230 ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY, 



immediately eats into the middle of the stem and then continues 

 eating its way along the pith, always working upwards. It goes on 

 feeding the whole of the autumn and a good portion of the winter, 

 and emerges as a moth the next summer. When a bush is attacked 

 by this creature nothing can save it, and the only thing to be done 

 is at once to cut away right down to the ground all the doubtful 

 stems and carefully burn them. This should be done in the 

 winter. 



I have now touched in the most superficial manner upon four 

 only out of the 13 orders of insects, but I have more than exhausted 

 my space and I fear my readers' patience. If, however, any remarks 

 of mine shall induce anyone to study and observe the lives of these 

 creatures that are competing with us for our food, I feel sure I 

 shall have done some good. The field of research into the lives 

 and habits of insects is open to all, and the knowledge to be 

 gained is probably of far more importance to the world and likely 

 to result in more direct gain to mankind than most of us 

 dream of 



Finally, I would venture to suggest that the study of insect life 

 is just the work a society such as ours might most usefully follow 

 up. I have always considered that we, as a society, would be 

 likely to be more successful, if each season we set ourselves some 

 special task, some subject to be thoroughly worked out and 

 ventilated at our meetings. We should thus certainly secure new 

 interests and pleasures in helping each other in our common study, 

 and should further justify our existence as a scientific society. 



The Discovery of boulders in coal-seams has raised a difficulty 

 concerning the usually-accepted doctrine that beds of coal have 

 for the most part been formed of the remains of trees and plants 

 that grew on the spots where coal exists. It is now thought that 

 the immense beds of vegetable matter could never have grown bi 

 situ, but that they have been carried down from mountain-sides 

 by avalanches. Examples of this kind may be seen in the lakes 

 of Ancient Tyrol, of which the Aachensee furnishes the most 

 striking. In its deep, clear water, hundreds of trees may be seen 

 in an upright position, which have become soddened with water 

 and then have sunk to the bottom. The fjords of Norway 

 also afford examples. If this theory be correct, the presence 

 of boulders can be easily accounted for. 



