turner A POTATO BEETLE CHRONICLE 367 



July 18. 



I was so hurried this morning that I forgot to look at the "wee 

 beasties" until after dinner, but they did not seem a bit offended 

 and were eating away very cheerfully. 



They are about half grown now and appear to my untrained 

 eyes to be quite normal. Miss Mileham, a trained nurse who has 

 a room below mine, has told me so much about childish defects 

 that give distress in after life that I am going to have her give them 

 a complete physical examination. 



To blight their young lives by neglecting their tonsils or adenoids 

 would be unforgiveable. 

 July 19. 



Columbus and Ferdinand have been with me for a week now and 

 never a cross word from either of them. 



July 20. 



Every thing is going like clock work, splitting and eating, and 

 eating and splitting. 



I was out of food again and Professor Schneck told me I could 

 feed them sprayed potatoes if I washed them well. I got some 

 leaves and washed them until they were almost worn out, but the 

 larvae didn't like them and set out in search of pastures new, so, 

 Mr. Stout and I walked up to an unsprayed garden and got a ten- 

 der top. I put them on it and they began to eat like hungry hun- 

 ters. 



In moving the glass I accidently knocked Ferdinand down to the 

 hard floor. He fell about four feet, and my first thought was that 

 his spine was broken, then I remembered the kindly chitin that 

 protected his spineless body. I put him back on the plant and 

 he recovered in a few minutes and continued eating. 



I have figured out this fall, and to have one in proportion I 

 would have to fall 1056 feet. I can't imagine myself two minutes 

 after a fall like that sitting up eating potato leaves. Wouldn't 

 chitin be a great thing for the aviators ? 



July 21. 



The larvae are so well developed that I expect them to pupate 

 almost any day. In order to have every thing ready, I have put 

 some soft ground in the glass. There is nothing like surrounding 

 the young with the proper environment. 



