olO INSECTS AT HOME. 



'It is the most Lcautifvil of the beautiful tribe to ^vhieh 

 it belongs ; yet from its habits not being known, it is sel- 

 dom seen in the Moth state, and the apple-grower knows 

 no more than the man in the moon to what cause he is in- 

 debted for his basketfuls of worm-eaten windfalls in the stillest 

 weather. 



' To find the Moth in the daytime, the trunks of the apple- 

 trees should be carefully looked over ; or if your orchard be 

 surrounded by a wooden fence, the Moth may often be found 

 sitting against it, with its pretty wings neatly folded round its 

 body. Towards evening — in fact, at sunset — it begins to move, 

 and may then be seen hovering about the little apples, which by 

 the time the Moth leaves the chrysalis — the middle of June — 

 are well knit, and consequently fit for the reception of the eggs, 

 which it lays in the eyes, one only in each, by introducing its 

 long ovipositor between the leaves of the calyx, which form a 

 tent above it, that effectually shields it from the inclemency of 

 the weather, or any other casualty. 



' As soon as the egg hatches, the little grub gnaws a hole in 

 the crown of the apple, and soon buries itself in its substance ; 

 and it is worthy of remark that the rind of the apple, as if to 

 afford every facility to the destroyer, is thinner here than in 

 any other part, and consequently more easily pierced. The 

 apple most commonly attacked is the codlin, a large, early sort, 

 which ripens in July and August. 



' The grub, controlled by an unvarying instinct, eats into the 

 apple obliquely downwards, and, by thus avoiding the core and 

 pips, in no way hinders its growth. At first it makes but slo\^ 

 progress, being little bigger than a thread, but after a fortnight 

 its size and operations have much increased ; it has now eaten 

 half way down the apple, and the position of the hole at the 

 top, if the apple continue upright, or nearly so, is inconvenient 

 for a purpose it has up to this time been used for, that is, as a 

 pass to get rid of its little pellets of excrement, which are 

 •something like fine sawdust or coarse sand. Another communi- 

 cation with the outer air is therefore required, and it must Le 

 so constructed as to allow the power of gravity to assist in 

 keeping it clear ; it is accordingly made directly downwards 

 towards tliat part of the apple which is lowest, and thus the 

 trouble of thrusting the pellets upwards througli the eye of the 



