﻿140 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  panied 
  the 
  feeding. 
  As 
  if 
  actuated 
  by 
  one 
  impulse 
  the 
  whole 
  army 
  

   made 
  straight 
  for 
  a 
  wheat 
  field 
  across 
  the 
  highway. 
  The 
  plo^^^ng 
  of 
  a 
  

   trench 
  on 
  the 
  far 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  intercepted 
  their 
  march. 
  Two 
  men 
  

   with 
  spades 
  cut 
  a 
  clean, 
  i:)erpendicular 
  face 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  furrow 
  

   next 
  the 
  wheat 
  and 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  little 
  pit-falls 
  in 
  the 
  trench 
  at 
  intervals 
  

   of 
  about 
  50 
  feet. 
  This 
  completed 
  the 
  trap. 
  The 
  caterpillars, 
  wearied 
  

   with 
  useless 
  efforts 
  to 
  climb 
  the 
  straight 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  trench, 
  would 
  crawl 
  

   along 
  until 
  they 
  fell 
  into 
  the 
  little 
  pits. 
  Myriads 
  of 
  ants 
  beset 
  them, 
  

   sucking 
  out 
  their 
  juices, 
  which, 
  with 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  soon 
  destroyed 
  

   them. 
  They 
  cannot 
  endure 
  direct 
  sunlight 
  but 
  are 
  essentially 
  night- 
  

   feeders. 
  ^ 
  

  

  If 
  uninterrupted, 
  their 
  march 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  feeding 
  grounds 
  would 
  have 
  

   been 
  accomplished 
  ere 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  well 
  up. 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  did 
  its 
  chief 
  mischief 
  in 
  Monmouth 
  

   County, 
  I^ew 
  Jersey, 
  was 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  20th 
  

   of 
  June, 
  The 
  first 
  observation 
  of 
  real 
  mischief 
  being 
  done 
  was 
  May 
  2S. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  above 
  time 
  my 
  duties 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  ride 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  coun- 
  

   try 
  on 
  official 
  business 
  with 
  the 
  teachers 
  and 
  school-officers. 
  Thus 
  

   opportunities 
  were 
  afforded 
  for 
  observation 
  and 
  inquiry 
  such 
  as 
  a 
  natur- 
  

   alist 
  could 
  not 
  afford 
  to 
  neglect. 
  I 
  had 
  supposed 
  the 
  aliment 
  of 
  these 
  

   insects 
  to 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  Graminem^ 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  grasses 
  proper 
  and 
  

   the 
  grains 
  and 
  Indian 
  corn. 
  Hence, 
  surprised 
  at 
  the 
  thoroughness 
  with 
  

   which 
  they 
  had 
  eaten 
  up 
  that 
  field 
  of 
  clover, 
  on 
  the 
  spot 
  I 
  took 
  it 
  for 
  

   an 
  original 
  observ^ation 
  of 
  an 
  exceptional 
  habit 
  j 
  but, 
  upon 
  looking 
  into 
  

   the 
  Riley 
  reports, 
  I 
  found 
  similar 
  facts 
  on 
  record. 
  I 
  soon 
  ceased 
  to 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  this 
  habit 
  as 
  at 
  all 
  exceptional 
  j 
  for, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  Monmouth 
  was 
  con- 
  

   cerned 
  in 
  1880, 
  clover-eating 
  by 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  was 
  the 
  rule 
  and 
  not 
  

   the 
  exception. 
  In 
  fact, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  learn 
  of 
  one 
  instance 
  of 
  their 
  presence 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  clover 
  escaped. 
  The 
  following 
  from 
  a 
  letter 
  by 
  a 
  teacher 
  

   is 
  to 
  the 
  point: 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Charles 
  Allgor, 
  at 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  in 
  passing 
  from 
  his 
  wheat-field 
  to 
  

   his 
  oat-field, 
  the 
  worms 
  had 
  to 
  cross 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  sward 
  composed 
  of 
  timothy 
  and 
  red 
  

   clover, 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  fonr 
  years' 
  standing. 
  They 
  took 
  everything 
  clean. 
  They 
  also 
  ate 
  

   the 
  young 
  clover 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  wheat-field, 
  killing 
  it 
  entirely. 
  In 
  a 
  mixed 
  

   sward 
  of 
  George 
  Newman's, 
  the 
  teacher, 
  they 
  ate 
  the 
  clover 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  grasses, 
  

   leaving 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  stalks. 
  They 
  also 
  ate 
  the 
  clover 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Albert 
  King, 
  

   at 
  Green 
  Grove. 
  They 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  specialty 
  of 
  clover, 
  but 
  they 
  ate 
  it 
  without 
  

   being 
  starved 
  to 
  it. 
  They 
  ate 
  both 
  the 
  clover 
  and 
  tiinothy 
  in 
  a 
  mixed 
  sward 
  of 
  James 
  

   Allgor's. 
  They 
  ate 
  Mr. 
  Allen's 
  oat-field, 
  then 
  went 
  over 
  to 
  his 
  sward 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  

   clover 
  and 
  finished 
  that 
  off, 
  too. 
  

  

  Other 
  correspondence 
  might 
  be 
  cited 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  effect, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  

   none 
  which 
  statesthe 
  facts 
  so 
  concisely 
  as 
  the 
  above. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  farms 
  

   here 
  mentioned 
  are 
  miles 
  apart. 
  But 
  it 
  will 
  appear 
  further 
  on 
  that, 
  

   when 
  forced 
  into 
  straits 
  for 
  food, 
  this 
  Army 
  Worm 
  is 
  almost 
  omnivorous. 
  

  

  With 
  no 
  special 
  call 
  to 
  examine 
  his 
  young 
  grass-fields, 
  the 
  farmer 
  

   sometimes 
  got 
  his 
  first 
  alarm 
  at 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  disappearing 
  clover. 
  In 
  

   fact, 
  wherever 
  the 
  worms 
  ax)peared 
  in 
  force, 
  the 
  grasses, 
  clover, 
  and 
  

  

  