415 
wheat was sowed (during August), so that the Hessian fly might find 
an early place for oviposition, giving the parasites a good chance. Mr, 
Ashmead swept volunteer wheat in the immediate vicinity of the straw 
stack, and also swept the adjoining field, at that time in winter wheat. 
He was in the field but a single day, and among the lot of parasites 
which he took from his beating net. and which consisted mainly of one 
of our commonest American parasites of the Hessian fly, Platygaster 
herricMi Tack., was found a single male specimen of Entedon epigonus. 
The presence of this single living specimen indicates that the para- 
site has established itself to a certain extent, and it is greatly to be 
hoped that subsequent visits will show it to be present in numbers. 
Mr. Enock, by the way, has written us that the figure of the male 
abdomen, published on page 35G. is incorrect. It is too much drawn up 
posteriorly, and he sends us beautiful mounted slides to prove his point. 
The figure was drawn from dried specimens which were naturally some- 
what shriveled, but it is valuable for comparison with dry mounts in 
the cabinet. As Mr. Enock expresses it, it appears as though the 
insect from which it was drawn had a severe case of colic. 
CUTWORMS AND THE ARMY- WORZVI HABIT. 
The close relationship of the ordinary army worm (Leucania unipuncta) 
to the cutworms has often been mentioned, as well as the fact that in 
years of comparative army worm scarcity this insect feeds by night 
like the ordinary cutworm and remains hidden in tufts of grass or 
under the surface of the ground during the day. There is, therefore, 
little to distinguish it from ordinary cutworms except the fact that it 
occasionally becomes extremely abundant and then is forced to travel 
in search of food, its great numbers making it conspicuous, and the 
rapidity with which available food is devoured forcing it to travel by 
day as well as by night. There is, therefore, no reason why, should 
any of the other cutworms become equally numerous, they should not 
take on the army-worm habit of traveling by day and exposing them- 
selves to the attacks of natural enemies. In fact, several such instances 
have occurred. 
In 1884 the black cutworm [Noctua fennica) appeared in enormous 
numbers in Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and parts of Canada, and 
assumed the army-worm habit. The present spring two other species, 
for some unexplained reason, hibernated in enormous numbers in many 
localities and were found to be marching like army worms, and, in fact, 
were sent to this office as genuine army worms. The most abundant of 
these was ti e Western striped cutworm (Feltia herilis) which has been 
frequently referred to in the Western papers during the spring of 1895, 
and of Avhich we have received specimens with accounts of marching 
armies from Byrneville, Vevay, Mitchell, Pekin, and Oatsville, Iud.; 
Maysville, Kussellville, and Scottville. Ky.: Jackson, Tenn., and Mex- 
ico, Mine la Motte, and St. Louis, Mo. Some accounts of serious dam- 
age by Agrotis zaucia i the variegated cutworm, have also come from 
