128 



T7te Rocky Mountain Locust. 



Ground-beetles and Tiger-beetles.* More particularly 

 noteworthy among these last is that large and most ele- 

 gant dark-brown species which I herewith figure (Fig. 28), 

 and which has been esteemed as a great rarity among 

 Coleopterists. Mr. Brous found it much more common 

 than it was generally supposed, and attributes its reputed 

 [Fig. 29.] rarity to its secretive and nocturnal 



habits. It lives in holes in clayey 

 banks, and issues in search of food 

 only at night or early morn. Of 

 Heteroptera, there is a Soldier-bug 

 of the genus Apiomerus and allied 

 to crassipes / and of Hymenoptera 

 there are two Ichneumons — a Com- 

 poplex and JEphialtes notanda, Cress. 

 — that were noticed pursuing the 

 locusts, and are possibly parasitic 

 upon them. The Preying Mantis 

 (Mantis Carolina, L.) has also been observed feeding on 

 them. 



The full grown locusts are subject to the attacks of the 

 following parasites : 



[Fig, 30.] The Locust Mite (Astoma gryllaria, 

 LeBaron, Fig. 30.) — This mite, though insig- 

 nificant in the matter of size, is nevertheless 

 a most efficient enemy. Almost every one 

 who has paid any attention to the locusts must 

 have noticed that they are often more or less 

 covered, especially around the base of the 

 The Locust wings, with small red mites, seldom larger 



Mite, greatly en- . , . , . 



larged. than the head of a pm. These mites have 



* Pasimachus elongatus, Lec. ; P. punctulatus, Hald. ; Calosoma obsoletam, 

 Say; Cicindela pulchra, Say ; C. scutellaris, Say; C. ^-guttata, Fabr. ; C.fulgida, 

 Say ; C. vulgaris, Say ; C. circumpicta, Laf. ; V. formosa, Say ; G. punctulata, 

 Fabr. 



Erax Bastarbii 

 b, puba. 



-a, fly; 



