COCKCHAFEK. 19 



On the 2nd of February, Mr. J. England Wilson, writing from 

 Springhill, Skene, Aberdeen, N.B., forwarded me a Cockchafer grub, 

 with enquiries as to its nature, and mention that it was found in that 

 neighbourhood, but only in good land when it was being ploughed. 



One great difficulty in dealing with this attack is the depth at 

 which these long-lived grubs shelter themselves beneath the surface 

 in winter, which may very possibly be lower than where they can be 

 turned out by common measures of cultivation. The regular method 

 of life (as is well known) is for the female Cockchafer to go down, in 

 early summer, some six or eight inches deep in the ground to lay her 

 eggs. The grubs which hatch from these come up to within a few 

 inches of the surface of the ground to feed, and attack the roots of 

 Grass, various kinds of crops, and young trees. They feed, in warm 

 weather, for three years, going down in winter to a greater or less depth 

 according to circumstances, and at the end of the third summer go 

 down to a depth stated to be two feet or more. Here they change to 

 the perfect state, the Cockchafers making their appearance early in 

 the following summer. 



The grubs (from being buried down out of sight) are not as well 

 known as they should be, for a sight of one accidentally turned up 

 would often give the clue to the cause of much mischief. They are 

 easily distinguishable by their large size when full grown, and their 

 peculiar shape, figured at p. 18, the whitish fleshy body being swollen at 

 the tail extremity into a kind of sack, usually of a bluish colour. They 

 are also distinguishable by having three pairs of long brownish legs ; 

 the chestnut-coloured head is furnished with strong jaws. In common 

 with some others of the Chafer grubs, they habitually lie, as figured, on 

 one side. 



In reply to some of my enquiries as to depth of the grubs beneath 

 the surface, Mr. Wilson mentioned : — " On our Grass-land, which is 

 being broken up, there is a lot of foggage, i. e., old Grass which acts as 

 a good protection from the frost. They have not been further down, 

 and only now coming to the surface, because I find them always at the 

 bottom of their burrow. As the land is ploughed at a uniform depth 

 of five-and-a-half inches, we consequently see only those that are lying 

 from five to six inches down. Those we do see would amount to a few 

 hundreds per acre." In reference to some observations as to methods 

 of clearing the grubs, Mr. Wilson remarked : — " We would not need to 

 have pigs picking them up here, as the plough is almost always followed 

 by crows, starlings, &c., which do not leave any grubs about. They 

 (the grubs) have not sufficient vitality to re -bury themselves, as I left 

 some on the surface over-night. I do not think they are very common 

 about here. They occur chiefly in good land. As our land is a sandy 

 loam on a gravel sub-soil, it is comparatively warm soil, and would, I 



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