HG uHor.H I ui.>:ui'Ti:i(A. 



KhUt-riihi'. 



Tiic iu<><>t (ll<ttiirt rhnractt'ri <>r this fntiiily art* round in the f<>rni niiil strurtun- of the- 

 |M)itorl<ir (uirt u( thi- tlu*rux and sternum : the nUUa nC the roruii r an- |*rul< ngcd into a 

 ti>oth, and the latter Ls imHluriHl Into a s])iDi- which fits into a groove of the alxlomrn. 

 Thi^ arran);enu'nt of J•urt^ ennldes the insect, wlien uixm its bark, to ^jiring upwartb and 

 alight ui»«>u It.N feet : this is the only uiixle by whirh it can recover its standing, wlun 

 !U«idiiitiilI) uj'xet ; and fronj this cin-unislance thc-rc injycts are rallied 'yring bnH(t, or 

 itiitpbut;^. Their antennu* are short and filifi'rni, and either s«'rnite or ]NClinate ; the jtalpl 

 terniinati' witli a lriani;ular <>r miirnrni joint ; the niamliMrs are bifid at the ajx x : U>dy 

 linear ami dej>ress«'<l : thonix with the hinder and lateral angles i>r«Hlucwl into a jiolut ; 

 the margin is also groove*! for the n-ception of the sl»»rt anteunic. 'Hie stemiun is iinxlureil 

 lx-hin<l into a spiae, which fits into a gMove in the Iwis*- of the alHlonien. The femalts are 

 ftjrni*he<l with a lrii>artite ovijiositor. 



In this family, as in the preceding, the head i> r»'ceived into the thorax defply,aDd the 

 leits and antennir are short and slender. 



Th<- lirvir live uj'on the r^xits of vegetabh's, w<io«l, etc., and are verj- injurious to c«im 

 and h<rl>Jic«-ous r«>ots. They are known in New-Vork an«l New-Kngland by the name of 

 trirtirorms, fr>mi their fonn and hanhu'ss : they res<'nible, however, a si>eoies of Iri.ii, 

 which iK'longs to the Cla.<«s Mvkiapoi>.%, luid should thertforv not he confounded with it ; 

 a mistake which it is cjuitc unnecessary to c«>Dimit, as the myriajiod has many feet, while 

 the wirewonn has only six. 



Although the el.iterida-, in th<'ir jx-rfect slate, an- closely allie<l to the buprestidff, yet 

 their lar\a" have fwt, while tin- larva- of the latter family are di-stitute of them : so the 

 enlargement or dilatation near their heads is e<piall} distinctive ; but iht n is one kind of 

 resemblance common to lioth, for they l>oth live several y« ars in the larval statr,and hence 

 have abundance of time to do much injur)". Minn a field U-conji s infrsted with wirv- 

 worms, the Indian com and other ciiltlvateil crr»ps are often entirely destn>yed,«nd many 

 times nvjuirr replanting. Tlie lan-a eats either thn>ugh th»- kernel after it is swollen, or 

 else thn>ugh the young shoot. I have si-en two wirt worms in the same swollen kiniel. 

 Thev jittack gniss. and all the cereals ; and in consef|uence of their long continuance in 

 this -itate. the Soil l>ecomes infested with them. 



Soils which ar«> the most infeste<l with these lar\ie are usually jxor ; ami one of the 

 most effective nitnles that can Ijo adopte«l in the cultivation of such land, is to enrich It. 

 Another mcxle which aids \'erj- materially in the extirpation of the wlreworni,is to plough 

 late in the fall : It is supix>s<Hl that by exposing the gnaind fnely to the action of frost, 

 the larvjc must jicrish fn-m cold. 



