200 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
insect depredators, where he cites two old records, one of 1120 
and another 1516, which show that caterpillars and cockchaffers 
were ordered to take themselves off within six days under pain of 
excommunication. The earliest attempt at legislation referred 
to in the ‘Journal Officiel’ is the law of 1732, which ordered 
farmers and landowners to destroy caterpillars, the fine for 
neglect being 50 livres. This law of 1732 was renewed by 
prescriptions in 1777 and 1787. [In 1791 the destruction of 
harmful animals and birds was added to the existing law.] 
During the Revolution, however, the fines were done away with, 
and rewards were offered instead. The result was found to be 
that nothing was done. Then followed the law of 26 Ventose, IV. 
(February 17th, 1796), which, in spite of all the subsequent 
attempts at legislation, still* remains the only law, and this is 
practically inoperative. It ordered the destruction of caterpillars 
by the owners or the tenants of land; that the public lands were 
to be cleared by the agents; and that the adjoints were to be respon- 
sible for seeing the law carried out in their arrondissements 
where they found it neglected. They were required in such 
cases to engage workmen to do the work, and to recover the cost 
from those who should have done it. Within twenty days from 
the date fixed the commissaires du directoire executif were to visit 
the districts to see the law had been duly carried out, and to 
report to the minister. The penalty fixed was not less than three 
nor more than ten days’ labour in addition to the repayment 
to the officials of the cost of the workmen they employed. It is 
hardly to be wondered at that this law should not be put in force. 
I recollect that at the congress held in September, 1876, in Paris, 
in connection with the “ Exposition des insectes utiles et des 
insectes nuisibles,” Mr. Murray elicited from M. le Baron de 
Pelletier, for many years maire of Lafarté, Melan-Aisne, that he 
knew many cantonments where no conviction had been attempted 
for more than twenty years; and as for himself, he had never 
attempted to make any, since he did not see any use in clearing 
certain cantonments while in neighbouring ones, under other 
jurisdiction, the pests were allowed to flourish, and were left to 
spread. Although this remained law for so long several endea- 
vours were made for other laws. 
In 1839 an attempt was made to repeal this law and substitute 
one that maires would not object to put in force, but, owing to a 
* Unless a law has been passed that I have not heard of. 
