THE ROSE-BUG DO FOWLS EAT IT? 245 



spot back of this on the middle of the outer margin, has its anterior side oblique 

 and its posterior transverse. Beyond this on the outer margin are two or 

 three obscure dusky spots, and the apical portion of the wing faintly shows 

 some way}' transverse clouds and vestiges of a transverse row of black dots. 



These worms do not usually occur in such numbers as to ren- 

 der any efforts for their destruction necessary. Should they at 

 any time become so multiplied as to require attention, it is pro- 

 bable that by spreading sheets under the trees and shaking the 

 limbs or beating upon the foliage, most of them may be gathered 

 and destroyed, their thick heavy bodies rendering them so lia- 

 ble to loose their foothold and fall when the leaves are agitated. 



AFFECTING THE FRUIT. 



> Clustering upon and devouring the young apples the latter part of June; 

 also infesting roses, plums, cherries and grapevines : — a smallish buff- 

 yellow beetle, with shining yellow legs and very long black feet. 

 The Rose-bug, Macrodactylus subspinosus , Fabricius. (Plate 2, fig. 3.) 

 An insect was recently (June, 1856) received from Dr. John 

 Doy, of Lawrence, Kansas, with a statement that it was greatly 

 infesting the young oak trees, and also the grape vines in that 

 vicinity. He also said it appeared to be virulently poisonous. 

 One of his hens with her nine chickens were found dead one 

 morning, and on opening them a quantity of these insects were 

 found in the crops of each. But the surmise that these insects 

 are poisonous is certainly erroneous, though it may be that the 

 poultry in this instance died in consequence of eating them. 

 Dr. Harris in his prize essay upon the insects of this family 

 (Mass. Agric. Repository, vol. x, pp. 1-12), informs us that fowls 

 eat these insects greedily, and that young chickens sometimes 

 suffer severely from swallowing them alive. He adds that a 

 simple remedy in such cases is pouring sweet oil down their 

 throats. It is not improbable, therefore, that full grown hens 

 when rapidly picking up these insects, may sometimes swallow 

 them whole, and that the irritation and wounds which their 

 prickly feet and sharp claws will occasion may prove fatal. 



In his report to the Massachusetts legislature in 1838 (House 

 document No. 72, p. 72), Dr. Harris again states that these 

 insects are eaten greedily by domesticated fowls, and the same 



