GRUBS. 395 



to reap considerable profit, he finds nothing but empty 

 husks. 



We have mentioned the ravages committed in granaries 

 by the caterpillars of small moths ; but these are rivalled 

 in the work of destruction by several species of grubs. 

 One of these grubs is called by the French cadelle {Trogo- 

 sita mauritanica, Olivier), and is reported to have done more 

 damage to housed grain than any other insect.* The pest 

 of the granaries, which is but too well known in this 

 country, is the grain weevil (Calandra granaria, Clairville), 

 the same, probabl}", which is mentioned by Virgil — 



Populatque ingentem farris acervum 



Curculio. Georg. i. 87. 



The high stacks of com 



Are wasted by the weevil. Trapp. 



Kirby and Spence calculate that a' single pair of weevils 



Corn weevil (Calandra granaria'), magnified. 



may produce in one season 6000 descendants ; and they 

 were told by an extensive brewer that he had collected and 

 destroyed them by bushels, f — meaning, no doubt, insects 

 and damaged grain together. 



Another beetle grub, popularly called the meal-worm, 

 the larva of Tenebrio moiitor, Linn., which lives in that state 

 two years, does no little damage to flour, as well as to bread, 

 cakes, biscuit, and similar articles. Accounts are also given 

 of the ravages committed by the gi'ubs of other beetles, of 

 several species apparently not M^ell ascertained, upon differ- 

 ent sorts of provisions, such as bacon, ham, dried tongues, 

 ship-bisciiit, &c. Sparrman tells us that he has witnessed 

 * Olivier, vol. ii. p. 19. f Intr. i, p. 173. 



