﻿THE 
  ARMY 
  WORM: 
  REPORT 
  FOR 
  18S1. 
  135 
  

  

  been 
  laid 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  brood 
  of 
  moths, 
  though 
  from 
  the 
  known 
  ovipositing 
  

   habits 
  they 
  may 
  equally 
  as 
  well 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  by 
  the 
  second 
  

   moths. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  I 
  found, 
  ^by 
  digging, 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  two 
  empty 
  

   pupae, 
  undoubtedly 
  Leucania, 
  which 
  certainly 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  previous 
  

   brood. 
  

  

  An 
  accompanying 
  cut- 
  worm. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  fields, 
  among 
  the 
  Army 
  

   Worms, 
  were 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  an 
  accompanying 
  cut- 
  worm, 
  in 
  the 
  evi- 
  

   dent 
  proportion 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  cut-worms 
  to 
  five 
  Army 
  Worms. 
  

   The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  was 
  about 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  the 
  color 
  a 
  

   nearly 
  uniform 
  dusky 
  brown, 
  with 
  transverse 
  lateral 
  stripes 
  of 
  a 
  darker 
  

   color. 
  They 
  transformed 
  to 
  slender 
  pupae, 
  light 
  brown 
  with 
  dorso- 
  

   lateral 
  longitudinal, 
  pinkish 
  stripes. 
  ^^ 
  

  

  Natural 
  enemies. 
  — 
  Several 
  larvae 
  of 
  a 
  ground 
  beetle 
  (probably 
  

   Calosoma 
  scrutator), 
  large, 
  black, 
  horny, 
  and 
  active, 
  were 
  found 
  destroy- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  worms 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  rate. 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  breed 
  them, 
  the 
  

   only 
  pupa 
  obtained 
  dying 
  in 
  the 
  box. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  good 
  which 
  these 
  larvae 
  do, 
  I 
  placed 
  my 
  largest 
  specimen 
  in 
  a 
  box 
  

   with 
  15 
  full-grown 
  Army 
  Worms, 
  after 
  starving 
  him 
  for 
  a 
  day. 
  In 
  two 
  

   hours 
  I 
  opened 
  the 
  box 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  killed 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   worms, 
  but 
  had 
  sucked 
  dry 
  but 
  two. 
  

  

  The 
  small, 
  white 
  cocoons 
  of 
  an 
  Ichneumonid^ 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  enormous 
  

   numbers, 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  oat 
  stalks, 
  in 
  the 
  axils 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  leaves, 
  upon 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  under 
  clods 
  of 
  earth. 
  Often 
  uj^on 
  lifting 
  

   a 
  clod 
  of 
  earth 
  the 
  black 
  loam 
  appeared 
  light 
  gray 
  from 
  the 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  these 
  cocoons. 
  They 
  were 
  usually 
  found 
  in 
  small 
  masses, 
  attached 
  

   side 
  by 
  side, 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  loose 
  silk 
  around 
  the 
  mass. 
  I 
  saw 
  large 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  reddish-brown 
  ant 
  tearing 
  these 
  cocoons 
  open 
  and 
  feeding 
  

   uiDon 
  the 
  pupae. 
  

  

  A 
  secondary 
  parasite 
  was 
  bred 
  from 
  these 
  cocoons, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  Mesochorus 
  vitreus, 
  of 
  Walsh. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  instance, 
  in 
  a 
  corn-field 
  belonging 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Corlett, 
  of 
  Sheldon, 
  

   the 
  worms 
  were 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  extensively 
  infested 
  by 
  a 
  Tachinid 
  from 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  upon 
  the 
  thoracic 
  segments. 
  Not 
  a 
  single 
  w^orm 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  

   this 
  field 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  bear 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  eggs. 
  I 
  have 
  since 
  bred 
  from 
  

   one 
  of 
  these 
  larvae 
  a 
  small 
  si)ecimen 
  of 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  common 
  

   Nemorcea 
  leucaniw, 
  of 
  Kirkpatrick. 
  I 
  also 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  ovi- 
  

   positing 
  an 
  Ichneumonid 
  about 
  15 
  millimeters 
  in 
  length, 
  rufous 
  in 
  color, 
  

   with 
  white-banded 
  antennae, 
  and 
  wings 
  not 
  extending 
  to 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  

   abdomen; 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  capture 
  it. 
  

  

  Respectfully 
  submitted, 
  

  

  L. 
  O. 
  HOWARD. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  0. 
  Y. 
  Riley, 
  

  

  Entomologist, 
  United 
  States 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

  45 
  This 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  Agrotis 
  c-nigrum.—O. 
  V. 
  E. 
  

   *^ 
  Apanteles 
  congregatus. 
  — 
  C. 
  V. 
  R. 
  

  

  