﻿123 
  

  

  Another 
  communication 
  was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  our 
  vicinity 
  an 
  enemy 
  has 
  appeared 
  upon 
  our 
  fruit-trees, 
  the 
  apple 
  and 
  the 
  

   cherry, 
  which 
  threatens 
  to 
  destroy 
  our 
  entire 
  crop. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  learn, 
  the 
  foe 
  is 
  a 
  

   stranger 
  to 
  our 
  fruit-growers 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  spread 
  upon 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  and, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  

   shaken, 
  drops 
  from 
  it 
  suspended 
  by 
  a 
  web, 
  then 
  winds 
  up 
  its 
  web, 
  and 
  again 
  gains 
  its 
  

   position 
  on 
  the 
  tree. 
  The 
  trees, 
  when 
  badly 
  eaten, 
  present 
  a 
  dry 
  and 
  sere 
  appearance. 
  

   In 
  all 
  these 
  points 
  it 
  is 
  like 
  the 
  canker-worm, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  casual 
  ob- 
  

   server 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  pronounced 
  their 
  work 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  it 
  is 
  dissimilar. 
  The 
  

   canker-worm 
  is 
  brown, 
  this 
  is 
  nearly 
  white, 
  with 
  two 
  longitudinal 
  stripes 
  running 
  its 
  

   whole 
  length 
  ; 
  the 
  canker-worm 
  is 
  slow 
  of 
  motion, 
  this 
  is 
  very 
  quick, 
  and 
  moves 
  ra- 
  

   pidly 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  in 
  all 
  directions, 
  to 
  escape 
  an 
  enemy 
  ; 
  the 
  canker-worm 
  moves 
  

   forward 
  by 
  doubling 
  or 
  opening 
  and 
  throwing 
  forward 
  its 
  head 
  and 
  fore 
  part, 
  this 
  is 
  

   provided 
  with 
  16 
  legs, 
  — 
  6 
  near 
  the 
  head, 
  8 
  near 
  the 
  middle, 
  and 
  2 
  at 
  the 
  tail, 
  and 
  uses 
  

   them 
  with 
  great 
  celerity 
  in 
  running. 
  The 
  canker-worm 
  has 
  no 
  shelter 
  upon 
  the 
  tree, 
  

   but 
  lies 
  out 
  upon 
  the 
  leaf 
  or 
  branch 
  ; 
  this 
  forms 
  itself 
  a 
  house 
  by 
  webbing 
  the 
  corner 
  

   of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  into 
  which 
  it 
  retreats 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  danger: 
  the 
  canker-worm 
  

   rarely 
  eats 
  the 
  fruit, 
  if 
  it 
  can 
  get 
  leaves 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  now 
  eating 
  into 
  and 
  spoiling 
  and 
  dis- 
  

   figuring 
  the 
  fruit. 
  Of 
  the 
  insect 
  which 
  produces 
  them 
  I 
  know 
  nothing. 
  My 
  neigh- 
  

   bours 
  say 
  that 
  about 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  weeks 
  since 
  they 
  noticed 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  small 
  

   millers, 
  of 
  an 
  ash 
  colour, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  proceeded 
  from 
  them. 
  If 
  the 
  insect, 
  

   with 
  its 
  habits, 
  are 
  unknown, 
  we 
  have 
  before 
  us 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  careful 
  observation, 
  as 
  the 
  

   first 
  descent 
  of 
  these 
  depredators 
  threatens 
  more 
  injury 
  to 
  our 
  fruit 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  in- 
  

   .sect 
  which 
  has 
  attacked 
  our 
  trees. 
  If 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  enough 
  to 
  spoil 
  my 
  trees 
  and 
  fruit 
  

   entirely 
  now, 
  I 
  am 
  sure 
  that 
  double 
  the 
  present 
  number 
  on 
  those 
  of 
  my 
  trees 
  most 
  

   eaten, 
  would 
  not 
  leave 
  me 
  an 
  apple 
  or 
  a 
  leaf 
  remaining. 
  

  

  " 
  R. 
  C. 
  Stone." 
  

   " 
  Sherburne, 
  June 
  21, 
  1853." 
  

  

  The 
  Editor 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  Shaking 
  the 
  trees 
  pretty 
  freely 
  dislodges 
  them. 
  We 
  advise 
  

   this 
  practice, 
  and 
  also 
  syringing 
  the 
  young 
  tree 
  well 
  with 
  whale-oil 
  -soap, 
  strong 
  soap- 
  

   suds, 
  or 
  even 
  clear 
  water. 
  We 
  understand 
  that 
  murkte 
  of 
  lime 
  will 
  destroy 
  them, 
  by 
  

   sprinkling 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  it, 
  and 
  shaking 
  the 
  worms 
  down 
  upon 
  it.'' 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Wollaston 
  communicated 
  an 
  extract 
  of 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Schaum, 
  informing 
  

   him 
  of 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gerraar 
  on 
  the 
  8th 
  of 
  July, 
  from 
  an 
  attack 
  of 
  gout, 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  

   of 
  66. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Smith 
  read 
  some 
  " 
  Observations 
  on 
  the 
  Economy 
  of 
  Pompilus 
  punctum," 
  

   showing 
  that 
  P. 
  petiolatus, 
  Vander 
  Linden, 
  is 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  that 
  species, 
  which 
  feet 
  

   he 
  had 
  ascertained 
  by 
  breeding 
  both 
  from 
  one 
  set 
  of 
  cells, 
  found 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  W. 
  Del- 
  

   raar, 
  at 
  Elmstone 
  Rectory, 
  near 
  Canterbury, 
  and 
  communicated 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  

   Thomson, 
  Director 
  of 
  the 
  Natural-History 
  Department 
  at 
  the 
  Crystal 
  Palace. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  read 
  the 
  following 
  extract 
  from 
  Layard's 
  ' 
  Discoveries 
  in 
  the 
  Ruins 
  

   of 
  Nineveh 
  and 
  Babylon,' 
  1853, 
  page 
  338. 
  

  

  " 
  Ruins 
  at 
  Komjunjik. 
  — 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  panelled 
  with 
  sculptured 
  slabs 
  about 
  six 
  

   feet 
  high. 
  Those 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  in 
  descending 
  represented 
  a 
  procession 
  of 
  servants 
  car- 
  

   rying 
  fruit, 
  flowers, 
  gum, 
  and 
  supplies 
  for 
  a 
  banquet, 
  preceded 
  by 
  mace-bearers. 
  The 
  

  

  