

  