ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 327 



moi'e fruit or troublesome insects. Tlie bird dies— the fruit destroying insect lives to propagate its 

 kind In countless numbers. 



On account of the gi-eat Increase of Insects Iniurious to the fruit grower and farmer, much Interest 

 has of late years been manifested in the study of Entomology. It seems to nie that a knowledge of 

 the nature and habits of birds is of as much Importance to the farmer and fruit culturist as is the 

 science of Entomology. The fruit grower and farmer should be able to discern his friends— should be 

 able to know his enemies from his friends, and so govern himself accordingly. With cultivation 

 Insects Increase. And does not the cultivator of the soil, does not the fruit culturist, need all the 

 assistance possible, that their ravages may be checked ? Birds, if fairly dealt with, will come to our 

 aid, especially the most valuable of the insectivorous varieties. Let us then welcome such birds; 

 and if at any time they take too heavy toll, let us use every means to frighten them from our ripe 

 fruit; but if they will not take our well meant hints, and shoot we must, that we may have clothing 

 and food for our bodies, and money in our purse, let it be only as a last resort, and allowed only 

 during the period of the ripening up of our fruit. 



May every horticulturist feel the importance of an extended study of th^ delightful subjects of 



Ornithology and Entomology, and may our acqvuiintancc with the insect world, and the sweet 



songsters of the wood, orchards, and field, be a means of tuning our hearts to praise the great 



Creator of every living thing— "Our Father who is in Heaven." 



J. HUGGINS. 



ORNITHOLOGY, AND ITS RELATION TO ENTOMOLOGY; OR, BIRDS THE LABORERS 

 OF MAN. BY J, W. ROBSON, GALENA, ILLS. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen: 



We were requested to write a paper for your meeting at Mattoon. The time being so short, we 

 herewith send you a familiar history of two of the most destructive insects we have at the North, and 

 a short notice of the birds which prey upon them. We have endeavored to write these papers in a 

 popular style, and earnestly trust they will be useful. 



THE CANICER WOKM. 



The family of moths called measurers have larva; that seem to measure the surface over which they 

 pass. The necessity for this sort of movement results from the fact that they have only ten legs: six 

 true ones under the fore part of the body, and four prop legs at the hind extremity. Tliey are gener- 

 ally smooth-bodied, and when at rest many of them stand on the two hind pairs of legs, with the 

 body extended, and thus may be easily mistaken for a little twig. Often, when disturbed l)y giving 

 the tree a sudden jar, they let themselves down by a silken thread, and when no danger is appre- 

 hended return to the tree again by the same thread by which they descended. The whole family are 

 very injurious to vegetation, abounding upon elms, linden, and other shade trees, and in the parks 

 and promenades of New York increased to such an extent upon the trees that English sparrows had 

 to be imported to destroy them. 



The insect under consideration is one of the worst enemies of the apple tree, destroying its foliage 

 with great rapidity. It is not yet very common here, but in some parts of New England it has become 

 a serious enemy to tlie fruit grower, stripping whole orchards of their foliage, making them appear 

 as if a fire had passed over them; and in many cases the mischief is done before the presence of the 

 insect is discovered. It is here at the West in sutficient numbers to excite alarm. We discovered 

 It in our orchards in the year 1865, and have seen it in other orchards in this vicinity since then. The 

 male moth only is provided with wings of an ash color, thin and silky, which expand about an Inch 

 and a quarter. Tlie female is wingless, and is obliged to perform her journey on foot to the nearest 

 tree, which she crawls up, and is joined by the male, and soon begins to lay her eggs, wliich she 

 places in rows, forming clusters of a hundred or more, each cluster being the product of a single 

 female. These have a covering of waterproof varnish. The larvje make their appearance upon the 

 trees about the time the leaves of the apple tree begin to start from the bud. Immediately on hatch- 

 ing they begin their depredations. The leaves are found at first to be pierced with small holes, but 

 as the caterpillars grow they enlarge these holes, and at lengtli little more is left tlian the midril) and 

 the veins. When not eating, they are stretched out at full length beneath the leaves, enjoying "the 

 luxury of doing nothing." When about four weeks old they reach their full size, and are then about 

 an inch long. They now quit eating, descend to the ground by their silken cord, and, entering to the 

 depth of two to six inches, each makes a cavity by repeated turnings, and soon passes into the chry- 

 salis state, from which it emerges in mild weather during the autumn and winter. They rise in great 

 numbers, however, in the spring. They come out of the ground mainly in the night, and often make 

 their appearance in great numbers, crawl up the tree as before stated and deposit their eggs. 



The best preventive that we have seen tried was that used by J. M. Harris, Esq., two years ago, 

 viz.: a broad band of stout paper fastened round the stem of the tree, thickly smeared witli tar. 



