﻿THE 
  ARMY 
  WORM: 
  NATURAL 
  ENEMIES. 
  125 
  

   NATURAL 
  ENEMIES. 
  

  

  Hogs, 
  chickens 
  and 
  turkeys 
  revel 
  in 
  the 
  juicy 
  carcasses 
  of 
  the 
  worms^ 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   T. 
  R. 
  Allen, 
  of 
  Allen 
  town. 
  Mo., 
  the 
  former 
  occasionally 
  die 
  in 
  conse- 
  

   quence, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  lay 
  eggs 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  parts 
  

   naturally 
  white 
  would 
  be 
  green 
  when 
  cooked. 
  The 
  turning 
  of 
  swine 
  

   and 
  flocks 
  of 
  poultry 
  upon 
  an 
  advancing 
  army 
  of 
  the 
  worms 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  

   and 
  frequently 
  successful 
  method 
  of 
  riddance. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  insectivorous 
  

   birds 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  worms. 
  Prominent 
  among 
  them 
  is 
  the 
  Rice 
  Bunt- 
  

   ing 
  or 
  Bobolink 
  {Bolichonyx 
  oryzivorus). 
  So 
  common 
  have 
  the 
  flocks 
  of 
  

   this 
  bird 
  become 
  in 
  southern 
  Illinois 
  during 
  Army 
  Worm 
  years, 
  that, 
  

   according 
  to 
  Thomas, 
  it 
  has 
  received 
  the 
  popular 
  name 
  of 
  "Army 
  Worm 
  

   bird." 
  Toads 
  and 
  frogs 
  come 
  in 
  for 
  their 
  share 
  of 
  this 
  dainty 
  food, 
  while 
  

   the 
  worms 
  themselves, 
  when 
  hard 
  pushed, 
  will 
  even 
  devour 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  i)redaceous 
  beetles 
  gather 
  about 
  an 
  infested 
  field 
  

   and 
  greedily 
  feed 
  ui^on 
  the 
  worms, 
  killing 
  thousands 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  

   following 
  list 
  of 
  ten 
  species 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  our 
  Eighth 
  Missouri 
  Re- 
  

   port: 
  

  

  Cieindela 
  repanda 
  Dej. 
  Calosoma 
  wilcoxi 
  Lee. 
  

  

  JElaphrus 
  ruscarius 
  Say. 
  Pasimachus 
  clongatus 
  Lee. 
  

  

  Caldsoma 
  externum 
  Say. 
  Amur 
  a 
  angustata 
  Say. 
  

  

  Calosoma 
  scrutator 
  (Fabr.) 
  Harpalus 
  caliginosus 
  (Fabr.) 
  

  

  Calosoma 
  calidum 
  (Fabr.) 
  Harpalus 
  pennsylvanicus 
  (Deg.) 
  

  

  To 
  this 
  list 
  we 
  may 
  add 
  the 
  following 
  four 
  species 
  collected 
  while 
  

   feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  worms 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  at 
  Huntsville, 
  Ala., 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Howard 
  : 
  

  

  Fterostichus 
  scutptus 
  Lee. 
  Cratacanthus 
  dubius 
  (Beauv.) 
  

  

  Anisodactylus 
  rusticus 
  Dej. 
  Selenophorus 
  pedicularius 
  (Dej.) 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  Calosoma 
  externum 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  remarkable 
  

   abundance 
  in 
  this 
  locality, 
  under 
  stones 
  and 
  logs, 
  devouring 
  the 
  worms 
  

   which 
  had 
  crept 
  there 
  for 
  shelter 
  during 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  of 
  these 
  predaceous 
  beetles 
  are 
  shown 
  at 
  Plate 
  

   I, 
  Fig. 
  8; 
  Plate 
  II, 
  Figs. 
  1, 
  2, 
  4. 
  

  

  The 
  Thick-thighed 
  Metapodius 
  {Acanthocephala 
  [Metapodius]femorata^ 
  

   Fabr.), 
  a 
  large 
  half- 
  winged 
  bug, 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  South, 
  and 
  well 
  ko 
  own 
  

   as 
  an 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  Cotton 
  Worm, 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  large 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  the 
  present 
  season 
  in 
  the 
  wheat 
  fields 
  of 
  northern 
  Alabama, 
  feed- 
  

   ing 
  upon 
  the 
  Army 
  Worms. 
  ^^ 
  

  

  Of 
  true 
  parasites 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  has 
  an 
  unusually 
  large 
  number, 
  

   and 
  they 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  enemies. 
  

  

  The 
  worms 
  never 
  abound 
  or 
  travel 
  from 
  one 
  field 
  to 
  another 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  two-winged 
  flies, 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  so 
  

   numerous 
  that 
  their 
  buzzing 
  reminds 
  one 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  bees. 
  

  

  '8 
  See 
  note 
  by 
  L. 
  0. 
  Howard 
  in 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  July, 
  1882. 
  

  

  