﻿128 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  neumon-flies 
  that 
  infest 
  the 
  worm. 
  One, 
  the 
  Purged 
  Ophion 
  [OpMon 
  

   purgah(s 
  Saj^, 
  Plate 
  II, 
  Fig. 
  5), 
  is 
  a 
  honey-yellow, 
  slender-bodied, 
  wasp- 
  

   ish 
  insect, 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  ovipositor, 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  

   Dr. 
  Packard, 
  attaches 
  her 
  egg^ 
  which 
  is 
  bean-shaped, 
  by 
  a 
  pedicel 
  to 
  

   the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  worm 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  footless 
  grub 
  which 
  hatches 
  therefrom 
  

   does 
  not 
  entirely 
  leave 
  the 
  egg-shell, 
  but 
  the 
  last 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  

   remain 
  attached 
  thereto, 
  while 
  the 
  larva 
  reaches 
  over 
  and 
  gnaws 
  into 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  worm. 
  I 
  have 
  bred 
  this 
  same 
  species 
  from 
  various 
  cut- 
  

   worms, 
  and 
  it 
  spins 
  a 
  tough, 
  brown, 
  silken, 
  oblong-oval 
  cocoon.'^ 
  

  

  Another 
  species, 
  a 
  true 
  Ichneumon, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  Army 
  

   Worm 
  Ichueumon-liy 
  (Ichneumon 
  leucanice 
  Fitch), 
  was 
  reared 
  from 
  the 
  

   worm 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  bright 
  

   rust-red 
  color, 
  with 
  smoky 
  wings, 
  a 
  black 
  breast 
  and 
  back, 
  with 
  a 
  

   bright 
  sulphur-yellow 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  its 
  back. 
  This 
  insect 
  Fitch 
  

   says 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  Ichneumon 
  suturalis 
  of 
  Say, 
  and 
  

   we 
  believe 
  Mr. 
  Cresson 
  so 
  considers 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  article 
  on 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  to 
  Harris's 
  Insects 
  

   Injurious 
  to 
  Vegetation, 
  are 
  figured 
  two 
  parasites 
  — 
  Ichneumonid 
  — 
  but,as^ 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  accompanying 
  description, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  determine 
  

   them. 
  

  

  July 
  6, 
  1880, 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  striking 
  looking 
  parasite 
  were 
  bred 
  

   at 
  this 
  department 
  from 
  Army 
  Worms 
  collected 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  by 
  

   Professor 
  Comstock. 
  The 
  Ichneumon 
  flavizonatus 
  of 
  Cresson, 
  for 
  such 
  

   is 
  the 
  species, 
  is 
  about 
  15 
  millimeters 
  in 
  length, 
  black 
  in 
  color, 
  with 
  yel- 
  

   lowish 
  legs 
  and 
  face, 
  and 
  the 
  abdomen 
  is 
  striped 
  trafisversely 
  with 
  

   four 
  yellow 
  bands. 
  

  

  REMEDIES. 
  

  

  Burning 
  old 
  grass, 
  etc. 
  — 
  That 
  fields 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  burned 
  over 
  

   in 
  the 
  winter 
  are 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  destructive 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  worm 
  is 
  a 
  

   fact 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  its 
  visitations. 
  But 
  opinion 
  has 
  varied 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   precise 
  effect 
  produced 
  by 
  burning 
  over. 
  Walsh, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  

   shown, 
  always 
  urged 
  this 
  remedy 
  of 
  burning 
  over, 
  thinking 
  that 
  it 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  next 
  phase 
  was 
  that 
  suggested 
  in 
  our 
  Eighth 
  

   Missouri 
  Keport, 
  where, 
  after 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  preferably 
  laid 
  

   in 
  old 
  grass-stalks 
  or 
  stubble, 
  the 
  inference 
  was 
  plain 
  that 
  the 
  appropri- 
  

   ate 
  nidus 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  burning. 
  

  

  Now 
  that 
  larval 
  hibernation 
  is 
  established, 
  however, 
  we 
  can 
  readily 
  

   see 
  that 
  the 
  fires 
  would 
  destroy 
  these 
  hibernating 
  larvae 
  and 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  moths 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  second 
  destructive 
  brood 
  from 
  

   them. 
  But 
  we 
  must 
  not 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  burning 
  over 
  would 
  prevent 
  

   all 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  wormj 
  it 
  merely 
  prevents 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  de- 
  

   structive 
  numbers. 
  The 
  moth 
  will, 
  when 
  exceptionally 
  numerous, 
  lay 
  

   her 
  eggs 
  without 
  concealment 
  and 
  upon 
  plants, 
  such 
  as 
  clover, 
  which 
  

   the 
  larva 
  does 
  not 
  relish. 
  In 
  such 
  cases 
  of 
  exceptional 
  abundance 
  we 
  

   may 
  well 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  moth 
  will 
  fly 
  into 
  fields 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   burned 
  over 
  and 
  supply 
  them 
  with 
  eggs; 
  but 
  the 
  instances 
  in 
  which 
  

   this 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  material 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  crop 
  v/ould 
  be 
  vej-y 
  rare. 
  

  

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