$i8 
seen some vineyards at Sudagh, 
where these vermin have particu- 
jarly multiplied for several years, so 
as completely to ruin, and strip 
them of their leaves. This diminu- 
tive caterpillar, with ‘sixteen legs, 
which has hitherto remained a non- 
descript, commits its depredations 
towards the end of April, and in the 
month of May, especially in old 
vineyards. When full grown, it is 
half'an inch in length, and of the 
thickness of a straw. Its head is 
black, projecting anteriorly, point- 
ed at the fangs, and can be with- 
drawn under the first ring, which is 
scutiform, black, and edged in 
front with a yellowish white stripe. 
Below, its body is also yellowish 
white, and wrinkled ; above, it is 
black, as far as the lateral margin, 
where this colour terminates. On 
each side is a row of pale red tu- 
bercles, with tufts of whitish hair ; 
and along the back there are two 
similar rows with yellowish tufts. 
The caterpiller has rather a slow 
pace, spins from ‘beneath, and in 
genera] fixes on the buds and most 
tender leaves, to which it firmly ad- 
heres. On being touched, it rolls 
itself together, though not very 
closely, and remains for some time 
in this position: it is uncommonly 
voracious. Previously to casting 
the skin, it draws a delicate web 
over its body upon a leaf. During 
the whole month of May, these ver- 
min nibble, eat large holes through, 
nay, often totally devour the leaves ; 
towards the end of that month, they 
gradually commence to spin, and to 
convert themselves into a chrysalis ; 
from which, at the end of a few 
weeks, there issues a small moth, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803, 
entirely similar in form, and almost 
in size, to the female of the Sphynx 
statices, but of a blackish colour, 
with a faint lustre (Aenco-fusca). 
Next to this caterpillar, the smal. 
jer locust with rose-coloured wings, 
or Gryllus italicus, (which frequent~ 
ly commits depredations in Spain), 
has, for several years, been very 
destruétive to the vineyards of Crim 
Tartary. This inseét, indeed, ap- 
pears annually ou the dry emi- 
nences in the arid southern regions, 
from the European boundary, as far 
as the Irtish, and the mountains of © 
Alta; but it is only in particular 
years, that it multiplies in such 
numbers, as to become pernicious. 
After the severe winters of 1799, 
and 1800, these locusts became so 
numerous in the Crimea, that they 
traversed the air in prodigious 
swarms ; and wherever they settled, 
they not only despoiled all the her- 
bage and culinary plants of their 
verdure, but even stripped such 
trees as were agreeable to them, es- 
pecially the vines, of all their foli- 
age, and committed great ravages 
in the country. Their habits, re- 
speéting which Bowles relates many 
wonderful and true particulars, in 
his Natural History of Spain,* are 
certainly very remarkable. In 1799, 
I had no opportunity of observing 
these vermin in the first period of 
their existence, with uninterrupted 
attention ; nevertheless, they sufli- 
ciently distinguished themselves by 
the injury they occasioned in many 
distriéts, especially in the dry dales 
of Sudagh and Koos, where they 
caused extensive damage both in the 
reptile and in the winged state. In 
that year, they appeared chiefly 
in 
* Introduction a |*Histoire Naturelle et 4 ]a Geographie Physique de l’Espagne, 
traduite de Original Espagnol de Guill. Bowles par le Vicomte Flavigny. Paris. 
1776. 8vo. pp. 249, arid following. 
