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termed, a race of cannibals, from their larvse or 

 caterpillars always feeding on other infedls. Upon 

 which I opened many of the other feeds that had 

 no holes in them, and in feveral of thefe difcovered 

 another infedl, alive, and in different ftates of its 

 growth. This proved to be the bruchus piji of 

 Linnaeus, a near relation of the weevil [ctirculiol 

 and the attelabus. From hence I furmifed, that at 

 the time when the. bufli-vetch blofToms the female 

 bruchus lays her egg within the bloflbm, and the 

 ichneumon immediately after depofits her egg in 

 the fame place. 



After the frofts were over, I was much pleafed 

 to obferve, that fcarce a plant of my vetches had 

 been killed by them, and their verdure very little 

 injured. In April 1784, they had entirely filled 

 up the ground, and were beginning to flower; at 

 this time 1 found, as 1 expected, numbers of the 

 bruchi intruding themfelves into the blofToms, be>- 

 fore they were fcarcely open, and the attendant 

 ichneumones ready to follow them. I ufed every 

 method I could think of to chafe away thefe in- 

 fects from my crop, by ftrewing foot over, kind- 

 ling fmoaky fires.around, &c. but all to no purpofe. 



In the beginning of May the vetches were in full 

 blolfom, and it was amazing to fee what a croud 



of 



