22 



no copies of the reports of the State Entomologist, and do not know 

 where to apply for them. In this locality the corn crop was damaged 

 many thousands of dollars the last year by wire-worms — owing to the 

 fact that we could not get stands till the excessively rainy weather 

 set in, and our corn that had been replanted was too small to stand 

 the rain. If you have any published information on this subject, 

 please let me know where it may be obtained ; if not, please give us 

 an article in the Prairie Farmer on this little pest. Some of our mem- 

 bers have tried soaking the seed in various solutions, with indifferent 

 results, and from what information we can arrive at among ourselves, 

 it is hard to come to any settled conclusion." 



As requested, I answered through the Prairie Farmer, and by letter 

 also. As no full account of these pests has been given in any of our 

 Western entomological reports, I present the following, much of which 

 is derived from Dr. Fitch's exhaustive article on the wire-worms in 

 his Eleventh Report. I also add some additional facts from my own 

 observations, and suggest some remedies not found in Dr. Fitch's ar- 

 ticle, which I believe to be more valuable than he mentions. 



The worms are the larvae or grubs of a- group or family of beetles, 

 known to the entomologist as Elaters (Elateridse), but recognized 

 generally by the common name, "Skip-jacks," " Snapping-bugs," 

 " Spring-beetlers," " Click-beetles," etc. They are known to every 

 one who has felt sufficiently interested in the smaller works 

 of creation to notice insects, by the curious method they adopt to re- 

 cover their upright posture when they chance to fall upon their barks. 

 Their legs being too short to assist them in turning over, nature has 

 provided them with another means of regaining their proper position, 

 which is described in the previous part of this report. This is opera- 

 ted by a sudden jerk and spring, accompanied by a clicking sound 

 hence the common names, each of which has reference, in some way 

 to this operation. 



This group of insects is quite extensive, more than 500 North 

 American species having been determined, about one-tenth of which 

 are found in Illinois. As the larva' of all of these species are wire- 

 worms, it is evident that there must be several different kinds, which 

 though strongly resembling each other in general appearance and 

 character, differ in detail and habits. A large number of them are 

 found in the ground, where they feed upon the roots of the grasses and 

 grass-like plants; others reside under the loose bark of diseased and 

 decaying trees, and in decaying stumps, feeding, as has generally 

 been supposed, upon the putrid wood, but possibly upon peretrating 

 or fungus growths. 



A close examination of specimens of various sizes, and those taken 

 from different situations, even where there is but little variation in 

 size or general appearance, reveals some very marked differences. 

 Most of them show an impressed or indented line along the middle of 

 the back, but in some this is wanting. The surface is generally punc- 

 tured or covered with minute impressed points; but sometimes is quite 

 smooth, but the most marked difference is to be found in the form 

 and structure of the last segment. 



In some specimens, the Last Begment is simply conical, obtusely 

 rounded at the tip, without divisions, notches or punctures; in others. 



