108 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [March 



soil in little heaps, and in time will reverse the order of all the 

 articles of the top crust. — Gardener' & Magazine^ 



Uses of the Cockchafer. — " Through the columns of the 

 Moniteur Scientijique we learn that nothing can be better to 

 grease machinery with, and prepare salad, than cockchafer oil. In 

 Prussia the people have reached the advanced stage of making 

 cockchafer flour, which, at present, is only used for the purpose 

 of making cakes for young pheasants, partridges, and quails. In 

 this country (France) an attempt has been made to introduce the 

 white worm or larva of the cockchafer into the kitchen, as a sub- 

 stitute for the snail ; but gentlemen who are voracious when 

 Helix pomatia is concerned, turn up their noses at the grub of 

 Melolontha vulgaris. A servant of the name of Jonglet, 

 proposes to extract from the cockchafer colouring matter, 

 which, it is said, will make rapid strides in industry, and create a 

 small revolution in the commercial world. He states that he can 

 get yellow out of the obnoxious insect of a colour between chro- 

 mium and gold, — and that each insect yields a few centigrammes. 

 Several specimens of silk, dyed with this new colour, have been 

 exhibited and much admired. Taken all in all, the cockchafer, 

 what with the amount of manure he furnishes when slain in 

 proper quantities, and the uses above mentioned, stands a fair 

 chance of being classed as a valuable insect, and some day we 

 may hear philanthropic persons calling out against its wanton 

 destruction." — Land and Water. 



The Melolontha vulgaris of Europe is represented in Canada 

 by Lachnosterna fusca^GOvamonXy called the May bug. In refer- 

 ence to the appearance of this creature, we may state, that it 

 occurs in immense numbers every three years ; at least, such is 

 our experience since 1855. The years 1858, 1861, 1864, and 

 1867, are those when this insect appeared in greatest numbers, 

 and in 1870 we shall probably have another visitation of cock- 

 chafers. It must not be inferred from the above statement that 

 no examples of these insects occurred in the intervening years, 

 for it is always a common species in Canada. But there are years 

 when certain species prevail in such numbers as to be noticed by 

 everybody. One reason why the cockchafer should be tri-yearly 

 may be owing to the circumstance that it remains in the larva 

 state for three years. Here, then, an opportunity occurs for 

 testing some of the alleged practical uses to which these insects 

 may be put. A. s. R. 



