42, CORN AND GRASS. 
weeds very especially the ‘‘ Horehound,” Ballota fetida, and ‘‘ Dead 
Nettles,” Lamium album and L. purpureum, and doubtless many other 
plants, are subject to attack at their roots, besides the roots of Grass. 
On January 24th, specimens of this attack were sent me from 
Harbledown, Kent, with the information that the grubs were found 
at the roots of the sender’s Strawberry plants, which they killed by 
eating holes in the stems. In this case the caterpillars were full- 
grown (see figure, p. 41), and the only practically available remedy 
seemed to be hand-picking. 
On February 20th I was favoured with the following notes, with 
Specimens accompanying, from Mr. J. Acheson Lyle, The Oaks, 
Londonderry, Ireland :— 
‘‘My gardener has been lately breaking up a plot of ground, 
which, after Prickly Comfrey, has lain ten or twelve years in grass, 
with a view to planting early Potatoes, and we find a number of grubs 
of the white sort enclosed.” 
The samples enclosed were of Garden Swift caterpillars, of various 
sizes up to full growth. The largest specimens were well fed and 
active, but some of the others were so much injured as to suggest that 
they had been preyed upon by their companions during transit. 
No more enquiries were sent regarding this species until Oct. 2nd, 
when caterpillars (of course from the summer brood) were sent me by 
Mr. William Rand (farm bailiff), Pickering’s Farm, Bendish, near 
Welwyn, Herts, with a request for information regarding the grubs, 
as the Clover leys which he was then ploughing up were covered with 
them. 
These specimens appeared to be of the same kind above noticed, 
but only one caterpillar was alive. Four others appeared to have 
been sucked to death, being variously gnawed and eviscerated. The 
survivor was full-grown and apparently in excellent health, a fact 
which I have often noticed in the case of the Surface Caterpillars, 
which (when food falls short during postal transmission) are not 
unfrequently in the habit of feeding on one another, the survivors 
being usually remarkable for being well filled out and shiny. 
On November 10th, when this sheet was in type, I received speci- 
mens of similar caterpillars to the above from Mr. Geo. Hewison, of 
Warkworth, near Banbury. These were of various sizes, from about 
half to nearly full grown, and appeared quite in active condition. It 
was noted that they were found in the surface soil where the land had 
been ploughed for Wheat after Peas; and that the soil of the field 
where the caterpillars were most numerous was a red loam. 
The caterpillar is of the shape figured at p. 41 when full-grown ; 
about four-fifths of an inch in length; cylindrical; white or yellowish 
white, with the head and the plates or collar on the segment next to 
