116 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



gallons of the soap-suds left after washing. This mixture 

 should be applied twice a day with a water-pot. Kollar very 

 highly recommends watering or wetting the leaves of plants 

 with an infusion or tea of wormwood, which prevents the flea- 

 beetles from touching them. Perhaps a decoction of walnut- 

 leaves might be equally serviceable. Great numbers of the 

 beetles may be caught by the skilful use of a deep bag-net of 

 muslin, which should be swept over the plants infested by the 

 beetles, after which the latter may be easily destroyed. This 

 net cannot be used with safety to catch the insects on very 

 young plants, on account of the risk of bruising or breaking 

 their tender leaves. 



The Chrysomelians, Chrysomelad^e, properly so called, form 

 the third family of the tribe to which I have given the same 

 name, because these insects hold the chief place in it, in re- 

 spect to size, beauty, variety, and numbers. These leaf-beetles 

 are mostly broad oval, sometimes nearly hemispherical, in their 

 form, or very convex above and flat beneath. The head is 

 rather wide, and not concealed under the thorax. The latter 

 is short, and broad behind. The antennae are about half the 

 length of the body, and slightly thickened towards the end, 

 and arise from the sides of the head, between the eyes and the 

 corners of the mouth; being much further apart than those of 

 the Galerucians and flea-beetles. The legs are rather short, 

 nearly equal in length, and the hindmost thighs are not thicker 

 than the others, and are not fitted for leaping. The colors of 

 these beetles are often rich and brilliant, among which blue 

 and green, highly polished, and with a golden or metallic 

 lustre, are the most common tints. The larvae are soft-bodied, 

 short, thick, and slug-shaped grubs, Avith six legs before, and a 

 prop-leg behind. They live exposed on the leaves of plants, 

 which they eat, and to which most of them fasten therriselves 

 by the tail, when about to be transformed. Some, however, 

 go into the ground when about to change to pupse. Many of 

 these insects, both in the larva and beetle state, have been 

 found to be very injurious to vegetation in other countries; 

 but I am not aware that any of them have proved seriously 

 injurious to cultivated or other valuable plants in this country. 



