﻿CHARACTERS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ARMY 
  WORM. 
  101 
  

  

  worm 
  {NepJielodes 
  violans 
  Guenee) 
  aod 
  a 
  smaller 
  Pyralid 
  larva 
  (Crmnbus 
  

   vulgivagellus) 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  the 
  Keport 
  of 
  the 
  Ento- 
  

   mologist 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  for 
  1881-'S2. 
  In 
  Wisconsin 
  

   all 
  the 
  reports 
  investigated 
  proved 
  unauthentic 
  and 
  referred 
  either 
  to 
  

   the 
  White 
  Grub 
  {iRTYSi 
  of 
  Lachnosterna 
  fusca) 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  Corn 
  Worm 
  (Re- 
  

   iiotJiis 
  armigera). 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  newspaper 
  reports 
  from 
  Michigan 
  were 
  

   also 
  unreliable^ 
  though 
  Prof. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Cook 
  assures 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  genuine 
  

   Army 
  Worm 
  was 
  destructive 
  in 
  several 
  localities 
  in 
  that 
  State. 
  He 
  

   says 
  in 
  a 
  private 
  letter 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  devastations 
  were 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  southwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  coun- 
  

   ties 
  damaged 
  were, 
  in 
  order 
  of 
  seriousness 
  of 
  the 
  attack, 
  Saint 
  Josepli, 
  Kalamazoo, 
  

   Van 
  Buren, 
  Allegan, 
  Berrien. 
  The 
  damage 
  to 
  tlie 
  oat 
  crop 
  was 
  very 
  great 
  in 
  some 
  

   sections, 
  amounting 
  to 
  almost 
  a 
  total 
  loss. 
  Corn 
  was 
  also 
  attacked, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  damage 
  done 
  to 
  this 
  crop. 
  The 
  most 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  during 
  the 
  second 
  

   and 
  third 
  weeks 
  of 
  July. 
  The 
  seasons 
  were 
  the 
  reverse 
  of 
  the 
  rule 
  generally 
  adopted 
  

   by 
  this 
  insect 
  ; 
  18S0 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  wet 
  year 
  in 
  Michigan. 
  Last 
  year 
  was 
  very 
  dry. 
  It 
  

   was 
  asserted 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  second 
  invasion 
  in 
  September. 
  Though 
  this 
  was 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  in 
  several 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  that 
  was 
  invaded 
  in 
  July, 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

   positive 
  knowledge 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  noticed 
  in 
  Sei)tember 
  was 
  the 
  true 
  Army 
  Worm^ 
  

  

  In 
  Iowa 
  one 
  account 
  at 
  least 
  plainly 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  worm 
  indicated 
  

   by 
  this 
  name 
  was 
  the 
  Tent 
  Caterpillar 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  (CHsiocampa 
  silva- 
  

   tica). 
  In 
  Illiuois 
  aud 
  Indiana, 
  however, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  mistake, 
  and 
  the 
  

   damage 
  done 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  States, 
  chiefly 
  to 
  oats, 
  though 
  partly 
  to 
  corn, 
  

   grass, 
  and 
  flax, 
  was 
  very 
  great. 
  The 
  contiguous 
  border 
  counties 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  States 
  suffered 
  most 
  severely. 
  

  

  This 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  purely 
  descriptive, 
  and 
  

   to 
  contain 
  no 
  material 
  whatever 
  upon 
  habits. 
  The 
  necessity 
  of 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  such 
  descriptions 
  in 
  this 
  chapter 
  is 
  clearly 
  evident, 
  for 
  in 
  1881 
  other 
  

   destructive 
  worms, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  allied 
  to 
  and 
  others 
  bearing 
  not 
  even 
  

   family 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm, 
  were 
  mistaken 
  for 
  it.^^ 
  The 
  minut- 
  

   est 
  details 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  worm 
  in 
  its 
  earlier 
  stages 
  are 
  in 
  

   fact 
  necessary 
  to 
  prevent 
  such 
  confusion, 
  since 
  without 
  them 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  

   impossible 
  at 
  such 
  early 
  age 
  to 
  distinguish 
  between 
  related 
  species 
  that 
  

   may 
  closely 
  resemble 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  yet 
  have 
  very 
  different 
  habits. 
  

   The 
  portions 
  here 
  placed 
  within 
  quotation 
  marks 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   Eighth 
  Missouri 
  Entomological 
  Eeport, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  verbal 
  or 
  typo- 
  

   graphical 
  changes. 
  

  

  THE 
  EGG. 
  (PL 
  I, 
  Eig. 
  3, 
  g, 
  h.) 
  

  

  The 
  egg 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  is 
  spherical, 
  smooth, 
  white, 
  and 
  opaque 
  when 
  first 
  laid, 
  

   becoming 
  faintly 
  iridescent 
  and 
  more 
  sordid 
  before 
  hatching. 
  Its 
  average 
  diameter 
  

   is 
  O-G"^™ 
  (.023 
  inch), 
  and 
  its 
  perfect 
  outline 
  is 
  sometimes 
  altered 
  by 
  the 
  gummy 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  which 
  is 
  exuded 
  by 
  the 
  moth 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  ovipositing. 
  

  

  31 
  See 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  July, 
  1881. 
  

  

  