﻿31 
  

  

  bited 
  Rceslerstammia 
  pygmseana, 
  bred 
  from 
  larvae 
  raining 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  Solanum 
  

   Dulcamara, 
  and 
  a 
  living 
  larva 
  in 
  situ. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Shepherd 
  said 
  he 
  had 
  found 
  the 
  same 
  kind 
  of 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  Atropa 
  

   Belladonna. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Identification 
  of 
  the 
  Species 
  of 
  Micro-Lepido- 
  

   . 
  plera 
  whose 
  Larvae 
  mine 
  in 
  Leaves, 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Memoires 
  ' 
  of 
  De 
  

   I 
  Geer 
  and 
  Reaumur,'' 
  illustrated 
  by 
  living 
  examples 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  various 
  plants. 
  

   [ 
  He 
  also 
  read, 
  from 
  Chambers' 
  ' 
  Edinburgh 
  Journal,' 
  the 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  ha- 
  

   ! 
  bits 
  and 
  manner 
  of 
  capturing 
  the 
  " 
  Groo-groo 
  " 
  worm 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  now 
  stated 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  Prionus, 
  but 
  mentioned 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  F. 
  W. 
  Hope, 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  on 
  

   " 
  Insects 
  used 
  as 
  the 
  Food 
  of 
  Man 
  " 
  (Trans. 
  Eat. 
  Soc. 
  iii. 
  234), 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   Calandra 
  Palmarum. 
  

  

  " 
  Among 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  curious 
  insects 
  which 
  are 
  common 
  to 
  tropical 
  climates, 
  

   the 
  groogroo 
  worms 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  particularly 
  interesting. 
  

   From 
  the 
  peculiar 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  produced, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  circumstance 
  

   of 
  their 
  constituting 
  a 
  choice 
  article 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  man, 
  they 
  become 
  entitled 
  to 
  some 
  

   attention. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  groogroo 
  worm 
  — 
  so 
  called 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  palm 
  vulgarly 
  

   called 
  the 
  groogroo 
  — 
  is 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  large-sized 
  beetle, 
  the 
  Prionus, 
  which 
  is 
  peculiar 
  

   to 
  the 
  warm 
  latitudes 
  of 
  America. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  slight 
  similarity 
  about 
  

   the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  the 
  worm 
  bears 
  no 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  parent 
  beetle. 
  When 
  

   full-grown, 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  3? 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  having 
  the 
  body 
  large 
  and 
  turgid, 
  and 
  in- 
  

   creasing 
  in 
  circumference 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  towards 
  the 
  opposite 
  extremity. 
  The 
  head 
  

   is 
  of 
  a 
  corneous, 
  opaque 
  substance. 
  It 
  has 
  neither 
  eyes 
  nor 
  the 
  rudiments 
  of 
  the 
  

   antennae 
  which 
  distinguish 
  the 
  beetle 
  tribe. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  provided 
  with 
  the 
  

   mandibles 
  and 
  other 
  oral 
  apparatus 
  of 
  the 
  mandibulate 
  group 
  of 
  insecls, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   only 
  in 
  this 
  feature 
  that 
  any 
  connexion 
  with 
  the 
  beetle 
  can 
  be 
  traced. 
  The 
  trunk 
  is 
  

   precisely 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  worm 
  ; 
  it 
  consists 
  of 
  many 
  closely-knitted 
  segments, 
  which 
  are 
  

   possessed 
  of 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  contractile 
  power. 
  It 
  bears 
  no 
  mark 
  which 
  would 
  

   indicate 
  a 
  future 
  metamorphosis 
  into 
  a 
  beetle. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  a 
  future 
  division 
  

   into 
  thorax 
  and 
  abdomen. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  rudiments 
  of 
  wings 
  or 
  feet, 
  as 
  the 
  under 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  presents 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  appearances 
  as 
  the 
  upper. 
  At 
  the 
  

   posterior 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  worm, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  horny 
  termination, 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  like 
  the 
  hinder 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  leech. 
  The 
  organs 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  simple, 
  the 
  

   digestive 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  developed. 
  Albumen 
  is 
  the 
  substance 
  which 
  composes 
  

   its 
  body, 
  and 
  its 
  blood 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  greenish 
  tint. 
  With 
  a 
  motion 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   earthworm, 
  it 
  perforates 
  with 
  extraordinary 
  rapidity 
  into 
  the 
  substance 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  in 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  found. 
  

  

  " 
  When 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  at 
  her 
  full, 
  the 
  gatherer 
  of 
  worms 
  enters 
  a 
  neighbouring 
  

   wood, 
  and 
  selects 
  a 
  young 
  palmiste 
  tree. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  tree 
  of 
  the 
  palm 
  order, 
  exceedingly 
  

   stately 
  and 
  graceful, 
  growing 
  sometimes 
  to 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  height 
  of 
  eighty 
  feet. 
  

   From 
  the 
  roots 
  upwards, 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  branch 
  or 
  shrubby 
  excrescence, 
  but 
  grows 
  

   beautifully 
  smooth 
  and 
  straight, 
  tapering 
  towards 
  the 
  top. 
  At 
  its 
  top, 
  an 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  the 
  richest 
  and 
  most 
  beautiful 
  leaves 
  spread 
  out 
  in 
  graceful 
  symmetry, 
  and 
  bend 
  

   down 
  on 
  all 
  sides, 
  forming 
  a 
  figure 
  like 
  an 
  umbrella 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  young 
  leaf, 
  still 
  firm 
  

   and 
  compact 
  in 
  its 
  foliar 
  envelope, 
  is 
  seen 
  standing 
  erect 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  this 
  foliage, 
  

   like 
  a 
  lightning-conductor. 
  

  

  " 
  When 
  a 
  promising 
  palmiste 
  is 
  found, 
  the 
  gatherer 
  makes 
  an 
  incision 
  into 
  it 
  with 
  

  

  