THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



We have already published a " Circular," in 

 which the purposes of this Bulletin are set forth, 

 and in this, our first Number, we renew our hopes 

 and expectations that our undertaking will be sus- 

 tained by both Scientists and Agriculturists, since 

 it must be evident that the active cooperation of 

 all interested parties will alone insure success in an 

 undertaking which is a labor of Public benefit, 

 without monetary recompense, and which we are 

 peculiarly able, from our knowledge and collected 

 material, to advance successfully. 



THE TOMATO WORM STOET. 



The fatality which the human mind displays in 

 returning to the idea, through successive genera- 

 tions, that whatever object is inexplicable at the 

 moment to its ignorance in the entomological world, 

 is hurtful and will " sting," is distressing to those 

 who believe in the progressive intelligence of the 

 human race. 



Now, in this month of October, 1865, there is 

 going the rounds of the country press, the follow- 

 ing article, which we give in full. 



"Tomato "Worm.— The Port Byron (N. Y.) Times says, 

 that several persons near Auburn have recently been 

 Btung by a large worm that infested tomato vines, death 

 ensuing within a few hours. A lady in Port Byron dis- 

 covered one of these monsters on her tomato vines one 

 day last week, and narrowly escaped being stung. The 

 worm is described as about three inches long, of a green 

 color and armed with claws and nippers, with a black 

 horn extending in front some three-fourths of an inch 

 long. A writer in the Eochester Express states that a 

 few days since he took one of these worms from his to- 

 mato vines, and confined it about a week in a glass jar, 

 awaiting its change into a chrysalis state. Upon being 

 released it burrowed its way into the ground nearly a 

 foot, or as far as the thread by which it was held would 

 permit. Under the impression that it might resurrect 

 itself another season in the miller form and become the 

 parent of a numerous and destructive progeny, it was 

 killed." 



We have witnessed assemblages of boys armed 

 with long sticks, engaged in the perilous attempt 

 of " stirring up" a solitary moth which rested slee. 

 pily on a fence. Ensconced behind some tree or 

 other protecting object, for security, the boys would 

 sally out from this vantage ground and courageously 

 attack the " monster," and we feel sure that these 

 hoys, grown up men, will ever retain a recollection 

 of the address that saved them in such perilous 

 enterprises. But what are these dangers to those 

 encountered by the lady who narrowly escaped be- 

 ing stung by the harmless caterpillar of Sphinx 

 Carolina ? And then the deaths ; how is it that 

 these never appeared in the obituary notices ? 



By whom ever it was described, the person, with 



some similarity to Uncle Toby in this respect, evi- 

 dently did not know the right from the wrong 

 end of a — caterpillar. The grown-up child, who 

 confined the larva of a Sphinx in a glass jar, ex- 

 pecting it in that locality to change into a chrysa- 

 lis, and who afterwards tied a thread around it, 

 while the poor thing was intent on performing its 

 natural transformations appointed by the Almighty, 

 may perhaps be pardoned his ignorance from the 

 circumstance, that he expected the worm would 

 " resurrect itself in the miller shape," — a reasonable 

 conclusion, and one which we had not expected 

 from his conduct, the latter leading us rather to 

 anticipate, that he believed the poor thread-tied 

 worm would transform itself into a venomous rep- 

 tile, or full-fledged griflBn. The " claws" and " nip- 

 pers" indeed seem to favor the supposition that 

 such a transformation might be expected, on the 

 scriptural authority that the " last state" shall be 

 " worse than the first." Seriously speaking, need 

 we state that the "worm" is the caterpillar of 

 Sphinx Carolina, a lepidopterous insect, incapable 

 of inflicting harm on any one, except by devouring 

 a few eleemosynary leaves of the plant from which 

 it derives its sustenance; that the " horn" is situ- 

 ate posteriorly on the "tail" segments, and not "in 

 front;" that it undergoes its transformation into the 

 chrysalis state underground and emerges the fol- 

 lowing spring as a " moth" ? Truly, when we read 

 this article, we thought the world could ill dispense 

 with an Entomological Society, were it only to free 

 it from imaginary fears and dangers. 



Since Linnaeus wrote a dissertational reply with 

 the above title, many have ventilated their Latin- 

 ity and criticism on the science of Entomology and 

 Entomologists. 



Whatever you may be pleased to say on other 

 occasions, Messieurs Critics, and however you may 

 distort the true meaning and ends of what is un- 

 derstood by what is "useful," — this time at least 

 you will be silent. For we step before you here 

 with a work, which even you must concede to be 

 utilitarian, and, should you repeat now the ques- 

 tion with which we head this article, we can reply 

 conclusively and in the same tongue — " Pro bono 

 publico." 



y^" Those wishing to receive a copy of the Practical 

 Entomologist regularly, will please send with their names 

 and address, twelve cents in stamps to pay the postage 

 thereon for one year. All communications should be 

 addressed to E. T. Cresson, Corresponding Secretary, 518 

 South Thirteenth Street, Philadelphia. 



