144 SURFACE CATERPILLARS. 
Thornton, Berwick-upon-Tweed, July 14th.—Destroying my Man- 
gold plant. 
Parlington Estate Office, near Leeds, July 18th.—Eating off 
Mangolds very fast. 
Rendcomb Park, Cirencester, Glos., July 18th.—Destroying the 
roots at Rendcomb. 
Hill Farm, Sketty, South Wales, July 22nd.—Swedes going so 
fast; am afraid in a few days we shall have none left. 
Nuttall Temple, Nottingham, July 23rd.—Fast destroying a field 
of white Turnips. 
Bourne Park, Canterbury, July 24th.—Field of thirteen acres 
appears totally destroyed. 
Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow, July 25th.—Destroying the Turnip 
crop of the sender. 
Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, July 26th.—Swarming 
among my Turnips. 
Kingsbridge, Devon, July 27th.—Neighbours have lost acres. 
Audlem, Cheshire, July 28th.—Destroying Turnips in this district. 
Milborne, Blandford, Dorsetshire, July 30th.—Greatly suffered 
from grubs eating off the plants. 
Aspatria, Cumberland, August 1st.—Grubs are clearing the Turnips 
off around here wholesale. 
Hendrefoilan, Sketty, South Wales, August 3rd.—Surface Cater- 
pillars very destructive in the Swedes in South Wales, and causing a 
great loss in some places. 
Wychnor, near Bakle, Sussex, August 12th.—Surface Caterpillars 
at Turnips on writer’s land in Kent and Sussex; and in the Sussex 
land so bad at Mangolds, that some of these with roots as large as a 
quart pot were withering away. 
The above short notes, extracted from a portion of the letters sent 
me, may suffice to show how widely prevalent the attack was over 
the country. 
Specimens of the caterpillars, which were sent me in all cases, 
proved to be of the common Surface Caterpillars known as Turnip 
Grubs, and apparently, for the most part, of the Turnip Grub, Agrotis 
segetum. But this kind so much resembles the other very common 
kind, Agrotis evclamationis, that I should not like to speak positively. 
The two sorts are similar in their habits of ravaging, as occasion 
offers, at Turnip or other root crops, and almost any roots that may 
fall under their power, as Beet and Mangolds, Potatoes (sometimes to 
an extent necessitating early raising), Carrots, Onions, Leeks, Cabbage, 
and even the roots of Grass, Wheat, and corn generally. But, owing 
to their special prevalence at Turnip roots, the name of Turnip Grubs 
is often given. 
