PREFACE. WV 
cold of the early part of the year. The appearance of some of the 
crop or fruit infestations was retarded until they were thawed 
into active life in their lurking-places, or the surface of the 
eround was sufficiently softened to allow them freedom; but 
beyond this I did not find any direct effect on insect presence 
from the cold. Indirect effect there certainly was, but this 
tending to increase the amount of insects, or of their injury, from 
various causes; as, for instance, sowing of spring corn being 
retarded, and the young plant consequently not having time to 
get ahead before the season of attack of its maggot pests; or, 
again, as in Forfarshire, where the severe weather and accom- 
panying gales are even now bearing fruit in the quantities of 
Pine Beetles (Hylurgus piniperda) to which the broken and 
fallen Pine-boughs and timber afforded nurseries. 
Looking at the insect attacks of last year in coincidence with 
the above-mentioned severe cold, we find that though there was 
not any widespread devastating attack of any one kind of insect 
all over the country, yet there were seriously injurious outbreaks 
of various kinds which winter in such methods as to expose them 
thoroughly to weather action, and thus show that cold cannot be 
looked to for protection. 
The eggs of the Winter Moth (of which the caterpillars were 
one of the very bad attacks last year) are laid for the most part 
in the early winter on buds, twigs, &c., of orchard and other 
trees, where they are exposed to all weather, snow, thaw, frost, 
sunshine, and wind sweeping by to intensify the cold. The 
‘‘Pine-shoot”” Moth caterpillars (see p. 73) were obviously none 
the worse for their winter residence in their shelters at the end 
of the shoots. On the surface of the ground, the bad attack 
sent me at the beginning of April of the Cabbage Root-gall 
Weevil showed that these were uninjured by the then recently 
preceding cold. The unusually bad attacks of Gooseberry Sawfly 
caterpillar in the summer showed that the preceding generation 
had passed the winter very successfully in their cocoons just 
below the surface. 
Crane Flies, or Daddy Longlegs grubs, may be found more or 
less from December onwards, and, weather permitting, sometimes 
are exceedingly mischievous at corn-roots in February; and the 
creat damage to grass-roots at Langholm, Dumfries-shire (see 
p-. 83), in the past season may be taken as a proof that these 
grubs are not cleared out. by ground .cold. 
