33 
Mr. Henry Le Keux on the Turnip Fly. 
a quarter of an ounce of common salt in a quart of water, and 
poured it over the plant, taking care not to let any run into the 
hole, or to disturb the grub. When I examined the plant the fol- 
lowing day, no further injury had been done to it, and on digging 
up the burrow T found it had been deserted by the grub, which I 
have no doubt had travelled to the next plant, although at least six 
yards distant, for there l found a burrow and a recent attack upon 
the plant which the day before w r as uninjured. I now washed this 
also, and several others, with the solution of salt, and for ten days 
(during which the weather was hot and dry) no one of them re- 
ceived further injury until a heavy shower of rain fell, after which 
(as I did not wash them again) they shared the fate of all the others. 
In such cases it might be worth while to employ children to dig 
them out, for they are easily found, as may appear from my having 
collected upwards of thirty in less than half an hour ; but the most 
keen searcher for and destroyer of these is the rook, and I attri- 
bute their increase in this instance to the mistaken vigilance of the 
farmer in shooting any one of them which ventured to set foot 
upon the land, and hanging him up as a warning to his brethren of 
the reward they would meet with for any friendly endeavours to 
relieve him from the ravages of so destructive an enemy as the 
grub. Then there is the snail and the slug, both great consumers, 
besides a host of caterpillars of the different kinds of moths and 
butterflies, the best destroyers of which are the various small birds 
which the farmer so ungratefully or rather unwittingly attempts to 
annihilate ; for I believe it could be pretty clearly shown that, but 
for their unceasing assiduity and sagacity in the search of insects, 
(and which no human ingenuity could supply,) the whole race would 
multiply so rapidly as to devour not only turnips, but every other 
crop upon which the agriculturist depends for his subsistence. 
I trust that the above observations, by pointing out many things 
which have failed to effect the intended object, may at least be so 
far advantageous as to show the fruitless expenditure of time by 
others who may engage in the same pursuit; and should they offer 
any suggestion which may lead to the discovery of a remedy for 
the evil, it would afford the greatest satisfaction which I conld re- 
ceive. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IV. 
Fig. 1. Part of a turnip-leaf attacked by the Haltica nemorum 1 a, a. Tracks 
of the larva which are visible through the parenchyma, at the broad end of the 
burrow. 1 b. A burrow from which the larva has escaped to the ground. 1 c,c. 
The perfect beetles. 1 d, d, d. Holes drilled in the leaf by the latter. 
Fig. 2. The larva magnified. 
VOL. If. D 
