﻿144 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  forty-acre 
  wlieat-field 
  already 
  instanced. 
  The 
  sowing 
  took 
  at 
  least 
  

   twice 
  as 
  much 
  seed 
  per 
  acre 
  as 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bodee's 
  method. 
  It 
  

   was 
  drilled 
  in 
  one 
  direction, 
  and 
  then 
  drilled 
  across 
  at 
  right 
  angles. 
  

   This 
  secured 
  a 
  crowded 
  growth. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  preceding 
  the 
  au- 
  

   tumn 
  sowing, 
  the 
  field 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  a 
  horse 
  dealer 
  to 
  pasture 
  a 
  

   large 
  drove 
  of 
  horses. 
  Of 
  course 
  their 
  ordure 
  fell 
  everywhere; 
  but 
  in 
  

   many 
  i)laces 
  where 
  the 
  animals 
  had 
  stood 
  in 
  groups 
  the 
  droppings 
  had 
  

   fallen 
  in 
  quantity. 
  Here 
  I 
  must 
  recall 
  an 
  acquaintance 
  once 
  had 
  with 
  

   a 
  farmer's 
  boy, 
  named 
  Ked. 
  He 
  had 
  a 
  way 
  at 
  time 
  of 
  wheat-sowing 
  of 
  

   imtting 
  a 
  shovelful 
  of 
  manure 
  and 
  an 
  extra 
  dropping 
  of 
  seed 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   spots 
  in 
  tke 
  field 
  to 
  make 
  what 
  he 
  was 
  pleased 
  to 
  call 
  "King 
  hills.'' 
  

   And 
  it 
  was 
  easy 
  telling 
  where 
  the 
  lad 
  and 
  his 
  shovel 
  had 
  been, 
  for 
  Ned's 
  

   "King 
  hills" 
  always 
  outranked 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  field. 
  And 
  it 
  was 
  simi- 
  

   larly 
  with 
  that 
  big 
  W'heat-field. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  splendid 
  sight, 
  the 
  close, 
  dense 
  

   growth, 
  and 
  high 
  over 
  all, 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  those 
  statel3^ 
  "King 
  hills" 
  

   were 
  conspicuous. 
  Now 
  comes 
  the 
  notable 
  fact; 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   S])ots 
  was 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  nesting 
  place 
  of 
  myriads 
  of 
  the 
  mother 
  moths, 
  

   for 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  in 
  them 
  w^as 
  enormous. 
  These 
  spots 
  Avere 
  

   to 
  the 
  Array 
  Worms 
  shelter, 
  shade, 
  and 
  food, 
  but 
  so 
  crowded 
  was 
  each 
  

   of 
  these 
  larval 
  communities 
  that 
  they 
  soon 
  ate 
  themselves 
  out 
  of 
  house 
  

   and 
  home. 
  Then 
  came 
  an 
  immense 
  dispersion. 
  From 
  every 
  "King 
  

   hill" 
  went 
  forth 
  a 
  hungry 
  band 
  into 
  that 
  grand 
  foraging 
  ground. 
  The 
  

   wheat, 
  standing 
  so 
  close, 
  had 
  by 
  its 
  shade 
  kept 
  the 
  undergrowth 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  from 
  the 
  drought; 
  and 
  now 
  it 
  sheltered 
  these 
  marauders 
  from 
  

   the 
  sun. 
  It 
  was 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before 
  that 
  these 
  foraging 
  bands, 
  by 
  

   their 
  spreading, 
  had 
  all 
  met 
  and 
  made 
  up 
  a 
  vast 
  famished 
  army, 
  which, 
  

   driven 
  into 
  straits, 
  must 
  now 
  devour 
  every 
  comestible 
  thing 
  or 
  starve. 
  

   The 
  observed 
  occupancy 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  Avas 
  seven 
  days; 
  that 
  is, 
  from 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  dispersion 
  of 
  the 
  foraging 
  army 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  it 
  left. 
  It 
  

   Avas 
  quite 
  common 
  to 
  hear 
  it 
  said 
  that 
  a 
  certain 
  field 
  Avas 
  eaten 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  

   day. 
  But 
  such 
  people 
  "take 
  no 
  note 
  of 
  time." 
  

  

  Leucania, 
  the 
  parent 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm, 
  ranks 
  A^ery 
  respectably 
  

   among 
  the 
  Lepidoptera. 
  She 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  OAvlet 
  moths, 
  and 
  her 
  owlish 
  

   capacity 
  for 
  natural 
  selection 
  impresses 
  me 
  profoundly. 
  

  

  Nature 
  is 
  fine 
  in 
  love: 
  and 
  -where 
  it's 
  fiue 
  

   It 
  seuds 
  some 
  precious 
  instance 
  of 
  itself 
  

   After 
  the 
  thing 
  it 
  loves. 
  

  

  I 
  find 
  so 
  much 
  precision 
  in 
  insect 
  Avisdom, 
  such 
  a 
  knowing 
  method, 
  

   CA^en 
  in 
  the 
  i)roi)agation 
  frenzy. 
  And 
  I 
  think 
  Leucania's 
  couduct 
  is 
  in 
  

   point. 
  True, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  bird-like 
  brooding 
  over 
  her 
  trust. 
  Let 
  us 
  get 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  laboratory 
  and 
  w^atch 
  her 
  Aviiere, 
  not 
  hampered 
  by 
  the 
  inquisi- 
  

   torial 
  restrictions 
  of 
  the 
  breeding-cage, 
  she 
  has 
  Nature's 
  airy 
  freedom,^ 
  

   and 
  

  

  The 
  world 
  is 
  all 
  before 
  them, 
  whence 
  to 
  choose 
  

   Their 
  nesting 
  place. 
  

  

  And 
  this 
  maternal 
  moth 
  shows 
  such 
  good 
  mothering 
  in 
  her 
  choice. 
  

   The 
  knoAAdedge 
  of 
  this 
  nicety 
  of 
  her 
  selection 
  of 
  a 
  nidus 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  eco- 
  

  

  