INSECTS WHICH THEY UPON AGRICULTUEAL PLANTS. 91 



Chrysfypa- j^crkc (the Golden Eye). — This is one of the useful 

 insects, as the larvc'e feed on aphides, like the " lady-birds," and, 

 in fact, are called by the French " lions des pucerons " or "plant- 

 lice lions." These vary much in colour, but are mostly whitish 

 with orange spots, and have a rov,^ of hairy tubercles down each 

 side. They cover themselves with the empty skins of their 

 victims, or with lichens, so that they are not easily seen. The 

 female deposits her eggs in groups of a dozen or so on plants, 

 and these resemble vegetable growths, as each egg is fixed at the 

 extremity of a sort of stalk. The chief distinguishing features of 

 the irnago are the brilliant golden coloured eyes, and the pale 

 green colour of the whole body; the wings expand one and a half 

 inches, are four in number, and membranous — this being the 

 distinguishing feature of the Ncuro'ptera. Hemerobius ohscurus 

 is the brown variety. Tliey fly at night, and frequent hedgerows 

 and plantations. 



HOLOMETABOLA. 



D I P T E R A. 



The two-winged insects or " flies " proper. The posterior wings 

 are represented by two club-shaped processes called " halteres " or 

 " balancers." Mouth suctorial. Larvie generally destitute of feet, 

 soft and fleshy. 



Tiimla oleracea (the Crane Ely). — This insect is familiar to 

 every one as the *' Daddy-long-legs " or " Jenny-spider," and is 

 generally seen swarming on all hay and grass hind during 

 summer. It lays its eggs among grass or herbage, where they 

 are more likely to be protected from the frost of winter, and 

 when the spring comes they are hatched, and the larvre — known 

 as the " grub " or " leather-skins " — immediately set about 

 eating through all the roots of plants near them. They do most 

 damage to the oat crop, for the reason tliat oats generally 

 follow pasture in the rotation, or are sown first on newly broken- 

 up ground. Paring and burning the turf previously is a sure 

 preventive, though an expensive one. The writer of this report 

 has seen salt tried but with no appreciable effect, as it is obvious 

 that wliat would kill the grub would also kill the plant. Kolling 

 the land with a ribhiul roller across the fnrroivs would hinder 

 their movements very much as they are destitute of feet, i'hey 

 come up to the surface at night to feed; but rolling the land at 

 night is not calculated to do much good, as they are so tough in 

 the skin that the pressure of a roller would not injure them 

 unless they should happen to be squeezed against a stone or 

 hard clod. Mr. Carruthers, naturalist to the Koval Agricultural 



