THE ERRATIC ARMY-WORM. 21 
discovered and defoliated by the hungry worms. After the 
wild plants had been denuded the worms made for the gard- 
ens and cultivated fields; in the former they destroyed all 
plants, preferring onions, which seemed to be particularly 
to their taste; in the latter all the small grains, just appear- 
ing above the ground, were eaten and even inlarge fields not 
a vestige of such plants could be found. Naturally the farm- 
ers, chiefly newcomers, were greatly alarmed about this in- 
vasion and many feared a repetition of the trouble. anere 
is, however, no reason whatever to be alarmed, as the same 
conditions that assisted so much to multiply the worms may 
not occur again in many years. Nor was the actual dam- 
age done very great, as all the wild plants soon recovered 
and in time made a denser growth. The cereals, which had 
been cut down to the very ground, assisted by the moist and 
warm days following this invasion, not only recuperated 
but were in some cases even improved, as they stooled better 
than those not cut by worms. 
An investigation of these caterpillars showed that most 
of them were healthy and but few parasites could be found. 
This shows very clearly that this insect had increased very 
recently and very suddenly to such alarming numbers. The 
only parasite found was a small wasp, the Meteorus vulga- 
ris Cr., and even this insect was by no means very common,” 
Soon after the visit of the entomologist, in fact within twen- 
ty-four hours, all the worms had entered the ground in the 
usual way, had made for themselves cells inside of which 
they transformed to light-brown pupe. The adult, which is 
rather a pretty insect and very different from the common 
army-worm, issued about ten days later. The illus- 
trations on plate III show the different stages of the in- 
sect. Although large numbers of the moths were kept in 
captivity and fed with sweetened water, none deposited eggs. 
In fact they were exceedingly wild, and though chiefly ac- 
tive at night, were also wide-awake during the day. 
Judging from experience in the past this moth is not 
liable to be numerous in consecutive years. Only once 
before has it occured in such numbers as to deserve 
* A tachina-fly, andtwo other parasitic flies were ‘also bred from these cater- 
pillars, viz. Anthrax, alternata Say and Psilocephala hemorrhoidalis Macq. 
