56 



Of its abundance it may suffice to state : In many places they occurred 

 in millions. Boadways crossed by thein were "blackened" by their 

 numbers. They " covered fences," and it has been said that they cov- 

 ered sides of buildings. The noise made by their feeding could be 

 heard after nightfall. The clothing of a person standing for a short 

 time in an infested field needed frequent brushing and picking over to 

 remove them. The sight of their marching armies was said to be 

 " nauseating." 



Of the many preventives employed heretofore to prevent their rav- 

 ages, plowing furrows with a perpendicular side toward the field to be 

 protected from invasion was the most effective, and the one more gen- 

 erally resorted to. Attempts to save fields of barley, oats, and timothy, 

 when once infested, were of little avail. 



The earliest notice of the insect within our State came to me on July 1, 

 when they were found on corn near Albany. This was followed on the 

 2d instant by examples sent from Cambridge, Washington County, and 

 for the week thereafter reports followed closely and thickly of army- 

 worm ravages in several of the eastern counties, and later from southern 

 and western parts of the State. 



Larva? received, and collected by me were full grown and entered the 

 ground for pupation as early as July 4. Two changed to pupa? on the 

 9th on the surface of the ground in the box with earth given them. On 

 the 23d the moths commenced to emerge, and on the same date some of 

 its parasites, Nemorcea leucanice, also made their appearance. Only a 

 few of the parasites were disclosed. Their eggs had not been observed 

 on any of the larva? that I had examined, while in the western part of 

 the State they have been reported as not at all uncommon. 



The wheat-head army worm (Leucania albilinea) has been reported from 

 the town of Morley, in St. Lawrence County. I was informed, under 

 date of July 22, that the caterpillar, identified from examples sent me, 

 was doing much damage in barley fields. Its operations were shown, 

 first, in the awns of the barley having to a great extent fallen, or more 

 probably been cut off, and second, a great number of the heads were 

 cut off between thehead and the next joint below. In one instance, where 

 the crop had been a most promising one, it was estimated by the owner 

 that two-thirds of it had been destroyed. The injury had not been 

 sudden or rapid as in the work of the army worm, but had been under 

 observation for some considerable time. The barley heads lying on the 

 ground were subsequently eaten out, leaving only the husks or chaff 

 remaining. This it was thought was done by the caterpillars. 



A feature noticed iu the work of this insect was that the leaves of 

 the bailey were not eaten — the first to be consumed by the army worm — 

 but that, with the exception of the severed head, the plant was left in 

 all its freshness and healthy appearance. 



The spring canker worm (Anisopteryx vernata Peck), which is quite 

 local in the State and seldom very injurious, has this season been com- 

 mitting serious depredations in scattered localities. The present year 



